Community Development Educator

Full job description Job Summary: The Community Development Extension Educator serves the people and communities of Wisconsin by addressing local, statewide, and national issues, improving lives through research-based education, fostering partnerships and action, and facilitating positive impacts that support: thriving individuals and families; effective organizations; healthy and vibrant communities; and strong economies.


This Community Development Extension Educator position will serve Waushara County, WI and surrounding communities. The Community Development Extension Educator designs, delivers, and evaluates research-based educational programming and services aligned with the following programmatic focus: leadership development, strategic planning, and community engagement.


This position will also play a lead role in supporting the development of statewide education, tools, and resources related to effective community engagement processes and strategies.


As part of the position's county-based work, the Community Development Extension Educator connects Waushara County and its communities to other Community Development and Extension resources and supports priority local initiatives through the facilitation of group and community and local government planning processes.


Details:
Programmatic Focus: Organizational and Leadership Development ( with an emphasis on leadership development, strategic planning, and community engagement. The Educator's work will serve Waushara County government, other local governments within the county, and community-serving organizations including nonprofits and coalitions.


Examples of this work include:

Support the development of organizational leaders through educational programs (e.g. workshops, trainings, cohort-based learning). Organizations served include county and local government, and nonprofits and coalitions. Two immediate needs include, Collaborating with the county administrator and human resources department, and Extension's Local Government Education (LGE) Program to offer leadership training for county department heads and managers around topics such as roles and responsibilities, effective communication, conflict resolution, decision-making, and relationship building. Collaborating with the county planning and zoning department, and the LGE Program to offer training for plan commissioners on roles and responsibilities, and effective community engagement strategies. Work with local governments, nonprofits, and other community-serving organizations to design and facilitate strategic planning and goal setting processes that address priority issues in the county (e.g. work with local chambers of commerce to identify strategic priorities and develop action plans that will address economic development goals). Work with nonprofits, local governments, and other community-serving organizations to design and deliver programs and processes that enhance community participation and engagement. The specific program(s) will be agreed upon with partners, but could include: A program for residents to learn about county/municipal government, build relationships with local officials, and learn how to work with the county/city to address needs in the community. A program that builds the leadership skills and civic engagement of youth through serving on local boards and decision-making bodies. Assist community-serving organizations with identifying and collecting information that will inform decisions (e.g. Waushara County staff engagement, resident input surveys/town halls as part of comprehensive plan updates). This may include assistance with the design of community input, connecting organizations to University resources that gather and analyze relevant data, and researching best practices.
Meeting Other Local Needs:
The Community Development (CD) Extension Educator will prioritize and spend most of their time on a clearly defined programmatic focus: leadership development, strategic planning, and community engagement.


To the degree local needs shift or other programmatic needs arise, the CD Educator will serve as the primary conduit for the community to access the appropriate research and educational resources, if they are available within the Community Development Institute ( The educator serves as the 'on-ramp' for the community to access the wide range of resources in CD and Extension more generally. Examples of such resources include: training for local government officials, assistance with housing needs studies, broadband, and food entrepreneurship.


Recognizing that, regardless of programmatic area of focus, CD Educators are often called upon to support the facilitation of community and group processes (e.g. action planning, visioning, group decision-making), all CD Educators will have these core competencies and support these efforts as resources allow.


Statewide Contributions:
Educators are expected to contribute to statewide efforts related to their area of focus. This benefits the local funding partner. Through their statewide work, the Educator is connected to the most current research, best practices, programming, and networks. They bring that expertise back to the county for application to local issues and needs.


This Community Development Educator will support the development of statewide education, tools, and resources related to effective community engagement processes and strategies. This position will play an important role in ensuring Extension is responding to that need. This would include working with Organizational and Leadership Development and Local Government Education colleagues to:

Design trainings for organization leaders and local government committees (e.g. plan commissions) that increase their understanding of community engagement strategies (e.g. surveys, town halls, visioning). Develop a community engagement toolkit (e.g. templates, case studies, tip sheets) that supports leaders in organizations and local governments with engaging community members in developing solutions to community needs and challenges.
The Division of Extension has a deep and profound commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity, believing that these values are foundational elements to eliminate disparities and expanding access for all. As Extension, we acknowledge the need for strategic and coordinated actions that help us form a more equitable, anti-racist, non- biased, and inclusive organization. ( As such, all Extension employees are expected to foster and promote the values of diversity and inclusion. Responsibilities: Delivers and assists with planning outreach program activities, strengthens partnerships, ensures adherence to policy, and assists with program administration to promote stable and productive relationships between the university and local community. Strives to expand and ensure access to programs, facilities, and educational services to diverse audiences. May assist with tracking and managing the outreach program budget. 20% Identifies, promotes, and maintains external partnerships to support the outreach program 10% Schedules and secures resources and communicates logistics in support of an outreach program 30% Delivers outreach program content and materials to community members 10% Researches, develops, and facilitates outreach program content and materials 20% Develops and evaluates curriculum and programs and provides recommendations for improvement 5% May assist with the monitoring of outreach program budget spending 5% Communicate plans, activities and achievements to Area Extension Director, Program Managers, partners and relevant stakeholders Institutional Statement on Diversity: 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.


Education: Required
Bachelor's Degree
In a field relevant to the programmatic responsibilities of the position


Preferred
Master's Degree
In a field relevant to the programmatic responsibilities of the position
Qualifications: Required:

Relevant experience (paid or volunteer) in areas related to the programmatic responsibilities of the position Ability to communicate effectively using a variety of methods and technology Ability to develop relationships and effective partnerships or coalitions which support the position responsibilities Ability to effectively work with people from different cultural backgrounds, including those associated with race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, socioeconomic status, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and other aspects of human diversity Experience working with nonprofits, local governments, or other community-serving organizations
Preferred:

At least 3 years of relevant field and work experience in the areas of programming and service delivery related to: Organizational and Leadership Development; Local Government Education, or Strategic Planning Ability to work cooperatively with other agencies, community-based services, or organizations to address Community educational needs Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to build and maintain professional work environments Experience managing multiple tasks, timelines, and schedules while maintaining high quality work Demonstrated skill in interpreting, utilizing, and applying evidence-based information and research findings Ability to successfully develop, deliver, and evaluate educational programs for diverse audiences that enhance community participation and engagement and utilize a variety of educational techniques, methods, and modes Experience facilitating processes that inform decision-making or action planning Work Type: Full or Part Time: 80% - 100%


It is anticipated this position requires work be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location.
Appointment Type, Duration: Ongoing/Renewable
Salary: Minimum $56,732 ANNUAL (12 months)
Depending on 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 ( Please note that some benefits such as paid time off will be prorated by appointment percentage, dependent on the starting FTE.
Additional Information: 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.
How to Apply: We are eager to learn more about how your experience and passion may align with this position. Please submit a cover letter referring to your related work experience and a resume detailing your educational and professional background.

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.
Contact: Pat Wagner


Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.
Official Title: Outreach Specialist(OE009)
Department(s): A47-EXTENSION/ANRCD/COMM/OGDV/ORG LDR DE
Employment Class: Academic Staff-Renewable
Job Number: 296425-AS


The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, 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 through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.


Employment will require a criminal background check. It will also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment.


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).


The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.