Director of Agricultural Development

Lever, Inc.; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 150,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

401(k) matching

Health coverage

Relocation assistance

Unlimited PTO

Parental leave

Job summary

Rainmaker in Washington, DC seeks a Director of Agricultural Development to lead USDA engagement and forge federal programs for precipitation enhancement as a conservation practice. You will build partnerships with NRCS, FSA, and related agencies, and manage congressional relationships to secure durable funding and policy support.

You will work closely with state affairs teams to align federal funding with regional water objectives, organize field demos, and advocate for rain enhancement within

Qualifications

• 10+ years in agricultural policy, conservation policy, or agricultural government relations.
• Thorough knowledge of USDA operations at national and state levels.
• In-depth understanding of USDA conservation and water programs and how producers access them.
• Experience with Farm Bill, authorship, funding, and appropriations processes.
• Track record of developing programs and securing federal funding and grants.

Responsibilities

• Own USDA engagement end-to-end with NRCS and related agencies nationwide.
• Identify funding vehicles and drive proposal development for precipitation enhancement as a conservation practice.
• Lead Farm Bill strategy and liaise with committees on conservation and research titles.
• Manage Congressional engagement and prepare briefing materials for lawmakers.
• Collaborate with state government affairs to align federal and state objectives.
• Build and sustain agricultural coalition presence and producer engagement.
• Organize field demonstrations and site visits for key stakeholders.

Skills

Agricultural policy

Government relations

Policy development

Grant funding

Strategic execution

Job description

Rainmaker is pioneering a modern precipitation enhancement cloud seeding system to solve water scarcity. We develop and incorporate radar validation, weather-resistant UAS, and numerical weather modeling to make water abundant.

As Rainmaker’s Director of Agricultural Development, you will own our engagement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the agricultural community in Washington. You will build the programs, partnerships, and funding pathways that connect precipitation enhancement to the conservation and water supply needs of American producers, and you will own the Congressional relationships and coalition presence that make the work durable.

This position is based in Washington, DC.

What You'll Do

• USDA Engagement: Own Rainmaker’s relationship with USDA end to end, specifically NRCS at the national headquarters, regional, and local office levels, along with FSA, RMA, ARS, ERS, and NIFA. Build durable relationships with senior career and political leadership, and understand where decision authority actually sits between Washington and the states.
• Conservation Program Development: Identify and secure the USDA vehicles that can fund precipitation enhancement as a conservation practice. Own proposal development, submission, and follow-through, and pursue the 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. Prepare member- and staff-level briefing materials that make the case for precipitation enhancement as agricultural water supply.
• State & Federal Alignment: Work in close partnership with Rainmaker’s State Government Affairs team, who own our relationships with state water agencies, districts, and basin bodies. Understand what each state and basin is working toward, then find the federal authorities, funding, and relationships that advance it.
• Agricultural Coalition Building: Represent Rainmaker across Washington’s agricultural community. Identify positive-sum opportunities on water policy, and convert it into shared advocacy.
• Regional & Producer-Facing Work: Build relationships with state conservationists, state technical committees, extension services, and producer groups in the regions where we operate. Translate what producers need into terms federal program managers can act on, and translate federal program mechanics into terms producers can use.
• Field Demonstrations & Site Visits: Organize visits for USDA leadership, Congressional staff, state officials, and agricultural stakeholders, building first-hand understanding of what the technology does and where it fits in a working agricultural water system.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in agricultural policy, conservation policy, or agricultural government relations. Examples include time at USDA, a Congressional agriculture or agriculture appropriations role, a commodity or producer organization, a conservation NGO, or the government affairs function of a comparable company.

• Thorough working knowledge of how USDA operates at both the national and state/regional level, including the relationship between headquarters policy and state office implementation.

• In-depth command of USDA conservation and water programs, and how producers actually access them.

• Demonstrated command of the Farm Bill: how it is written, reauthorized, and funded, and how the conservation and research titles interact with annual appropriations.

• Track record of developing programs and securing federal funding for them, including familiarity with the mechanics of federal grant, cooperative agreement, 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 both a strategist and a hands‑on operator in a fast‑paced startup environment.

• Direct agricultural or ranching background is a bonus.

• Must be based in Washington, DC with willingness and ability to travel domestically for Hill engagement, agency meetings, state and regional office visits, coalition work, and project site demonstrations.

$150,000 - $175,000 a year

• Significant stock options with high potential upside as an early-stage company
• 401(k) with employer matching
• Full health coverage (medical, dental, and vision insurance)
• Relocation assistance provided (if applicable)
• Unlimited PTOPaid parental leave for both parents