Director, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension (Phoenix, AZ)

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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Administrative and
Supervisory Duties

• This position includes administrative responsibility as County Extension
  Director and will represent Arizona Cooperative Extension at county and state
  levels. This includes attending college and county-level department head
  meetings, negotiating county budgets, interfacing with the County Board of
  Supervisors, Extension Advisory Board management and development, engaging with
  other community groups, assuming responsibilities of vacant county positions,
  and resolving issues of concern with volunteers and community partners.
  Supervisory duties include direct supervision of administrative staff and
  county-based faculty and indirect supervision of 60-70 employees. The Director
  works collaboratively with the Manager of Finance and Administration to oversee
  and make budgetary and human resources decisions. Additional responsibilities
  may be deemed necessary and will be assigned by the Associate Vice President
  and Director of UArizona Extension.

County Program
Development and Implementation

• Oversees development of a broad-based Extension program that serves the
  overall Cooperative Extension
  mission and strategic plan.
• Facilitates county-level assessments, evaluation, and strategic planning.
• Identifies financial resources and opportunities (grants, contracts, in-kind
  contributions, gifts, etc.) to support unit and statewide Extension and
  University goals and strategic directions.
• Provides leadership, guidance, and direction in implementing the strategic
  plan of the county unit, UArizona Cooperative Extension, and the University of
  Arizona.
• Promotes communication and teamwork with county and state Extension and other
  faculty, staff, and volunteers.
• Provides direction in developing a marketing plan and related marketing
  materials, websites, and newsletters using various mass media methods.
• Promotes Cooperative Extension as the outreach arm of the state land-grant
  university.

Program Evaluation and
Results

• Provides oversight for program and personnel evaluation and ensures
  documentation of results and impacts of educational programs.
• Oversees communication of program results to both professional peers and
  clientele through periodic reports, scholarly works, and various types of
  publications (e.g., bulletins/fact sheets, popular articles, state
  publications, scientific articles, social media, video, and computer programs
  and applications, etc.).

Professionalism and Service

• Maintains professional competence through study, participation in
  professional activities, and the application of knowledge and skills attained
  on the job.
• Maintains high ethical and professional standards and is loyal to Cooperative
  Extension, the University of Arizona, and the state of Arizona.
• Promotes public understanding and support for Extension and University
  policies and programs.
• Performs as a collegial member of Arizona Cooperative Extension.
• Serves in leadership service roles on internal and external committees,
  boards, working groups, etc.
• Collaborates with peers to achieve goals and objectives.

Knowledge, Skills, and
Abilities (KSAs):

• Knowledge of public funding
  streams, grants, contracts, and fund development.
• Demonstrated skills in written form including any or all the following: reports,
  fact sheets, briefs, journal articles, scholarly works, or other publications
  for public distribution.
• Knowledge of group dynamics and skills in team building.
• Evidence of ability to supervise and evaluate employees.
• Demonstrated skills in addressing and resolving complex problems,
  sometimes without clear precedent.
• Knowledge of group dynamics and human relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to develop coalitions, collaborate, and create a
  shared vision.
• Knowledge of and familiarity with the variety of topics and issues
  relevant to current Maricopa County Cooperative Extension projects, programs,
  and activities.
• Evidence of ability to build a team of faculty and staff using the
  Extension program model.
• Evidence of skill and proficiency in Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel,
  PowerPoint, Outlook), and digital communication tools such as Teams and Zoom.
• Familiarity with multicultural and
  different socioeconomic and underserved audiences, an interest in working with
  people from a variety of backgrounds, and a commitment to excellence in all
  aspects of the position.
• Evidence of leadership, teamwork,
  collaboration, excellence in human relationship skills, and excellent written
  and oral communication skills.
• Outstanding record of research-based
  Cooperative Extension/community-engaged programming.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and capacity
  to engage with the types of local economic, social, and governance challenges
  and opportunities in Maricopa County's context.
• Evidence of successful grant and
  contract acquisition and management for interdisciplinary approaches.

• Requires at
  least a master's degree to perform job duties in an area related to the
  needs and efforts of the County Extension Programs.
• Minimum of seven
  years of related work experience, including five years of managerial
  and/or leadership experience, or equivalent combination of education and
  work experience.

• Earned Doctorate Degree in a relevant field.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, preferably land-grant systems, or comparable organizations with significant recognition within a field of specialization.
• Five or more years of experience as a high-level administrator or executive director.
• Demonstrated direct supervisory experience for 10 or more employees.
• Evidence of experience with interdisciplinary approaches to programming.