Director, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension (Phoenix, AZ)

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.