Agriculture Water Quality Outreach Specialist

University of Wisconsin Madison • Madison, WI

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Agriculture Water Quality Outreach Specialist will develop and deliver educational outreach for research and modeled assessments aligned with Wisconsin's Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. This role will lead the translation and dissemination of findings from newly developed Phosphorus and Nitrogen Science Assessments to farmers, farm advisors, and agency personnel. Through 'train-the-trainer' initiatives and collaborative partnerships, this position will help practitioners understand the impact of agricultural decisions on local water quality and regional nutrient balances. The position is partially remote and may require occasional evening/weekend work and in-state travel.

Requirements

• Have a valid drivers license and a reliable source of independent transportation for periodic in-state work travel, and/or comply with requirements for UW-Madison vehicle use authorization.
• 3 or more years of relevant professional experience in agriculture, conservation, applied research or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively translate and communicate complex water quality, soil conservation, and nutrient management concepts to diverse audiences through both written materials and public speaking.
• Proven technical literacy in analyzing water quality or similar research data and translating those findings into clear, engaging visual representations, graphics, and presentation materials.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and work collaboratively with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives, including farmers, conservationists, researchers, and agency partners.
• Hands-on experience developing, coordinating, and delivering educational programs or curriculum.

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on experience using R or RStudio for statistical analysis and generating high-quality data visualizations.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to navigate complex stakeholder dynamics and solve problems collaboratively in a team environment.
• Deep experience tailoring highly technical scientific findings into clear, actionable insights for non-scientific audiences.
• Experience writing successful grants and establishing partnerships that pool or leverage public and private funds.

Responsibilities

• Identifies, promotes, and maintains external partnerships to support the outreach program
• Develop and evaluates curriculum and programs and provides recommendations for improvement, with a heavy focus on translating results related to Developing a Science Assessment for Wisconsin's Nutrient Reduction into accessible learning tools.
• Deliver outreach program content and materials to conservationists, farmers and other stakeholders
• Perform statistical analysis on water quality data and create clear, engaging data visualizations of complex research for a variety of audiences (e.g. farmers, conservationists, scientists)
• Schedule and secures resources and communicates logistics in support of an outreach program
• Research, develop, and facilitate outreach program content and materials
• May assist with the monitoring of outreach program budget spending
• Schedules and secures resources and communicates logistics in support of an outreach program
• Leads the implementation of programs, policies, and procedures through oversight of day-to-day activities for program staff and student and community volunteers
• Delivers outreach program content and materials to community members
• Perform statistical analysis on water quality data and create clear, engaging visual representations of complex research for diverse audiences (from scientists to local farmers).
• Researches, develops, and facilitates outreach program content and materials
• Develops and evaluates curriculum and programs and provides recommendations for improvement
• Identifies, promotes, and maintains external partnerships to support the outreach program
• May assist with the monitoring of outreach program budget spending

Benefits

• Generous paid time off
• Competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance
• Tax-advantaged savings accounts
• Participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level