Who We Are

American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and helped thousands of farm families make a go of it (primarily through programs that increase farm viability and/or enhance farmland access). Long a pioneering leader, AFT is now riding a new wave of growth, driven by agricultures most pressing needs and opportunities.

Job Purpose

Reporting directly to the Financial Planning & Systems Senior Manager, the Budget Specialist is responsible for preparing accurate budgets to meet the needs of the organization. The Budget Specialist will also participate in the preparation of grant proposal budgets working in coordination with the Grants Management division and incorporating them in the building of the organizations budget. The Budget Specialist will balance data-driven recommendations and technical maintenance of fiscal records.

Position Summary

As an integral part of the AFT finance team, the Budget Specialist is responsible for various finance functions including, but not limited to, preparing the annual budget, participating in the preparation of proposal budgets, reforecast budget preparation, and ensuring the integrity of financial projections and information. The budget specialist works closely with various departments to support budget development, provide financial insight, and ensure compliance with policies and regulations.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Work in coordination with the Grants Management division in the preparation of proposal budgets and related timelines, ensuring alignment with financial policies, procedures, coding, and on-time completion.
• Prepare annual budget as well as projection budgets (reforecasting)
• For reforecasting, calculate year-end projections based on YTD actuals.
• Collaborate with other AFT teams during work planning.
• Ensure that all appropriate support services are covered in budgets.
• Implement budget policies and guidelines.
• Develop models or suggestions for expenditures to optimize budget adherence.
• Produce monthly financial statements and related analysis, including staff hours reports.
• Assist in the review of expense contracts for budget feasibility and ensure procurement guidelines are followed.
• Assist with the annual financial statement audit.
• Responsible for loading the budget and grant budgets into the ERP.
• Report customization and ad hoc analysis.
• Dashboard reporting development.

This is not necessarily an all-inclusive list of job-related responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned.

The ideal candidate is familiar with budget management and grants in nonprofits, highly detail oriented and organized, exudes leadership, feels confident reviewing reconciliations, analyzing statements, coaching staff, and possesses:

• Thorough understanding of grant accounting functional areas, overhead and reimbursement principles.
• Should have prior federal award budget management experience and know nonprofit accounting standards.
• Should be able to perform financial analysis and explain steps for resolution.
• Should be proficient with Office365, SharePoint, & Teams with advanced knowledge of Excel functions.
• Strong verbal, written, analytical and organizational skills.
• High level of ethics, integrity, transparency, and trustworthiness.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with individuals, teams, and committees.
• Ability to translate financial concepts to individuals at all levels in the organization including non-finance employees.
• Must have familiarity with federal & foundation funding arrangements and related items such as match requirements and overhead limitations.
• Desire to engage and learn from fellow colleagues and about American Farmland Trust.
• Where applicable, extensive experience working within a remote or hybrid environment and amongst a distributed workforce.
• Experience with prioritizing competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Self-starter who takes initiative to problem solve.
• Must possess strong technical skills involving various financial software such as Martus, Sage Intacct or other similar budgeting and ERP programs.

Education & Experience

• Bachelors degree in accounting, Finance or Business Administration required or
• 6+ years experience in a non-profit organization working with federal grants and budgets or
• Combination of education and experience that can demonstrate the ability to perform job functions.

Working Conditions/Travel

• This job operates in an office & remote environment.
• Occasional work in the evenings or on weekends may be required to meet deadlines.
• Travel is not required for this position aside from an annual staff retreat.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position has no management responsibility.

Compensation
American Farmland Trust offers excellent vacation, medical, retirement and other benefits. The salary range for this position is from $75,000 to $80,000 based upon experience.

American Farmland Trust offers a full benefits package for full time employees:

• Insurance coverage begins the 1st of the month following the date of hire.
• Medical & Prescription Coverage
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Company Paid Life Insurance & Long-Term Disability (LTD)
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Healthcare & Dependent Care
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• 401k Plan
• Sick Leave: Regular full-time employees accrue 13 sick days per year.
• Vacation Leave: Accrue 15 days during the first year increasing by one day per year to 20 days per year maximum.
• Holidays: AFT observes twelve fixed holidays and a week between Christmas and New Years off during the year (all offices closed) plus a choice of up to three (depending on hiring month) floating holidays.
  

Why you should apply

• Be a part of a purpose-driven, committed, knowledgeable, high-performing, experienced and fun team
• A diverse and inclusive work environment
• A cause and mission you can be proud of
• Competitive compensation & benefits
• Remote work opportunity

Timeline

To be considered applicants mustsubmita resume, answer all screener questions and include a cover letter explaining what they are a right fit for both AFT and this role. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; Application deadline is June 26th, 2026 .

Directly Apply Here: Budget Specialist