Director of Agricultural Policy

Spark Climate Solutions

Agricultural policy leader developing U.S. federal strategies for enteric methane and nitrogen programs.

Posted 5/26/2026full-timeRemote • District of Columbia, Washington • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $140,000 - $165,000 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Spark

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead the U.S. federal policy strategy for the Enteric and Nitrogen programs, in support of the Enteric and Nitrogen Program strategies
Develop multi-year policy plans that support each program's strategy, accounting for the U.S. agricultural policy opportunity landscape and refreshing it as the political environment evolves
Draft policy proposals, legislative language, and supporting analytical memos for federal RD&D and deployment policy, including marker legislation (e.g., CATTLE Act for enteric) and proposals targeting USDA conservation, risk management, and clean fuels programs (EQIP, CSP, RCPP, 45Z, SAFs) for nitrogen
Engage directly with Congressional offices, USDA, EPA, and other federal agencies on annual appropriations authorizing legislation, and rulemaking
Lead trade-association alignment work for the Nitrogen program and support coalition engagement for the Enteric program, including establishing partnerships with new members
Advise on state-level engagement where high-leverage
Advise on international policy engagement opportunities as relevant
Partner with Spark's Senior Policy Manager on cross-program priorities such as SLCP framing and support for broader policy frameworks
Represent Spark in policy convenings, congressional briefings, and partner forums

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's degree with 10+ years of professional experience in agricultural policy, federal government, or related fields; or Master's degree (e.g., MPP, MPA, JD) with 8+ years of experience
Demonstrated track record developing and advancing federal agricultural policy, with examples of policy proposals, legislation, or rulemaking you helped shape
Strong existing network in agricultural policy: Hill, USDA/EPA, trade associations, producer groups, or ag policy NGOs
Excellent writing skills, including the ability to draft legislative language, technical policy memos, and stakeholder-facing materials with limited revision
Ability to translate scientific and technical content (methane mitigation, nitrogen management) into policy proposals that are credible to both technical and political audiences
Sound strategic judgment about when, where, and how to engage; comfortable making and defending recommendations
Collaborative working style; able to operate across program teams with different priorities, voices, and stakeholder bases

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive benefits package including 90% health coverage and 75% coverage for dependents
401k matching
Generous PTO
Sick time
End-of-year closure
Parental leave
Annual national park pass

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Hard Skills & Tools

agricultural policyfederal governmentpolicy proposalslegislationrulemakingstakeholder engagementtechnical policy memosscientific content translationstrategic judgmentnetworking

Soft Skills

excellent writing skillscollaborative working stylestrategic judgmentcommunicationpartnership buildingadvisory skillsengagement skillsanalytical thinkingnegotiationleadership

Certifications

Bachelor's degreeMaster's degreeMPPMPAJD