"Area Extension Director - Area 7 (Portage, Marathon, Wood, Waupaca Counties)"

Job Details

Salary:
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Job Category: Limited

Employment Type: Regular

Job Profile: Administrative Director (B)

Job Summary:

The Division of Extension is hiring an Area Extension Director to serve as an administrative leader across Area 7 (Marathon, Portage, Wood, Waupaca Counties).

The Area Extension Director (AED) provides overarching leadership, direction and guidance within the geographic area, leading a team of county-based Extension educators and support staff to cultivate an inclusive, respectful, and collaborative work environment. Through ongoing engagement with local communities, the AED helps identify emerging needs and opportunities, aligning Extension resources and programming to address those priorities effectively.

A successful AED will require great competency to work with diverse staff and clientele and have the political savvy required to work with counties to identify and assess new opportunities in programming, funding, and staffing.

Reporting to the Assistant Dean, the AED will support the work with county governments, municipalities, and partner organizations to ensure that the educational needs of local communities are met. The AED serves as the direct supervisor for the programmatic Division of Extension staff in the Area and provides leadership in staff development and partnerships. The AED ensures compliance with equal employment opportunity and civil rights laws, regulations and policies while carrying out the primary duties.

The principal duties of this AED position include program and community relations; supervision and staff development; financial management; and policy implementation and management. The AED contributes to the delivery of evidence-based outreach that addresses the needs of local communities through coordination with Extension programs to identify programmatic needs and support programmatic responses to those needs.

Program and Community Relations

• Develop and manage the relationships with partner organizations operating within and across the geographic boundaries of the area, such as county governments, tribal nations, municipalities, third-parties, other governmental agencies.
• Assist program leadership in supporting local staff programming opportunities within the geographic area, ensuring educational needs of the local communities are met.
• Identify issues of critical importance to the community; create opportunities for increased engagement between Extension and the community.
• Ensure preparation of annual educational workplans and reports of activities and impacts for the public, county government and Division of Extension administration.
• Assist Institutes in adapting and sharing program impacts and other communications to enhance the visibility of Extension programs within the Area.
• Engage with program leadership to coordinate regional and statewide programming activities to achieve local programming goals as necessary.

Supervision and Staff Development

• Supervise, coach, and lead Division of Extension staff and county support staff, including annual performance reviews and professional development activities.
• Promote a positive, supportive environment within the local offices teams through hiring practices and promotion of an inclusive work environment. Support and encourage professional improvement of faculty and staff.
• Manage recruitments and hiring processes for new positions within the geographic area -Provide critical support roles for volunteer management in Extension educational programming.

Financial Management

• Develop and manage budgets for UW-Madison Division of Extensions Area offices, including salary, fringe, travel, professional development, and county level budgets.
• Develop, steward, and manage contracts and agreements established between the Division of Extension and its partners, including counties. Collaborate with Institutes to assess opportunities to diversify funding to support existing programs and build capacity to address emerging issues; strategies may include grants and contracts, cost recovery practices, gifts and contributions and other revenue alternatives.
• Negotiate and implement annual county extension contracts between Division of Extensions programmatic objectives and counties in Area.

Policy Implementation and Management

• Leads the implementation of program and administrative policy and procedures within the geographic area.
• Ensure compliance of relevant policies and procedures by staff and volunteers.
• Maintain regular communication with Extension leadership regarding risks and compliance.

Regional Location

This position will serve multi-county geographies in northern WI. The Area 7 AED will provide leadership in Marathon, Portage, Wood and Waupaca Counties. The headquarter location for this position is flexible within the area and will be determined based on area needs, successful candidate’s preferences, and availability of suitable space.

In Person

It is anticipated this position requires work be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location.

Evening/Weekend Work

This position may be required to work occasional nights and weekends to meet the area needs and priorities of the communities served.

Travel Expectations

It is expected that employees will make individual arrangements for transportation adequate to meet position responsibilities and essential job functions. Read more about UW-Madison Driver Authorization.

Applicants are required to: Have a valid drivers license and a reliable source of independent transportation for periodic in-state work travel, and/or comply with requirements for UW-Madison vehicle use authorization.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Recommends, reviews, and directs personnel resource allocation to ensure appropriate utilization of resources
• Directs, implements, and monitors strategic planning initiatives to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, and staffing resources
• Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
• Develops and audits administrative operating reports, budgets, policies, and procedures to comply with regulations, institution policies, and business objectives
• Serves as the unit liaison to internal and external stakeholder groups providing organizational information and representing the interests of the unit
• Supervises managerial, professional, and support staff of the unit or division and facilitates unit staff developmental opportunities

Department:

Division of Extension, Office of the Assistant Dean is hiring for an Area Extension Director for Area 7.

About Extension

UW-Madison’s Division of Extension 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.

Additional Department Details

Extension’s mission is to connect people with the University of Wisconsin. We teach, learn, lead and serve, transforming lives and communities.

Compensation:

The minimum annual (12 months) starting salary for the position is $92,000 but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. Please review the summary of benefits for more information.

Required Qualifications:

• Two or more years of demonstrated supervisory and/or management experience
• Significant experience in coordinating, developing, or delivering community-based educational programs
• Knowledge of budget management for a business, non-profit or governmental organization
• Demonstrated success collaborating with partner organizations (e.g., government bodies, non profits, corporate entities, municipalities, and tribal nations)
• Demonstrated ability to communicate, direct, and lead effectively - orally, in writing, and through virtual communication technology (e.g. collaboration platforms, video conferencing, etc.)
• Demonstrated experience working with people from different backgrounds and perspectives

Preferred Qualifications:

• Five or more years of supervisory and/or management experience
• Experience managing a budget for a business, non-profit, or government organization
• Experience with and/or knowledge of county governments
• Experience generating additional revenue from new or existing sources of funding
• Experience identifying and prioritizing educational programmatic opportunities
• Knowledge of the legacy of Cooperative Extension, as part of the U.S. system of land-grant institutions, dedicated to service in the public good
• Understanding of and/or experience working with Native Nations communities

Education:

Bachelor's Degree

How to Apply:

We are eager to learn more about how your experience and passion may align with this position. To begin the application process, click the "Apply" button. You will be prompted to upload the following documents:

• Resume
• Letter of Qualifications (cover letter)

Please submit a cover letter referring to your work experience and a resume detailing your educational and professional background as it relates to this position. 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.

For additional guidance and resources on how to tailor your application materials to the job posting, please click here.

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.

This position has been identified as a position of trust with access to vulnerable populations. The selected candidate will be required to pass an initial caregiver check to be eligible for employment under the Wisconsin Caregiver Law and every four years.

Application Deadline is December 17, 2025 at 11:59pm (CST).

Contact Information:

Jason Hausler

jason.hausler@wisc.edu

(715) 533-8006

Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.