Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development (STEM)

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign•Bourbonnais, IL

2d•$59,000 - $82,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Extension Educator serves as a full-time, 12-month academic professional with primary responsibility for the development, delivery, and evaluation of educational programs supporting the mission of the University of Illinois Extension. This role provides overall leadership to the 4-H Youth Development Program across multiple counties, focusing on 4-H Clubs, 4-H Groups, and Youth Education Initiatives. The educator will ensure program planning, monitoring, and evaluation align with local needs and statewide priorities, guide program expansion and quality, and create partnerships to support 4-H initiatives. Expertise in youth development, volunteerism, equity, access, and organizational systems will be shared through trainings. The position leads the creation, implementation, and evaluation of high-quality learning experiences in STEM and Positive Youth Development to build career readiness. The educator will work with youth and adults to strengthen community capacity for future careers, post-secondary pathways, and leadership roles, collaborating with schools, employers, volunteers, and community partners to develop employability skills. They will also develop partnerships with organizations to expose youth and adults to science and technology fields, facilitate learning experiences involving career exploration, guest speakers, job shadowing, teen leadership, and workforce development opportunities, and support youth in exploring career pathways and developing foundational work competencies.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Youth Development, Education, Leadership Studies, Agricultural/Environmental Sciences, Engineering, or related field from an accredited institution of higher education. Master's degrees in other fields will be considered with work experience that demonstrates similar competencies.
Master's degree in progress may be considered for interviews, but degree must be completed by hire date.
Evidenced knowledge of and experience with youth development best practices.
Experience teaching and/or developing high-quality NGSS-aligned curricula, like OpenSciEd, inquiryHub, NextGenStorylines, etc.
Evidence knowledge and experience in STEM best practices.
Strong communication skills.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work within a team environment.
Ability to build and maintain networks.
Ability to work flexible hours and proven ability to work independently.
Valid driver's license.

Nice To Haves

Qualified youth development professional with experience in informal and educational settings, specializing in STEM-related programming.
Demonstrated ability to build strong community partnerships, recruit and support volunteers, plan and deliver youth-focused programs.
Professional learning program development and/or facilitation experience.
Curriculum development experience.
Demonstrated ability to translate science education research into practical applications.
Experience with program planning for youth audiences.
Experience in evaluation and impact reporting, and providing leadership to guide and support the work of others of youth programs.
Experience with University of Illinois Extension.

Responsibilities

Provide program leadership, interpret and integrate information, teach in the field of designated expertise, maintain the competencies to develop and deliver educational programming, and assist clients with the appropriate resource bases.
Assess the needs of local clientele in a systematic and analytical manner, including networking and collaborating with community organizations and other relevant groups.
Develop innovative curricula and programs to address local needs as well as to mesh with the broader state and national interdisciplinary initiatives.
Deliver high impact programs to a wide range of audiences utilizing a selection of innovative delivery mechanisms to optimize reach and effectiveness, by teaming with additional Extension employees and volunteers who assist with program management functions and teaching roles when appropriate.
Guide program expansion and program quality processes by teaching and providing training and support to employees or volunteers who teach and work within the program area.
Support voluntary educational delivery systems with relevant subject matter expertise.
Evaluate the impact of program initiatives in a planned and statistically relevant fashion, focusing on both short-term impacts and long-term changes in clientele practices.
Develop effective and contemporary approaches to communicate with clientele, including evolving electronic technologies.
Comply with all reporting deadlines and requirements (e.g. plans of work, activity and impact reporting, etc.).
Market and represent Extension's interests to external partners and stakeholders in areas related to expertise.
Compete for internal and external resources to enhance the development of innovative educational programs with potential for high impact.
Cooperate fully with the County Director to achieve budget goals, address staffing needs, fulfill relevant grant initiatives, report impacts, and carry out all other items relevant to the operation.
Develop professional collaborations with the County Director, other Educators and Extension Council Members.
Assist with and support the total University of Illinois Extension program.
Accept statewide responsibilities as recommended by the Program Leader and approved by the County Director.
Serve as an effective team member and volunteer for leadership roles as appropriate.
Lead unit team under the direction and in consultation with the County Director.
Perform other duties that contribute to the mission of University of Illinois Extension programming, as assigned.
Establish professional relationships and participate in campus-based partnerships that tie academic programs and research to complement Extension programming by partnering with Extension Specialists and/or faculty members on research projects as appropriate within the initiatives.
Be an active member within a professional society(s) to keep abreast of changes within your discipline.
Continually seek professional development opportunities to enhance competency in subject matter area.
Use research and evaluation findings to create innovative programs and make changes to existing programs in order to improve quality.
Share principles of evidence-based best practice with peers.
Assist unit staff with gathering program participant demographic information to ensure compliance with civil rights reporting requirements.