Summer Student

At AFSC, we want to work with talented people from a wide range of backgrounds. We strive to create a psychologically safe environment where we can all be ourselves and perform to the best of our abilities. We care about each other, about Alberta and about agriculture. We are innovative, knowledgeable, and diverse and love what Albertan agriculture produces for people around the world. The perseverance and hard work we see from our clients inspires us to show that same work ethic in everything that we do. Working together, we grow and sustain the agriculture industry in Alberta.

Posting will close January 31, 2024.

Location is flexible, within Alberta, dependent on the successful applicant.

However, periodically may be asked to work in other AFSC branches. Travel in these circumstances will be reimbursed according to AFSC’s Employee and Board of Directors Expense Policy.

The role will support these teams with research, work on projects with other team members, extract data, and write and communicate results and other product related functions. The role may also be involved in the pasture clip program sorting, drying and weighing samples for use in the Satellite Insurance Product AFSC offers to clients with pasture.

What will your growth opportunities look like in this role?
- Gain skills in research design and execution, innovation, product development, data analysis, vendor management, networking, market research, working on a team to achieve corporate goals and other skills in areas of interest to the individual.
- Learn about risk management on farms in Alberta
- Gain knowledge of how Federal and Provincial Governments deliver Business Risk Management programming to farm clients.
- Work with highly creative and Innovative co-workers with potential for knowledge transfer in their areas of expertise

What will you be responsible for?
- Support other team members via workload relief and partnering with them on projects
- Support AFSC Wide Innovation on the Innovation team including involvement in projects assessing the fit of ideas that may solve AFSC business problems (e.g. assessment of wildlife damage to crops using aerial imagery)
- Pull Data out of AFSC systems (pivot tables) and other sources and analyze for use in product design, Policy work and other activities
- Organize events
- Support digital records management
- Communicate work to the organization by helping the team write up project results, create proposals, communications to branch staff and other written and oral communications.
- Supporting the Pasture Clip Program for Satellite Insurance. Work will include sorting, weighing and drying samples

What are we looking for from you?
- Self-motivation and drive toward goals
- Creativity and problem solving
- Ability to produce results in a work from home environment
- Balance and prioritization - Ability to balance multiple competing priorities in a tight timeline.
- Interpersonal skills - Ability to work with external and internal stakeholders with the purpose of determining emerging trends affecting our clients.
- Excellent communication skills, both oral and written. E.g. ability to create written materials and presentations in a style that recognizes the audience.
- Analytical Skills like critical thinking and data manipulation and analysis
- Research Skills - ability to answer a research question in a defendable way and taking a project from start to finish
- It is critical that this position is comfortable interacting with AFSC staff across the organization
- Working on teams in a collaborative environment
- Represent AFSC well when liaising with vendors and other external parties (e.g. clients, tech companies, etc )
- Basic knowledge of products offered by AFSC.
- High level of competency with MS Word, Excel
- Ability to use AFSC's desktop suite of software including: Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint.
- Quantitative and Qualitative analysis skills are highly valuable in the role.

About AFSC
For over 80 years Agriculture Financial Services (AFSC) has provided Alberta's agricultural producers and agribusinesses with loans, crop insurance and farm income disaster assistance. At AFSC, we’re proud of the work we do to help build a strong, growing and diversified agriculture and agri-food industry in Alberta. Many AFSC team members are also producers and know first-hand the challenges and rewards Alberta producers face.