The Chaffee County Community Planning & Natural Resources Department is seeking qualifications for a contractor and/or host organization to serve as the Working Lands Resilience Coordinator to support agricultural and ranching producers and the working lands sector across Chaffee County. This contracted position is intended to help fulfill the 2020 Chaffee County Comprehensive Plan’s intent of supporting agricultural economics and helping agricultural and ranching operations remain viable within Chaffee County, manage increasing conflicts and costs associated with increasing growth, visitation, and recreation.
Chaffee County has identified the need to better serve the agricultural producer and working lands community to fulfill our commitment to keeping working lands working. After multiple assessments, surveys, and listening sessions, the County has determined that a dedicated, contract position is needed to initiate, coordinate, and facilitate the Chaffee County Working Lands Resilience Initiative, create sector-wide capacity, provide technical assistance, serve as community liaison across key stakeholder groups, and drive producers-centered, coalition-informed efforts.
This role is not housed within the Chaffee County Government organization and will not be an employee of Chaffee County. Rather, the County seeks either an independent contractor or a host organization to hire a dedicated position(s) to fulfill this scope of work. The scope of work may be fulfilled by one or more persons through a work-share arrangement. The County’s focus is on successful delivery of impact and measurable outcomes, and is open to consideration of the various models that could achieve them.
The ideal candidate(s) will have strong ties to Chaffee County’s agricultural and ranching sector and have deep connections to the local agriculture and working lands community, its advocacy organizations, its businesses, and its people.
Chaffee County is piloting this Working Lands Resilience Coordinator leadership and capacity-building role, with the intent of underwriting its core operations for 24-36 months and the goal of transitioning to a self-sustaining model after that time.
