Visiting Extension Outreach Associate, Agriculture and Agribusiness (Horticulture)

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign•Urbana, IL

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Visiting Extension Outreach Associate, Agriculture and Agribusiness (Horticulture), serves as a full-time 12-month academic professional and has the primary responsibility for program and partner development, delivery, evaluation, curriculum development and designing horticulture Master Gardner programs supporting the mission of the University of Illinois Extension.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in education, agriculture, agriculture sciences, horticulture or a related field.
Bachelor degrees in other fields will be considered with work experience that demonstrates similar competencies.
Candidates with a Bachelor’s degree in progress may be considered for interviews, but degree must be completed by hire date.
Experience organizing information and groups of stakeholders or volunteers.
Experience with project/curriculum development in a professional or educational setting.
Knowledge of topics in Extension’s agriculture, horticulture Education Program.
Excellent communications skills, including outreach to varied audiences.
Strong interpersonal and data management skills.
Familiarity with Qualtrics.
Highly organized with an ability to prioritize a varied workload, deliver results on a timeline, and provide regular reports of activities and achievements, as requested.
Valid driver’s license.

Nice To Haves

Background in agriculture programming.
Experience with Extension programs.

Responsibilities

Deliver educational programs, trainings, and resources that support program deliverables.
Facilitate communications, meetings, and outreach strategies that organize and assist groups and communities to address information needed for the agriculture and agribusiness program area.
Monitor activities within the area which may affect need for information and programming on related topics.
Conduct ongoing needs assessment and related activities to ensure that unit resources and programming are indeed meeting the needs of the local and regional audience.
Develop and manage projects related to the work of Digital and print MG Products for those interested in horticulture and environmental stewardship.
Develop and deliver presentations on topics related to Horticulture, Master Gardeners and curriculum training and development.
Create and update a digital first reference source for MG Participants participating in Master Gardeners
Use multiple communication, outreach, and engagement approaches to connect with individuals, groups, and communities to share resources and educational information on Extension resources related to Horticulture, Master Gardeners and Curriculum.
Work with campus faculty, educators and others in the development and planning of trainings and events related to agriculture, horticulture, entomology, master gardeners, master naturalists, forestry, holistic agriculture systems and regenerative soil practices.
Participate in and facilitate technical assistance networks.
Lead trainings and organize continuing education for community-based professionals.
Collaborate with faculty, staff and team members to promote effective use of technology and adult learning theory for program delivery.
Collaborate and work internally and across units and departments on campus.
Work to update the manual, curriculum for text and online training using pedagogy for inclusivity and technologies.
Be familiar with horticulture or similar fields, design thinking and project management as it relates to instructional technology.
Evaluate the impact of program initiatives in a planned and statistically relevant fashion.
Evaluate and document changes in clientele practices.
Continually seek professional development opportunities to enhance competency in subject matter areas.
Contribute to background research to support the development of educational materials.
Use research and evaluation findings to create innovative materials and make changes to existing offerings to improve quality.
Share principles of of evidence-based best practice with peers.
Establish professional relationships throughout the unit to further the reach of programming and ensure that the unit is meeting the needs of producers and agribusiness.
Broaden Extension programming by partnering with Extension Specialists and/or faculty members as appropriate.
Assist unit staff with gathering program participant demographic information to ensure compliance with civil rights reporting requirements.
Comply with all reporting deadlines and requirements (e.g., plans-of-work, activity, and impact reporting, etc.).
Perform other duties that contribute to the mission of University of Illinois Extension programming, as assigned.
Assist unit staff with gathering program participant demographic information to ensure compliance with civil rights reporting requirements.