Jobs - Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative

Jobs

IFAI’s job board is intended to be a resource for Native Americans and Alaska Natives interested in employment and internship opportunities that focus primarily on Indigenous food and agriculture policy and law. However, the job board is also open to other types of opportunities in the following:

US Federal / State Departments and Agencies
Federally Recognized Tribes and organizations
Educational Institutions

Submit to the job board: please include application submission deadlines

Federal | State | Tribal | Partners | Education | IFAI

State Jobs

Compliance Specialist 3

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation

Location: Helena, MT

Closing Date: May 1, 2026

Duties Include:

Lead statewide quality control and assurance for water right permitting, changes, and adjudication work products, ensuring they comply with statute, rule, court orders, and policy.
Provide advanced technical assistance on water rights, GIS mapping, and the water right database to regional staff, supervisors, managers, and external stakeholders.
Develop, recommend, and deliver training, update guidance manuals, and ensure consistent application of procedures across all regional offices.
Monitor work progress, set performance measures, and evaluate program work quality, identifying and resolving issues that impact program goals.

Animal Food Field Inspector

Washington State Department of Agriculture

Location: Multiple Locations – Central WA

Closing Date: Continuous

Duties Include:

Serves the Animal Food Program in carrying out objectives and tasks in its strategic action plan, specifically performing field activities such as inspections, investigations, sample collections, technical assistance, recall activities and compliance/enforcement actions at any applicable facility within the state to protect animals and humans from misbranded or adulterated/contaminated animal food or ingredients.
Demonstrates a strong working knowledge of the applicable federal and state laws, rules, and regulations related to animal food.

Branch Chief – Environmental Program Manager II

California Department of Food and Agriculture

Location: Sacramento County, CA

Closing Date: April 21, 2026

Duties Include:

Develop and propose new policies and procedures for the Milk and Dairy Food Safety Branch involving dairies, milk, milk products, products resembling milk products, and milk and dairy processing facilities as authorized under administrative regulations and the Food and Agricultural Code.
Develop and propose new policies and procedures to effectively and efficiently use agency resources to meet program goals and objectives that ensure milk, dairy products, and products resembling milk products are safe, unadulterated and properly labeled to safeguard public health.

Senior Attorney

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Location: Tallahassee, FL

Closing Date: May 5, 2026

Duties Include:

Responsible for all matters about agriculture except as otherwise provided by law.
Renders requested legal advice and counsel to the Commissioner, the Commissioner’s staff, and other employees of the department.
Handles complex cases on all levels of trial and appellate courts in the state and federal system as well as administrative proceedings under the Florida Administrative Procedures Act.

Agriculture Law Enforcement Chief

Arkansas Department of Agriculture

Location: Little Rock, AR

Closing Date: For a hire date of June 2026 or after

Duties Include:

Direct and manage agricultural law enforcement operations across the state. Supervise, train, and evaluate a team of law enforcement officers, investigators, and administrative personnel.
Develop and implement law enforcement policies, procedures, and strategic initiatives to ensure compliance with state law and agricultural rules.
Coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies to support agriculture-related law enforcement efforts.

Agriculture Animal Industry – Meat Inspector 1 or 2

Georgia Department of Agriculture

Location: Macon, GA (Plus 3 other locations)

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Duties Include:

Under direct supervision, he learns to inspect red meat, products, and meat processing facilities to determine compliance with legal standards.
This includes antemortem and post-mortem inspections.
This position requires access to a personal vehicle or reliable transportation. Incumbents must work in adjoining areas as program requirements dictate, although travel outside of the assigned area is expected to be less than 15% of total travel.

Tribal Jobs

Tribal Administrator

Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe

Location: Hollister, NC

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Duties Include:

Provide strategic direction and oversight to the Senior Management Team.
Oversee the preparation and administration of annual budgets, reports, and projects.
Evaluate performance, analyze, and interpret data and metrics to improve outcomes.
Attend required meetings and events to report upon the progress of the Tribe or its entity(ies).

Executive Director

Yurok Tribe

Location: Klamath, CA

Closing Date: April 13, 2026

Duties Include:

Meets with the Tribal Council in regular and special meetings; provides information and/or reports regarding tribal operations, services and programs; ensures appropriate staff are in attendance; advises Tribal Council in their deliberations on planning, policies and/or laws/ordinances.
Track all Tribal Council directives, assign them to appropriate department leaders, and ensure timely, clear reporting of outcomes back to council. Ensure directives are clear, in writing, and have a timeline for completion.
Ensure that staff carry out directives and policies of the Council utilizing the appropriate chain of command.

Intern I – WIC Public Health, Summer 2026

Cherokee Nation

Location: Tahlequah, OK

Closing Date: April 15, 2026

Duties Include:

Operate standard office equipment and computer software
Frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
Occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions.

Deputy Director of Natural Resources

Quileute Tribe

Location: LaPush, WA

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Duties Include:

Assist in the management of personnel and their activities within the program.
Help to ensure that all activities within the program are in accordance with the Quileute Tribal laws, policies and ordinances.
Assists in the implementation and activation of several programs that are to perform as outlined under Article II Section 201 of the Scope of Bureau Programs to be performed under the P.L. 638 contract and codes.

Partners Jobs

Communications Officer

Akiptan

Location: Eagle Butte, SD

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Duties Include:

Provide information and answer questions to potential borrowers and current clients on programs with Akiptan.
Ensures completion and compliance of the content strategy. This includes collecting necessary information, inputting key performance indications, collaborating with departments and ensuring that data entry is complete, etc.
Managing the reporting of key performance indicators from all platforms.

Staff Attorney

Intertribal Agriculture Council

Location: WFH / Remote

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Duties Include:

Draft, review, negotiate, and interpret contracts, including those related to grants, sponsorships, services, and vendor agreements
Assist in ensuring compliance with nonprofit regulations, including IRS requirements, charitable solicitation laws, and municipal procurement processes
Provide legal counsel on employment/HR matters, including policy development, wage/hour compliance, and benefit plan compliance, in coordination with HR
Provide legal support for fundraising initiatives, including gift agreements and donor restrictions

Principal Legal Counsel and Department Manager

Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC)

Location: Portland, OR

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Duties Include:

Serve as CRITFC’s principal legal counsel on treaty rights, tribal sovereignty, environmental and natural resource law, and organizational compliance.
Lead a team of attorneys and legal staff, overseeing litigation support, policy development, and intergovernmental negotiations.
Build partnerships with tribal governments, federal and state agencies, and regional stakeholders to advance CRITFC’s mission and protect tribal treaty rights.
Guide CRITFC’s legal and policy strategies while supporting organizational systems, risk management, and compliance efforts.

Education Jobs

Director, Division of Animal Sciences

University of Missouri

Location: Columbia, MO

Closing Date: May 16, 2026

Duties Include:

Provide principled, strategic leadership that advances excellence in research, teaching, and Extension while elevating the Division’s national and global prominence.
Foster a collaborative culture that supports faculty, staff, and student success.
Uphold and strengthen shared governance by engaging faculty, staff, and stakeholders in transparent decision-making, strategic planning, and policy development to ensure collective responsibility and institutional trust.
Oversee fiscal, personnel, and operational management needs of the Division, ensuring effective stewardship of resources and mission-oriented achievements.

Community Food and Agricultural Systems Coordinator

Central State University

Location: Wilberforce, OH

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Duties Include:

Develop, organize and provide outreach and programming for current and aspiring business owners working in the food systems space.
Provide technical assistance virtually and in-person across the state to business owners working in community food systems.
Create outreach tools and materials for various internal and external communication outlets.
Provide training and support on Food Systems business development to CED and ANR educators.
Quantify and track outreach efforts including to underserved and underrepresented populations.

Extension Agent, Agriculture-Livestock (Assistant, Associate or Full Agent)

North Carolina State University

Location: Greensboro, NC

Closing Date: April 20, 2026

Duties Include:

NC State Extension extends research-based knowledge to all North Carolinians, helping them transform science into everyday solutions that improve their lives and grow our state.
Will have educational responsibilities in all phases of livestock production, forage, and waste management.
Conduct educational programs that focus on the profitability and sustainability of North Carolina livestock, utilizing best practices based on research to include the adoption of proven technology, business, and financial practices.
Will be responsible for applied research development in the program area.

Community College Faculty – Native American Studies

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College

Location: Cloquet, MN

Closing Date: May 1, 2026

Duties Include:

Teach a variety of college courses related to American Indian Studies, with particular emphasis on the Anishinaabeg culture and history.
Assist the American Indian Studies/Anishinaabeg Program Coordinator with planning, program review/assessment, student outreach/recruitment, mentoring/advising students, and new curriculum/program development.
Collaborate effectively as a contributing team member within the Anishinaabe-gikendaasowinan programs, supporting shared goals and program success.
Participate in accreditation, student success, and other institutional initiatives.

Federal Jobs

Assistant Administrator

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service

Location: Washington, DC; Athens, GA

Closing Date: April 17, 2026

Duties Include:

Provides executive-level leadership by participating with the Administrator, other Assistant Administrators, and staff officials in developing, recommending, and supporting Agency missions, goals, and policies.
Guides, supports, coordinates, and reviews research related to the food safety research agenda conducted by scientists for the Agricultural Research Service and from outside sources.
Manages studies of human health conditions and events relating to consumption of meat, poultry, and egg products.

Deputy Assistant Administrator

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service

Location: Athens, GA

Closing Date: April 17, 2026

Duties Include:

Participates with the Administrator, the Assistant Administrator, other Assistant Administrators, and staff officials in developing, recommending, and supporting Agency missions, goals, and policies.
Guides, supports, and shares in managing research programs related to the food safety research agenda conducted by scientists from the Agricultural Research Service and from outside sources.
Shares in managing tracebacks and in-plant and other investigations to combat foodborne illness outbreaks involving meat, poultry, and egg products.

Executive Associate for Regulatory Operations

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service

Location: Various Locations

Closing Date: April 15, 2026

Duties Include:

Responsible for managing and administering the nation’s meat, poultry and egg products inspection and verification program.
Supervise one or more District Offices.
Provide overall planning, leadership, administration, and evaluation of assigned Districts.
Oversee recall management activities, food emergency incident responses, and outbreak investigations.

Deputy Assistant Administrator

USDA: Food Safety and Inspection Service

Location: Fort Collins, CO and Urvandale, IA

Closing Date: April 13, 2026

Duties Include:

Leads the development of Agency mission, goals, and policies by collecting and analyzing information, including economic data, to inform policy decisions develop regulations and guidance and improve program systems, standards, and methods.
Works with the Office of Public Health Science (OPHS) to ensure that policies, programs, standards, and methods developed have a sound scientific basis.
Works with the Office of Field Operations to develop procedures and methods for inspecting livestock, poultry, and processed meat, poultry, and egg products.

Assistant Administrator

USDA: Food Safety and Inspection Service

Location: Washington, DC

Closing Date: April 13, 2026

Duties Include:

Responsible for directing, reviewing, and evaluating long-range strategic plans, policies and programs; adjusts objective/plans to address anticipated and undefined issues, problems and situations.
Serves as the coordinator of the international activities of the Office of Field Operations (OFO), the Office of Investigation, Enforcement and Audit (OIEA) and the Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD).
Works in concert with other USDA and Federal agencies concerning international food safety responsibilities. Ensures international and domestic policy development is coordinated with international trade agreements.

Attorney Advisor (Senior Counsel)

USDA: Office of the General Counsel

Location: Washington, DC

Closing Date: April 13, 2026

Duties Include:

Serves as a senior attorney providing authoritative legal advice, technical legal expertise and litigation support on complex, high-impact matters.
Develops and advises on litigation strategy for complex cases coordinating closely with the Department of Justice.
Advises senior leadership on litigation risk.

IFAI Jobs

IFAI Law and Policy Fellowship

University of Arkansas – IFAI

Location: Fayetteville, AR

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Overview:

The IFAI Law and Policy Fellowship is a program for a third-year law student or new lawyer interested in gaining practical experience working on a wide array of legal topics across Indian Country agriculture. A highly competitive candidate for this position will have a background or experience in agriculture, natural resources, economics, public policy or governance, and lived or professional experience in Indian Country.