Director, Agricultural Policy & USDA Partnerships

Rainmaker Technology Corporation; Washington; On-site; USD 150,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with employer matching

Full health coverage (medical, dental,

Job summary

Rainmaker seeks a Director of Agricultural Development to lead USDA engagement and advance precipitation enhancement initiatives in Washington, DC. The role focuses on building partnerships, shaping conservation funding, and coordinating with Congress for policy and appropriations.

You will drive Farm Bill strategy, align state and federal efforts, and build a broad agricultural coalition while organizing field demonstrations and stakeholder visits to illustrate the technology’s impact on water

Qualifications

• 10+ years in agricultural policy, conservation policy, or agricultural government relations.
• Thorough knowledge of USDA operations at national and state levels, including HQ–state policy links.
• In-depth command of USDA conservation and water programs, and how producers actually access them.
• Strong command of the Farm Bill: drafting, reauthorization, funding, and the interaction with appropriations.
• Track record of developing programs and securing federal funding, including grants and cost-share processes.
• Current relationships across USDA, the Congressional agriculture committees, and the Washington agricultural community.
• Substantive understanding of western water policy and the agricultural water landscape.
• Ability to operate as a strategist and hands-on operator in a fast-paced startup environment.
• Direct agricultural or ranching background is a bonus.
• Based in Washington, DC with willingness to travel domestically for Hill engagement, meetings, and site visits.

Responsibilities

• USDA Engagement: Own Rainmaker’s relationship with USDA end to end, specifically NRCS at the national headquarters, regional, and local office levels.
• Conservation Program Development: Identify and secure USDA funding vehicles for precipitation enhancement as a conservation practice. Own proposal development, submission, and follow-through, and pursue longer-horizon work of establishing cloud seeding within USDA’s conservation practice architecture.
• Farm Bill & Legislative Strategy: Own Rainmaker’s Farm Bill strategy. Track and shape the conservation and research titles, develop legislative proposals and appropriations language, and understand how authorization interacts with the annual Agriculture appropriations process.
• Congressional Engagement: Own relationships with the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, the Agriculture appropriations subcommittees, and the Western delegations whose districts our projects serve.
• State & Federal Alignment: Work with Rainmaker’s State Government Affairs team to align state and federal authorities, funding, and relationships.
• Agricultural Coalition Building: Represent Rainmaker across Washington’s agricultural community and identify positive-sum opportunities on water policy.
• Regional & Producer-Facing Work: Build relationships with state conservationists, extension services, and producer groups; translate producer needs into terms federal program managers can act on.
• Field Demonstrations & Site Visits: Organize visits for USDA leadership, Congressional staff, state officials, and agricultural stakeholders.

Job description

Rainmaker seeks a Director of Agricultural Development to lead USDA engagement and advance precipitation enhancement initiatives in Washington, DC. The role focuses on building partnerships, shaping conservation funding, and coordinating with Congress for policy and appropriations.

You will drive Farm Bill strategy, align state and federal efforts, and build a broad agricultural coalition while organizing field demonstrations and stakeholder visits to illustrate the technology’s impact on water