Contract Geospatial Data Engineer Jobs in Iowa (NOW HIRING)

Practical Farmers of Iowa is Hiring a Data Analysis and Reporting Manager

About PFI

Practical Farmers of Iowa is a nonprofit organization that has worked to equip farmers to build resilient farms and communities since 1985. We create learning opportunities via farmer-led events, on-farm research and educational content through our robust network of farmers. We also provide funding and technical assistance to help farmers adopt regenerative farming practices and grow farm businesses. Our vision is an Iowa with healthy soil, healthy food, clean air, clean water, resilient farms and vibrant communities.

This work has always been rooted in our value of welcoming everyone and creating a culture of mutual respect. We believe that a diversity of people, ideas and perspectives strengthens our ability to find creative solutions, enriches our understanding and broadens our impact. At Practical Farmers, we celebrate this diversity and are committed to ensuring that our policies and practices create an equitable and inclusive workplace. We take equal opportunity seriously and seek to empower and support all applicants and teammates.

Practical Farmers offers a flexible, supportive and fast-paced work environment. Professional development is a core part of our culture and team members are encouraged to take independent initiative to help fulfill our mission.

About the Position

The data analysis and reporting manager will lead the development and implementation of systems that transform farm-level production and geospatial data into trusted sustainability outcomes. This position sits within Practical Farmers’ farm viability department and plays a critical role in supporting farmer participation in emerging environmental markets and sustainability initiatives.

The data analysis and reporting manager will oversee data collection, stewardship, quality assurance, modeling and reporting processes that support greenhouse gas accounting, sustainability reporting and program evaluation. Working across agronomy, data, science and external partner teams, this role will ensure data integrity, audit readiness and continuous improvement of Practical Farmers’ monitoring and reporting systems.

The ideal candidate combines expertise in agricultural production systems, data management, geospatial information and sustainability analytics with strong project management and communication skills. They will help build scalable systems that enable Practical Farmers to deliver credible, science-based outcomes for farmers, supply chain partners and other stakeholders while advancing PFI’s mission of supporting resilient farms and communities.

Duties

• Manage data stewardship and reporting projects.
• Working with PFI staff and contractors, manage the collection of farm production data (inputs, yields, practices, management systems).
• Oversee geospatial data ingestion (geospatial information systems layers, field boundaries, remote sensing inputs),?including supervising contractors.
• Coordinate data pipelines across agronomy, field teams and external partners.
• Ensure consistency, completeness and traceability of all monitoring, reporting and verification input datasets.
• Analyze data stewardship and reporting data and report results.
• Run and manage outputs using tools such as Fieldprint-style calculators and carbon modeling platforms like Roth C or other models using R-code or other packages.
• Translate agronomic and geospatial data into greenhouse gas estimates and sustainability metrics.
• Support Scope 1, 2 and 3 inventory development through structured data inputs.
• Collaborate with sustainability and science teams to refine emission factors and methodologies.
• Design and implement processes to ensure consistency and efficiency of data stewardship and reporting subdepartment.
• Maintain monitoring, reporting and verification data systems for audit readiness and third-party verification.
• Support development of an annual greenhouse gas inventory and science-based targets for initiative tracking requirements.
• Ensure documentation of methodologies, assumptions and data lineage.
• Strengthen quality assurance and quality control protocols across all monitoring, reporting and verification datasets.
• Facilitate collaboration between departments and teams to achieve data stewardship and reporting project goals.
• Work closely with data architecture and engineering teams to optimize data flows.
• Support integration of geospatial information systems (e.g., ESRI), databases and reporting tools.
• Contribute to the development of a centralized emissions and sustainability data warehouse.
• Improve automation between field data capture, modeling tools and reporting outputs.
• Partner with agronomy teams to interpret field practices into data models.
• Develop and manage partnerships related to data stewardship and reporting that leverage both organizations' work toward PFI's goals.
• Collaborate with sustainability reporting teams on disclosures and frameworks (Greenhouse Gas Protocol, Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, etc.).
• Support supplier engagement efforts to improve upstream data quality and emissions factors.
• Provide analytical support for lifecycle assessments and scenario modeling.
• Other duties as assigned or volunteered to support department or team projects.

Required Qualifications and Characteristics

• A master’s degree in a science field
• Experience with measurement, reporting and verification systems and audit requirements
• Familiarity with agricultural production systems and farm management practices (inputs, yields, soil practices, etc.)
• Knowledge of geospatial data systems (GIS concepts, field boundaries, remote sensing basics)
• Understanding of data governance, quality assurance and quality control standards and traceability requirements for reporting
• Experience building and managing structured datasets combining farm production and geospatial data
• An ability to analyze large, complex datasets and translate them into emissions and sustainability metrics
• Experience working with data tools such as Excel, structured query language, Power BI and geospatial information systems platforms (e.g., ESRI)
• The ability to collaborate to design and improve data workflows and reporting pipelines across teams
• Familiarity with conducting quality assurance and quality control on emissions inventories to ensure audit readiness
• The ability to communicate technical data clearly to agronomy, sustainability and leadership teams
• Strong interpersonal communication skills (written and verbal)
• An ability to connect field-level agricultural data to enterprise emissions reporting systems
• An ability to interpret incomplete or imperfect datasets and still produce reliable outputs
• The ability to maintain high attention to detail in high-stakes reporting environments
• Skill identifying gaps in data systems and proactively designing improvements
• The ability to prioritize multiple reporting cycles, deadlines and stakeholder needs simultaneously

Desired Qualifications and Characteristics

• A doctorate in a science field
• Experience with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (Scopes 1, 2 and 3) and agricultural emissions accounting
• Knowledge of lifecycle assessment (LCA) principles and carbon accounting methodologies
• Experience with sustainability disclosure frameworks (science-based targets initiative, carbon disclosure project, international sustainability standards board, international organization for standardization standards)
• Experience operating or coordinating emissions modeling tools (e.g.,Fieldprint-style calculators, lifetime cycle assessment tools)
• Experience collaborating with data engineers and architects to improve system integration and automation
• The ability to manage cross-functional coordination across agronomy, data and sustainability teams
• The ability to translate technical monitoring, reporting and verification outputs into business insights and decisions

This is a full-time position with potential for hybrid work. There is a minimum requirement of one day per month at the Ames, Iowa, office and seasonal travel around Iowa and surrounding states. The beginning salary range for this position is $58,000-$62,000 with annual opportunity for salary increases and position advancement.

PFI values its employees and is a flexible and supportive work environment. We offer employees a competitive benefits package that includes employee health insurance with 100% employer-paid premium, generous paid time off, flexible hours, six weeks of fully paid parental leave and 5% automatic 401k contribution after one year of employment.

We also encourage employee professional development and offer a range of specialty benefits employees can use to support their wellness, sustainability and financial goals. Examples of our specialty benefits include contributions towards spouse or dependent health insurance, stipends for remote workers and reimbursements for fitness costs, CSA subscriptions, student loans or eco-friendly purchases. Practical Farmers is a family-friendly employer.

Please apply by completing an application (including contact information, cover letter, resume and references). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.