Jobs at Member Institutions & APLU

The Oregon State University Division of Extension and Engagement invites applications for a Youth Empowering Agriculture – Coordinating Network (YEA-CN) Program Manager position. This is a full-time (1.0 FTE), 12-month, professional faculty position based in Corvallis, OR.

The Oregon State University (OSU) Division of Extension and Engagement, Extension Service has been awarded a five-year United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Youth Innovators Empowering Agriculture Across America Coordination Network program grant and invites applications for a full-time Youth Empowering Agriculture Program Manager.

The Youth Empowering Agriculture Program Manager reports to the Associate Vice Provost and Associate Director for OSU Extension Service and is a member of the Extension Youth Empowering Agriculture-Coordination Network: Together for Innovating Youth in Agriculture management team which oversees the implementation of the five-year, 10-million dollar grant and is responsible for coordinating the following projects:

• The University of Maine will increase the number of youths studying food and agriculture, increase the capacity of communities to promote food and agriculture, and increase the capacity of the Cooperative Extension System, through the 4-H youth development program, to better connect with youth and parents from immigrant, refugee and asylum-seeking communities.
• North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will leverage the strengths of the 1890 Land-grant University System to prepare middle and high school-aged African American, Hispanic, and Native American youth with leadership skills necessary for agricultural-related careers.
• North Carolina State University will improve STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) participation, persistence, and career readiness among Latino youth in North Carolina and Washington through the National Juntos Consortium and STEM agriculture pathways – a transformational, interdisciplinary, and collaborative program that will increase opportunities for Latino youth to engage in STEM education and workforce activities; and enhance the skills, capacities and motivation of Latino youth to engage with STEM agriculture pathways learning and career opportunities.
• The Ohio State University will launch an integrated project to engage youth and adults, particularly from diverse and historically underserved communities, to increase understanding of career and employment pathways in agriculture and food systems. The project will also inform culturally responsive practices to improve the reach and inclusion of more diverse audiences in Land-grant University-led youth development programs.
• Oregon State University will integrate racial justice, equity and opportunity frameworks in programs, training, and evaluation. The project will leverage technology for data collection, evaluation, communication, marketing, professional development and data visualization of project outcomes and impacts.

This Youth Empowering Agriculture Program Manager will provide overall leadership and management for the day-to-day operations of the Youth Empowering Agriculture-Coordination Network: Together for Innovating Youth in Agriculture program, including oversight of the marketing, outreach, and communications team. This individual is also responsible for supervising and managing the activities of professional faculty who coordinate the Youth Empowering Agriculture program partner relations for digital solutions event management, marketing and promotion, and climate change curriculum development with an emphasis on smart agriculture and forestry.

This Youth Empowering Agriculture Program Manager will ensure transparent, consistent, and effective communications, marketing, and event planning and coordination to meet the needs and interests of the five Youth Empowering Agriculture projects, ensuring efficiency and collaboration among projects. They will ensure that the OSU Youth Empowering Agriculture-Coordination Network project adheres to all the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant scope and reporting requirements and will work with the Division’s Executive Director of Fiscal Operations to develop and manage the annual project budget. Moreover, this individual will help ensure public knowledge of and engagement with Youth Empowering Agriculture projects, both at the regional and national levels, and will direct the planning and coordination of national meetings, trainings, and National Steering Committee meetings.

Mission of the division:

OSU Extension Service engages the people of Oregon with research-based knowledge and educational programming that strengthens communities and economies, sustains natural resources, and promotes healthy families and individuals.

About the division:

The Division of Extension and Engagement (Division) is core to OSU’s mission. The Division helps create real solutions and positive impact across Oregon and beyond. The Division is aligned under the leadership of the Vice Provost for Extension and Engagement. To learn more about our Division, and its core units and initiatives, please visit our website: https://engagement.oregonstate.edu/.

OSU Extension programs, partnerships and volunteer opportunities are focused on:

• Healthy communities and economies
• Resilient and productive forests and natural ecosystems
• Sustainable agriculture, food systems, and gardening
• Thriving youth, individuals, and families

Commitment to inclusive excellence:

OSU is committed to creating and maintaining compassionate and inclusive learning and working environments for all learners, visitors, and employees. We envision collaborative community environments that enhance civility and embrace diversity. All employees are responsible for achieving this commitment. This commitment includes, but is not limited to, complying with Civil Rights and Language Access regulations. In addition, this individual will design, develop, maintain and/or carry out Extension programs to ensure that educational programs and outreach activities serve diverse populations, including those that have been historically marginalized/excluded from participation.

The OSU Division of Extension and Engagement’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion unit’s policies and their work can be reviewed here:

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/about/diversity-equity-inclusion

To review the OSU Moving Forward Together document, use this link: https://leadership.oregonstate.edu/president/moving-forward-together

Position Duties:

The Youth Empowering Agriculture Program Manager is responsible for creating a collaborative and inclusive environment in all interactions and duties and practices a welcoming and respectful workplace culture. This individual ensures that educational programs, the curriculum developed, program assessment methods, and outreach activities implemented serve diverse populations, including those that have been historically marginalized/excluded from participation.

40% Program Leadership and Management

• Lead and Manage the OSU Youth Empowering Agriculture-Coordination Network: Together for Innovating Youth in Agriculture project
  • Participate in fiscal management and funding generation including preparing, managing, and submitting required project reports and budgets.
  • Integrate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into the coordination of the five Youth Empowering Agriculture projects (refer to position summary above).
  • Conduct periodic review and analysis of the five Youth Empowering Agriculture projects and the curriculum they develop to ensure scope and fiscal progress are on track and overall project metrics are being met.
  • Provide leadership and vision for the Extension Youth Empowering Agriculture-Coordination Network: Together for Innovating Youth in Agriculture team and serve as the central point of coordination of the five Youth Empowering Agriculture projects.
  • Develop (in collaboration with the five Youth Empowering Agriculture project leaders) program policies and procedures and assure that these policies and procedures result in high-quality deliverables.
  • Lead the Youth Empowering Agriculture-Coordination Network: Together for Innovating Youth in Agriculture marketing, outreach, and communications team and ensure program goals and guidelines are met.
  • Supervise and manage the activities of two professional faculty: Partner Relations Management Leader and an Events and Marketing Coordinator; provide lead work for a Climate Change Curriculum Coordinator who works with the Outdoor School program; and plan for, recruit, hire/train and supervise student employee workers, interns and volunteers in support of the Youth Empowering Agriculture program.
• Lead and Manage Program-wide Communication and Collaboration
  • Keep records and provide necessary reports to appropriate administrators, including impact reports, statistical reports, reports of accomplishments, and the development of an annual plan of work addressing program needs and evaluating the quality and impact of the program.
  • Network and cooperate with Extension faculty and staff throughout the nation as related to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Youth Empowering Agriculture grant process, including faculty and staff at the five Youth Empowering Agriculture project institutions and their states (including Oregon), and other experts throughout the nation.
  • Develop internal and external partnerships that enhance the five Youth Empowering Agriculture projects.
  • Facilitate active and factual communication flow and enhance collaboration between the five Youth Empowering Agriculture project leaders, volunteers, stakeholders, and Extension faculty and staff, including but not limited to using multiple methods of electronic communication (i.e., web sites, publications, video conferencing, and other online methods).
  • Coordinate or oversee (as appropriate) the implementation of fee-based program registration and cost-recovery systems.
• Lead and Manage Professional Development and Conferences
  • Coordinate and lead a monthly community of practice (for the five Youth Empowering Agriculture project teams) designed to maintain the momentum of these projects, encourage collaboration, share best practices, and create and maintain community among the faculty and staff of the five Youth Empowering Agriculture projects.
• Provide oversight and management of monthly communities of practice to deliver training, research, and culturally relevant marketing.
  • Convene (annually) the Youth Empowering Agriculture project faculty, staff, and other interested parties at an annual conference that will serve to create a central inventory of project progress, knowledge and project-related activities.
  • Facilitate the delivery of professional development opportunities for the faculty and staff of the five Youth Empowering Agriculture projects – in multiple formats (i.e., in person, hybrid, train the trainer, and online) at the annual conference and as other opportunities arise. Provide appropriate training to facilitate implementation of curricula.
  • Facilitate and lead, with the Principal Investigator, meetings, trainings, conferences, and lead program delivery by leveraging the expertise of the Co-Principal Investigators, faculty and staff, and experts from each participating institution.
  • Facilitate bringing together the subject experts related to the five Youth Empowering Agriculture projects for the common good of the Youth Empowering Agriculture program, leveraging each person’s strengths.
  • Integrate existing research-based materials to support the delivery of the educational aspects of the five Youth Empowering Agriculture projects.
• Lead and Manage the National Steering Committee and other Committees
  • Recruit/assemble and coordinate Youth Empowering Agriculture National Steering Committee members (youth and adults, that will center diverse voices and guide the national project) by soliciting ad hoc membership nominations from each of the five Youth Empowering Agriculture projects (refer to position summary above) for individuals from other youth serving organizations.
  • Convene quarterly Steering Committee meetings and retreats.
  • Provide administrative support to the National Steering Committee Chair.
  • Act as the accountability leader (in partnership with the Coordination Network-Principal Investigator as well as the principal investigators of the five Youth Empowering Agriculture projects) in the development of membership criteria that reflect the needs and interests of the projects as they support the creation of task forces and development committees.
  • Leverage the full support of the Youth Empowering Agriculture-Coordination Network and the OSU Youth Empowering Agriculture-Coordination Network staff as they work to identify program needs, make recommendations, assist in individual program development and implementation, assist in curriculum development, and evaluate individual program effectiveness.

30% Culturally Relevant Program Coordination

• Develop additional relationships/partnerships with youth-serving organizations with similar values, particularly those values that support equitable, inclusive, and accessible programming.
• Assure that the programming at the Annual National Youth Empowering Agriculture Conference, the volunteer and youth programming developed, and implemented, by the five Youth Empowering Agriculture projects, the youth development best practices and other professional development created, and implemented, within and by the five Youth Empowering Agriculture projects is focused on cultural responsiveness and equity.
• Facilitate the development and implementation of novel resources and coaching for the five Youth Empowering Agriculture project’s faculty and staff to ensure underrepresented youth and communities will be provided enhanced access to participation.

20% External Communication and Promotion

• Oversee the effective marketing and promotion of the activities, programs, and services of the Youth Empowering Agriculture-Coordination Network: Together for Innovating Youth in Agriculture program using culturally responsive and culturally relevant methods.
• Build relationships with and a sense of community and collaboration among the Youth Empowering Agriculture communities of practice and overall project personnel utilizing technology platforms like Slack or Teams to ensure regular and rapid methods of communication.
• Promote public awareness of youth programming and connections to the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) and (USDA priorities.

5% Organizational Accountability

• Coordinate or oversee the use of technology as a tool to increase the impact of program delivery on constituents.
• Coordinate or oversee the selection and use of appropriate electronic communication tools to collaborate internally and externally.
• Coordinate or oversee (as appropriate) the implementation of fee-based program registration and cost-recovery systems.

5% Service and Other

• Maintain active membership and participation in relevant professional organizations.
• Contribute to the creation and maintenance of a welcoming and respectful workplace culture.
• Serve as an effective team member of the OSU Extension Service (the Corvallis campus office and statewide) and the OSU State 4-H Program.
• Participate in professional development opportunities that are appropriate for the current assignment and specialty.
• Establish and maintain relationships with other professionals, including involvement in professional associations, and building expertise around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Minimum/Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a field applicable to the assignments of this position
• Excellent oral communication/facilitation skills
• Excellent written communication skills
• Five (5) years or more demonstrated:
  • experience leading multiple teams from a variety of organizations
  • experience supervising staff
  • knowledge of or experience in youth development
  • experience in project management
  • experience in budget/fiscal management
• Demonstrated experience using basic and current communication tools and office technology
• A commitment to promoting and enhancing equity and inclusion, and the ability to successfully engage with diverse populations in a culturally responsible manner

This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per University Standard: 05-010 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a field applicable to the assignments of this position
• Progressive experience in Extension youth program management
• Progressive experience in nationwide professional organization and nationwide conference management
• Proficient in customer relationship management systems
• Formal training or certification in Project Management
• Experience in community engaged research and evaluation
• Bilingual (English and Spanish) and Bicultural. Demonstrated ability to engage Spanish-speaking audiences through the utilization of bi-literate and bicultural skills
• Ability to adapt to a changing technological environment

Working Conditions/Work Schedule

• Travel within the United States may be required to provide leadership or management at, and/or to participate in project-related events at a variety of venues.
• Non-standard work hours (evenings and/or weekends) may be required.
• The primary work location for this position is the Division of Extension and Engagement’s Administration Office on OSU’s campus in Corvallis, Oregon. However, a flexible work arrangement within the state of Oregon may be established via OSU’s Flexible Work Arrangement Agreement, with pre-determined periodic reviews of on-going work for continuation of the agreement.

WHY OSU?

Working for Oregon State University is so much more than a job!

Oregon State University is a dynamic community of dreamers, doers, problem-solvers and change-makers. We don’t wait for challenges to present themselves — we seek them out and take them on. We welcome students, faculty and staff from every background and perspective into a community where everyone feels seen and heard. We have deep-rooted mindfulness for the natural world and all who depend on it, and together, we apply knowledge, tools and skills to build a better future for all.

FACTS:

• Top 1.4% university in the world
• More research funding than all public universities in Oregon combined
• 1 of 3 land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the U.S.
• 2 campuses, 11 colleges, 12 experiment stations, and Extension programs in all 36 counties
• 7 cultural resource centers that offer education, celebration and belonging for everyone
• 100+ undergraduate degree programs, 80+ graduate degrees plus hundreds of minor options and certificates
• 35k+ students including more than 2.3k international students and 10k students of color
• 217k+ alumni worldwide
• For more interesting facts about OSU visit: https://oregonstate.edu/about

Locations:

Oregon State has a statewide presence with campuses in Corvallis and Bend, the OSU Portland Center and the Hatfield Marine Science Center on the Pacific Coast in Newport.

Oregon State’s beautiful, historic and state-of-the-art main campus is located in one of America’s best college towns. Corvallis is located close to the Pacific Ocean, the Cascade mountains and Oregon wine country. Nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley, this beautiful city offers miles of mountain biking and hiking trails, a river perfect for boating or kayaking and an eclectic downtown featuring local cuisine, popular events and performances.

Total Rewards Package:

Oregon State University offers a comprehensive benefits package with benefits eligible positions that is designed to meet the needs of employees and their families including:

• Medical, Dental, Vision and Basic Life. OSUpays 95% of premiums for you and your eligible dependents.
• Free confidential mental health and emotional support services, and counseling resources.
• Retirement savings paid by the university.
• A generous paid leave package, including holidays, vacation and sick leave.
• Tuition reduction benefits for you or your qualifying dependents at OSUor the additional six Oregon Public Universities.
• Robust Work Life programs including Dual Career assistance resources, flexible work arrangements, a Family Resource Center, Affinity Groups and an Employee Assistance Program.

Future and current OSU employees can use the Benefits Calculator to learn more about the full value of the benefits provided at OSU.

To review posting and apply, go to: https://jobs.oregonstate.edu/position_descriptions/142447.

Apply to posting #P07239UF. Closes 9/11/2023. OSU is an AA/EOE/Vets/Disabled.