Jobs at Member Institutions & APLU

Assistant Director Agriculture and Natural Resources

Associate/Full Professor of Extension

Department of Extension

College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

The Ohio State University

This position will be a 100 % Extension, full-time, tenure-track, 12-month appointment.

Position Location. Statewide and Columbus based

Position Description.

The Ohio State University Extension Assistant Director, Agriculture and Natural Resources program leader is responsible for the leadership and administration of the Ohio State University Extension’s Agriculture and Natural Resources program area. The Assistant Director Agriculture and Natural Resources is responsible for the leadership of Ohio State University Extension’s Agriculture and Natural Resources program area. This includes overall direction of educational programming within and across Ohio’s 88 counties.

The Assistant Director reports to the Director of OSU Extension and serves as a member of OSU Extension’s Administrative Cabinet. Specifically, the Assistant Director provides leadership and direction for Agriculture and Natural Resources programming with emphasis on program and curriculum development; applied research; identifying potential collaboration and partnerships with universities, colleges, departments, peer agencies and industry partners; securing funding to support related activities; administrative leadership for the state Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources  office; and professional development of faculty and staff.

The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences is committed to creating a climate that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. This includes engaging in teaching, research and outreach scholarship that impacts the broadest possible spectrum of stakeholders, as well as ensuring that our faculty, staff, and students comprise a community that permits us to do so. The Ohio State University is committed to establishing a culturally and intellectually diverse environment and encouraging all members of our learning community to reach their full potential. We are responsive to dual career families and strongly promote work-life balance to support our community members through a suite of institutionalized policies.

Specific Expectations and Responsibilities.

Promote effective teamwork among all Agriculture and Natural Resources professionals and create an environment conducive to a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship; identify and support initiatives to enhance diversity within OSU Extension and with the clientele served; work with Department Chairs, College Deans, and Unit Leaders to identify potential interdisciplinary and multi-programmatic efforts with other departments, colleges, agencies and organizations engaged in resourcing agriculture and natural resources programs; encourage and engage in applied scholarly and creative work in support of community.

Provides leadership, administration, guidance, and vision to OSU Extension’s Agriculture and Natural Resources program. Provides leadership in developing core programmatic curriculum; serves as a member of the OSU Extension administrative leadership team; engages in organizational strategic planning/visioning and ensures implementation of strategies within the Agriculture and Natural Resources program and in partnership with all other members of the Extension Administrative Cabinet.

Provides leadership in developing core programmatic curriculum. Provides direction for personnel assigned to the agriculture and natural resources area as well as direction and leadership for the professional development of all Extension personnel assigned to ANR units. Supports the work of the area leaders through human and financial resource identification, professional development, and building relationships to establish teams. Works to obtain funding for ANR-related programming; communicates decisions and policies to agriculture and natural resources personnel.

Assists with the recruitment, placement and professional development of county and state professionals in concert with appropriate administrative and program staff; implements relevant administrative functions. Manages the Agriculture and Natural Resources state office including financial and human resources oversight.

Serves as the hiring manager and supervisor for Extension Department statewide agriculture and natural resources faculty and staff.  Collaborates with academic department chairs and extension leads to maximize the effectiveness of the meeting the land grant mission.

Required Qualifications.

• Earned master’s degree required, PhD preferred, in an agriculture or natural resources related field.
• Demonstrated interest in or experience with leadership and management.
• Demonstrated expertise conducting applied and/or basic research in an agriculture or natural resources field.
• Evidence of potential for excellence in research, Extension and /or teaching and leadership.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and a willingness and ability to work closely with diverse groups of academic (e.g., students, staff, faculty) and Extension audiences.

Experience.

Master’s degree with equivalent experience required and senior faculty status required. Professional experience in agriculture and natural resources teaching, Extension, management and leadership. Demonstrated successful experience in working with community, regional, state or national organizations, agencies, etc., preferred. Demonstrated experience in curriculum and program development.

Ohio State University Extension

Ohio State University Extension is the community-based outreach unit of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State. Extension “empowers through education,” and we’re all about helping all Ohioans build better lives, better businesses and better communities.

OSU Extension delivers knowledge from Ohio State to every county in Ohio, and we work with people right where they live to strengthen their own lives and communities. Extension connects with people in all stages of life – from young children to older adults – from families and children to farmers and business owners, community leaders and elected officials. 

Application Process.

Please send

1) a letter of interest describing your qualifications, areas of expertise, career goals, and alignment with preferred qualifications where applicable;

2) a current CV;

3) statement of research interests (max two pages);

4) statement of teaching and outreach/extension experience and philosophy (max two pages); and

5) a statement of efforts to enhance diversity, inclusion, justice and/or equity in academic settings (max two pages).

Application materials should be uploaded via Workday at https://go.osu.edu/anrad . Initial consideration will be given to applications received by April 30, 2023. Review of applications will continue until the position has been filled. We welcome informal inquiries, which can be made by contacting Search Committee Chair Elizabeth Hawkins at hawkins.301@osu.edu . 

For further information and application instructions please see: https://hr.osu.edu/wp-content/uploads/applicant-faq.pdf

 The Ohio State University is an equal opportunity employer. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, race, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, protected veteran status, or any other bases under the law. 

The Ohio State University is committed to establishing a culturally and intellectually diverse environment, encouraging all members of our learning community to reach their full potential. We are responsive to dual-career families and strongly promote work-life balance to support our community members through a suite of institutionalized policies.

We are an NSF Advance Institution and a member of the Ohio/Western Pennsylvania/West Virginia Higher Education Recruitment Consortium.