Putting Tribal SovereigntyJobs
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
State Jobs
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 Division Director
Arkansas Department of Agriculture
Location: Little Rock, AR
Closing Date: Open until filled
Preferred Qualifications Include:
- Demonstrated experience overseeing or administering large-scale food and nutrition programs, including programs funded or regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, such as child nutrition, commodity distribution, farm to school, or emergency food assistance initiatives.
- Experience developing and implementing initiatives that integrate locally produced agricultural commodities into institutional food systems, including school meal programs and other public nutrition settings.
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
IFAI Launches Nationwide Roundtables Over Tribal Governance Guide
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. – Late last year, the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) released its new Tribal Governance Guide to Food and Agriculture, a comprehensive resource designed to serve as a one-stop-shop for Tribal governments seeking to navigate and invest in food systems development. The Tribal Governance Guide to Food and Agriculture provides Tribal leadership and staff with accessible tools, resources, and strategic guidance to strengthen Tribal food and agricultural systems.
The Guide helps Tribes identify and pursue opportunities that support sovereignty, economic development, and long-term sustainability within their food systems. As part of this initiative, IFAI is hosting Tribal Food Policy Roundtables across Indian Country to share the Governance Guide and engage directly with Tribal leaders, staff, and producers. What to Expect at a Tribal Food Policy Roundtable Each roundtable is tailored to the unique priorities and interests of the host Tribe. While discussions vary, roundtables generally include:
- An overview of the Tribal Governance Guide to Food and Agriculture
- In-depth discussions on tools and resources within the Guide most relevant to the host Tribe
- Open dialogue with Tribal leadership, Tribal staff, and Tribal producers
- Interactive question-and-answer opportunities
- Roundtables also provide an opportunity for IFAI to gather feedback from Tribal leadership, employees, and producers about on-the-ground experiences in Tribal food and agriculture. These conversations help IFAI better understand the current landscape, including the impacts of federal agricultural policy and potential indicators of a developing farm crisis in Tribal communities.
All roundtables are offered at no cost to the host Tribe. Tribal leadership and staff interested in hosting a Tribal Food Policy Roundtable are encouraged to reach out to IFAI to begin the conversation. IFAI’s team will coordinate directly with interested Tribes to customize the roundtable to meet their specific needs and goals.
For more information or to schedule a roundtable, Tribal representatives are invited to contact Senior Director of Strategy, Kelli Case at kellic@uark.edu
FDIPR Produce Training to Be Held
Who should attend?
This training is intended for FDPIR program operators.
When and where will the FDPIR Produce Training be held?
- April 9 – 10, 2026 at Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa: Register now!
- May 19 – 20, 2026 at Spirit Lake Tribe: Register now!
- June 2026 at the NAFDPIR Annual Conference in Niagara Falls, New York: Complete this form if you are interested in attending the training during the annual conference. You will receive a registration link when the training details are confirmed.
- Coming soon! An additional training date and location will be made available before September 30, 2026.
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
IFAI Launches Nationwide Roundtables Over Tribal Governance Guide
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. – Late last year, the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) released its new Tribal Governance Guide to Food and Agriculture, a comprehensive resource designed to serve as a one-stop-shop for Tribal governments seeking to navigate and invest in food systems development. The Tribal Governance Guide to Food and Agriculture provides Tribal leadership and staff with accessible tools, resources, and strategic guidance to strengthen Tribal food and agricultural systems.
The Guide helps Tribes identify and pursue opportunities that support sovereignty, economic development, and long-term sustainability within their food systems. As part of this initiative, IFAI is hosting Tribal Food Policy Roundtables across Indian Country to share the Governance Guide and engage directly with Tribal leaders, staff, and producers. What to Expect at a Tribal Food Policy Roundtable Each roundtable is tailored to the unique priorities and interests of the host Tribe. While discussions vary, roundtables generally include:
- An overview of the Tribal Governance Guide to Food and Agriculture
- In-depth discussions on tools and resources within the Guide most relevant to the host Tribe
- Open dialogue with Tribal leadership, Tribal staff, and Tribal producers
- Interactive question-and-answer opportunities
- Roundtables also provide an opportunity for IFAI to gather feedback from Tribal leadership, employees, and producers about on-the-ground experiences in Tribal food and agriculture. These conversations help IFAI better understand the current landscape, including the impacts of federal agricultural policy and potential indicators of a developing farm crisis in Tribal communities.
All roundtables are offered at no cost to the host Tribe. Tribal leadership and staff interested in hosting a Tribal Food Policy Roundtable are encouraged to reach out to IFAI to begin the conversation. IFAI’s team will coordinate directly with interested Tribes to customize the roundtable to meet their specific needs and goals.
For more information or to schedule a roundtable, Tribal representatives are invited to contact Senior Director of Strategy, Kelli Case at kellic@uark.edu
FDIPR Produce Training to Be Held
Who should attend?
This training is intended for FDPIR program operators.
When and where will the FDPIR Produce Training be held?
- April 9 – 10, 2026 at Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa: Register now!
- May 19 – 20, 2026 at Spirit Lake Tribe: Register now!
- June 2026 at the NAFDPIR Annual Conference in Niagara Falls, New York: Complete this form if you are interested in attending the training during the annual conference. You will receive a registration link when the training details are confirmed.
- Coming soon! An additional training date and location will be made available before September 30, 2026.
Soil Health Educator
Soil Health Institute
Location: Morrisville, NC (Remote)
Closing Date: March 11, 2026
Duties Include:
- Co-organize and co-facilitate listening sessions with Indigenous growers to understand their agricultural systems, barriers, needs, and opportunities that can be addressed through soil health.
- Design and deliver culturally appropriate soil health educational materials including field days, soil health workshops, and soil health reports.
- Integrate Indigenous knowledge, traditional ecological knowledge, and cultural practices into soil health education and curriculum.
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.
Tribal Engagement Coordinator
Indigenous Conservation Council of Chesapeake Bay
Location: Remote within the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Closing Date: March 14, 2026
Duties Include:
- Responsible for coordinating outreach and engagement programs and events, and communicating and engaging with tribal leadership and communities to support conservation needs.
- Support the coordination and implementation of a new Listening to Our Lands program. This place-based program initiative is designed to bring Tribal Nations together with property rights holders of their ancestral lands to support land access and reconnection, conservation collaboration, and knowledge exchange within the lower Chesapeake Bay watershed and other regional watersheds within the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Stewarding Native Lands Program Officer
First Nations Development Institute
Location: Longmont, CO or Albuquerque, NM
Closing Date: March 14, 2026
Duties Include:
- Responsible for the planning, implementation, and management of multi-year, complex projects.
- Direct the efforts of program officers and program associates on various aspects of projects.
- Responsible for the management and supervision of direct reports (e.g., consultants, grantees, and fellows), providing direction, setting goals, giving feedback, employee coaching, and ensuring professional development and training.
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
IFAI Launches Nationwide Roundtables Over Tribal Governance Guide
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. – Late last year, the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) released its new Tribal Governance Guide to Food and Agriculture, a comprehensive resource designed to serve as a one-stop-shop for Tribal governments seeking to navigate and invest in food systems development. The Tribal Governance Guide to Food and Agriculture provides Tribal leadership and staff with accessible tools, resources, and strategic guidance to strengthen Tribal food and agricultural systems.
The Guide helps Tribes identify and pursue opportunities that support sovereignty, economic development, and long-term sustainability within their food systems. As part of this initiative, IFAI is hosting Tribal Food Policy Roundtables across Indian Country to share the Governance Guide and engage directly with Tribal leaders, staff, and producers. What to Expect at a Tribal Food Policy Roundtable Each roundtable is tailored to the unique priorities and interests of the host Tribe. While discussions vary, roundtables generally include:
- An overview of the Tribal Governance Guide to Food and Agriculture
- In-depth discussions on tools and resources within the Guide most relevant to the host Tribe
- Open dialogue with Tribal leadership, Tribal staff, and Tribal producers
- Interactive question-and-answer opportunities
- Roundtables also provide an opportunity for IFAI to gather feedback from Tribal leadership, employees, and producers about on-the-ground experiences in Tribal food and agriculture. These conversations help IFAI better understand the current landscape, including the impacts of federal agricultural policy and potential indicators of a developing farm crisis in Tribal communities.
All roundtables are offered at no cost to the host Tribe. Tribal leadership and staff interested in hosting a Tribal Food Policy Roundtable are encouraged to reach out to IFAI to begin the conversation. IFAI’s team will coordinate directly with interested Tribes to customize the roundtable to meet their specific needs and goals.
For more information or to schedule a roundtable, Tribal representatives are invited to contact Senior Director of Strategy, Kelli Case at kellic@uark.edu
FDIPR Produce Training to Be Held
Who should attend?
This training is intended for FDPIR program operators.
When and where will the FDPIR Produce Training be held?
- April 9 – 10, 2026 at Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa: Register now!
- May 19 – 20, 2026 at Spirit Lake Tribe: Register now!
- June 2026 at the NAFDPIR Annual Conference in Niagara Falls, New York: Complete this form if you are interested in attending the training during the annual conference. You will receive a registration link when the training details are confirmed.
- Coming soon! An additional training date and location will be made available before September 30, 2026.
Native American Nutrition and Food Systems (Associate or Full Professor)
University of Minnesota
Location: Twin Cities
Closing Date: Applications will be reviewed starting mid to late January 2026
Duties Include:
- Involves research and teaching that supports the mission of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition.
- Expected to develop a strong extramurally funded research program that investigates the relationship between diet, lifestyle and health of Native American individuals, urban and/or tribal communities.
- Expectations include leadership in organizing nutrition and food-related scholarly and community events, such as the Native American Nutrition Conference.
Land Grant Program Manager
Navajo Technical University
Location: Crownpoint, NM
Closing Date: Open Until Filled
Duties Include:
- Research and review USDA and other federal, state, tribal and local agricultural program grant announcements for funding of land grant programming including community outreach projects, education projects, research projects, and for funding the LGP Manager position and other positions within the NTU Land Grant Department.
- Develops new funding or grant streams of revenue.
- Develop concepts and write grant proposals for possible funding under identified grant opportunities.
Federal Jobs
Management and Program Analyst
USDA: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Location: Manhattan, KS
Closing Date: March 10, 2026
Duties Include:
- The duties may include, but are not limited to
- Establishes qualitative and quantitative techniques when analyzing and measuring the effectiveness of unit roles and responsibilities in accordance with ISO standards
- Serve as the Contracting Officers Representative (COR) on various service and support contracts
- Prepares documentation for service contract requirements where the scope of work exceeds in-house capabilities
- Coordinates the preparation of purchase requests
Chief of Staff
Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Education
Location: Possible: Washington, DC; Albuquerque, NM; Oklahoma City, OK; Tulsa, OK
Closing Date: March 6, 2026
Duties Include:
- Serve as principal advisor and liaison to the Director, BIE on administrative and operational matters, ensuring effective coordination across all support functions.
- Plan, coordinate, and oversee administrative services including budget management, financial operations, human resources, information technology, security, and property management for BIE.
- Represent the Director in interactions with senior officials, Congress, and external stakeholders regarding administrative issues, policy recommendations, and programmatic changes.
IFAI Jobs
IFAI Law and Policy Fellowship Applications Now Open
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. – With support from the Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF), the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) at the University of Arkansas School of Law is hiring a 2026 Law and Policy Fellow. Third-year law students and recent law school graduates are eligible to apply.
- Up to 20 hours/week
- $25/hour
- Remote flexibilities
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.
The Fellowship begins in April 2026 and concludes in December 2026. IFAI offers flexibility for those studying and sitting for the bar exam during the Fellowship period. Expected hours per week will shift based on participant’s school attendance and bar study obligations.
- 10 hours/week while completing the final semester of law school
- Up to 20 hours/week after law school graduation with flexibility for bar study
- 20 hours/week after sitting for the bar exam
The fellow will have the opportunity to work on a range of topics including Tribal governance, food and nutrition, natural resources and conservation, food safety, agriculture policy, federal program policy serving Tribes in nutrition and agriculture, and more.
IFAI’s work focuses on promoting Tribally driven solutions to revitalize and advance traditional food systems and diversified economic development throughout Indian Country. IFAI provides Tribal governments, producers, and food businesses with educational resources, policy research, and strategic legal analysis as a foundation for building robust food economies.
To apply, please send a resume and letter of interest to Kelli Case, kellic@uark.edu
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.