Area Extension Director - Area 4 (Florence, Forest, Vilas Counties, Forest County Potawatomi and Lac du Flambeau))

The Division of Extension is hiring an Area Extension Director to serve as an administrative leader across Area 4 (Florence, Forest, Vilas Counties, including Forest County Potawatomi and Lac du Flambeau).

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 have the skills and competency required to work with diverse staff and clientele and have the political aptitude needed to work with counties and tribal nations to identify and assess new opportunities in programming, funding, and staffing. Specifically, this position will be charged with creating and managing collaborative efforts to develop, manage and enhance Extensions relationships with, and investment in, the tribal nations of Wisconsin with respect to areas of mutual interest.

Reporting to the Assistant Dean, the AED will support the work with county and tribal 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.

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.

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.

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.

• Directs, implements, and monitors strategic planning initiatives to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, and staffing resources

• Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees

• Supervises managerial, professional, and support staff of the unit or division and facilitates unit staff developmental opportunities

• Develops and audits administrative operating reports, budgets, policies, and procedures to comply with regulations, institution policies, and business objectives

• Recommends, reviews, and directs personnel resource allocation to ensure appropriate utilization of resources

• Serves as the unit liaison to internal and external stakeholder groups providing organizational information and representing the interests of the unit

The minimum annual (12 months) starting salary for the position is $92,000 but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. Benefits information can be found at (https://hr.wisc.edu/benefits/).

• Two or more years of demonstrated supervisory and/or management experience.
• Significant experience in coordinating, developing, or delivering community-based educational programs.
• Knowledge of budget management for a business, non-profit or governmental organization.
• Demonstrated success collaborating with partner organizations (e.g., government bodies, non profits, corporate entities, municipalities, and tribal nations).
• Demonstrated ability to communicate, direct, and lead effectively - orally, in writing, and through virtual communication technology (e.g. collaboration platforms, video conferencing, etc.).
• Two (2) years of professional work with Native Nations or addressing Native Nations issues, including a demonstrated ability to work with diverse tribes.

• Five or more years of supervisory and/or management experience.
• Experience managing a budget for a business, non-profit, or government organization.
• Experience with and/or knowledge of county governments.
• Experience generating additional revenue from new or existing sources of funding.
• Experience identifying and prioritizing educational programmatic opportunities.
• Knowledge of the legacy of Cooperative Extension, as part of the U.S. system of land-grant institutions, dedicated to service in the public good.

We are eager to learn more about how your experience and passion may align with this position. To begin the application process, click the "apply now" button. You will be prompted to upload the following documents:

• Resume
• Letter of Qualifications (cover letter)

Please submit a cover letter referring to your work experience and a resume detailing your educational and professional background as it relates to this position. Your cover letter should communicate your interest in the position and how your skillset aligns with the role. The application reviewers will be relying on written application materials to determine who may advance to preliminary interviews.

For additional guidance and resources on how to tailor your application materials to the job posting, please click https://extension.wisc.edu/careers/.

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.

The application deadline is 11:59pm on Sunday, January 4, 2026.

Jason Hausler

jason.hausler@wisc.edu

(715) 533-8006

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

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The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

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