The Division of Extension is hiring an Area Extension Director to serve as an administrative leader in Area 15 (Grant, Green, Iowa, and Lafayette Counties).

The Area Extension Director (AED) provides overarching leadership, direction and guidance within the geographic area, leading a team of county-based Extension educators and support staff to cultivate an inclusive, respectful, and collaborative work environment. Through ongoing engagement with local communities, the AED helps identify emerging needs and opportunities, aligning Extension resources and programming to address those priorities effectively.

A successful AED will require great competency to work with diverse staff and clientele and have the political savvy required to work with counties to identify and assess new opportunities in programming, funding, and staffing.

Reporting to the Assistant Dean, the AED will support the work with county governments, municipalities, and partner organizations to ensure that the educational needs of local communities are met.

The AED serves as the direct supervisor for the programmatic Division of Extension staff in the area and provides leadership in staff development and partnerships. The AED ensures compliance with equal employment opportunity and civil rights laws, regulations and policies while carrying out the primary duties.

The principal duties of this AED position include program and community relations; supervision and staff development; financial management; and policy implementation and management. The AED contributes to the delivery of evidence-based outreach that addresses the needs of local communities through coordination with Extension programs to identify programmatic needs and support programmatic responses to those needs.

Program and Community Relations

• Develop and manage the relationships with partner organizations operating within and across the geographic boundaries of the area, such as county governments, tribal nations, municipalities, third-parties, other governmental agencies.

• Assist program leadership in supporting local staff programming opportunities within the geographic area, ensuring educational needs of the local communities are met.

• Identify issues of critical importance to the community; create opportunities for increased engagement between Extension and the community

• Ensure preparation of annual educational workplans and reports of activities and impacts for the public, county government and Division of Extension administration.

• Assist Institutes in adapting and sharing program impacts and other communications to enhance the visibility of Extension programs within the Area.

• Engage with program leadership to coordinate regional and statewide programming activities to achieve local programming goals as necessary

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Supervision and Staff Development

• Supervise, coach, and lead Division of Extension staff and county support staff, including annual performance reviews and professional development activities.

• Promote a positive, supportive environment within the local offices teams through hiring practices and promotion of an inclusive work environment. Support and encourage professional improvement of faculty and staff.

• Manage recruitments and hiring processes for new positions within the geographic area -Provide critical support roles for volunteer management in Extension educational programming

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Financial Management

• Develop and manage budgets for UW-Madison Division of Extensions Area offices, including salary, fringe, travel, professional development, and county level budgets.

• Develop, steward, and manage contracts and agreements established between the Division of Extension and its partners, including counties. Collaborate with Institutes to assess opportunities to diversify funding to support existing programs and build capacity to address emerging issues; strategies may include grants and contracts, cost recovery practices, gifts and contributions and other revenue alternatives.

• Negotiate and implement annual county extension contracts between Division of Extensions programmatic objectives and counties in Area.

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Policy Implementation and Management

• Leads the implementation of program and administrative policy and procedures within the geographic area.

• Ensure compliance of relevant policies and procedures by staff and volunteers

• Maintain regular communication with Extension leadership regarding risks and compliance

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The Area Extension Director will serve a multi-county geography in the driftless region of southwest Wisconsin. The Area 15 AED will provide leadership in Grant, Green, Iowa, and Lafayette Counties. The headquarter location is flexible within the area and will be determined based on area needs, successful candidate’s preferences, and availability of suitable office space.

It is anticipated this position requires work be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location.

This position may be required to work occasional nights and weekends to meet the program needs and priorities of the communities served.

It is expected that employees will make individual arrangements for transportation adequate to meet position responsibilities and essential job functions.

Applicants are required to: 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.

Extension’s mission is to connect people with the University of Wisconsin. We teach, learn, lead and serve, transforming lives and communities.