Agricultural Technician

The full-time temporary Agricultural Technician is responsible for the delivery of crop, weed, and pest surveillance programs, wildlife co-existence and management services, agricultural extension activities, and other programs and services that support Sturgeon County’s local agricultural sector.

This is a safety sensitive position.

**KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES**

**People Leadership (20%)**
- Cultivates a culture of excellence in customer service.
- Creates an open, positive working environment to stimulate open discussion, which includes both in office, remote, or hybrid employees.
- Invests time in managing and developing people through career planning and professional development. Provides insightful, motivating, and constructive feedback, coaching, and guidance.
- Ensures all direct reports have up-to-date training.
- Sets clear expectations, monitors, evaluates, and conducts annual performance reviews.
- Sets and delegates work responsibilities and tasks for staff.
- Provides rewards and recognition in alignment with the County’s policies and procedures.
- Follows HR policies and procedures when addressing performance or disciplinary or investigations and considerations.
- Measures and reports on capacity and diversity to meet current and future needs of County within departmental program areas; determines resource requirements to meet operational needs.
- Makes effective recommendations on hiring decisions with Manager within approved roles, working in collaboration with the HR team.
- Leads and coordinates staff on special initiatives and projects.
- Identifies innovative ways to reduce costs, reallocation of resources, better ways of completing tasks (for self and direct reports), and future resources (human, equipment, tools).

**Agricultural Program Delivery (45%)**
- Conducts weed and agricultural pest inspections, implements crop surveillance programs and administer the requirements of the Alberta Weed Control Act, Alberta Agricultural Pests Act and the Pest and Nuisance Control Regulation and Bylaw 1433/19 Community Standards Bylaw.
- Communicates with landowners regarding weed and pest inspection findings and collaboratively works with them to develop management plans.
- Coordinates service delivery within the Wildlife Conservation and Management program including service request intake, review, evaluation, and dispatch to contracted service providers as required to manage human-wildlife conflicts adversely affecting drainage, posing a human health or safety risk, and/ or causing livestock mortality on County and private property.
- Provides advice and education to residents on how to co-exist with wildlife within Sturgeon County’s landscape.
- Prepares local crop condition reports and moisture condition assessments throughout the growing season to support informed municipal, provincial and federal decision making.
- Oversees the proper use and management of weed inspection and crop surveillance data within the County’s record management software, Weed Inspection SoftwareGIS system and liaises with the County’s GIS Team to improve data collection and management processes as required.
- Participates in the development and implementation of local and regional agricultural plans and strategies.
- Serves as a technical resource to landowners, agricultural producers, the Agricultural Service Board, and other County Departments on agronomics, weed and pest management, sustainable agricultural practices, and other agriculture-related topics.

**Administration (25%)**
- Ensures agricultural content on County website is relevant and up to date and prepares and/or compiles information on resources including articles, publications, and website content as required on agricultural topics including pest and problem wildlife management,
- Supports agricultural producers in the completion of Environmental Farm Plans.
- Educates and supports producers in accessing grant funding opportunities including Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP) funding.
- Provides technical expertise to the Agricultural Service Board and supports board functions as required, including the preparation of meeting materials such as briefings, reports, and presentations.
- Plans and coordinates the Annual Agricultural Service Board Tour.
- Coordinates the County’s agricultural recognition programs.
- Liaises with other County departments, community agencies/organization and businesses regarding related services/initiatives to foster mutual understanding, coordination, and partnership opportunities to support the agricultural sector.

**Other Related Duties (10%)**
- Provides exceptional customer service to County residents by responding to external and internal customer complaints and inquiries in a timely and professional manner.
- Monitors all program-related expenditures to ensure responsible fiscal management.
- Performs special projects and tasks as required.
- Adheres to applicable responsibilities and acco