"UC Cooperative Extension - Director of County Cooperative Extention - Academic Administrator or Academic Coordinator III Series (25-09)"

Position Overview

The University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) invites applications for a Director of County Cooperative Extension in the Academic Administrator Series or in the Academic Coordinator III Series. Location Headquarters: This position will be located at either the ANR headquarters in Davis, CA or a county Cooperative Extension office, should there be space available. It is expected that if the successful candidate is not physically located in Davis, travel to the Davis building will be expected one to two days per month.

Purpose & Clientele

The Director of County Cooperative Extension provides visionary leadership, mentoring and support to the University of California County Cooperative Extension offices to ensure the successful development, delivery, evaluation, and administration of local applied research and extension programming. Through the implementation of programs and applied research, UCCE purposefully and intentionally improves the economic, environmental and social conditions in all 58 counties of California. The Director connects area and county directors (UCCE Unit Directors) and their local academic, program and administrative teams to resources, professional development, policy and financial resources to ensure the cooperative extension continuum loop between the ten UC campuses and the 58 counties.

Major Responsibilities

Leadership and Vision: Lead and oversee implementation of UCCE across California. Set a high standard for excellence. Use personal knowledge and professional experience to envision the future, anticipate change, capitalize on opportunities and develop innovative options that further the strategic direction of the organization. Provide supervision and visionary leadership for the UCCE unit directors to inspire and motivate by attitude and actions through setting clear goals and targeted outputs. Model and create a positive environment that supports the success of all UCCE units and team members across California. Demonstrate concern for all staff; effectively manage all personnel, including direct supervision of all UCCE unit directors. Provide coaching and guidance to UCCE unit directors in multiple functional areas, including development of local procedures and practices, academic and staff recruitment, employee and labor relations, retention, professional development, training, employee evaluation, and reporting at county, systemwide, and Federal levels. Support, mentor and advise UCCE unit directors in their supervision of UCCE advisors, staff, administrative professionals and any additional FTE in the unit. Use merit, promotion, and evaluation processes to mentor, educate and provide feedback to support employee success. Provide leadership, mentoring and evaluation of UCCE unit directors and when appropriate other UCCE employees. Provide leadership to UCCE unit directors by conducting and supporting annual evaluations/merits/promotions, consulting and reviewing sabbatical leaves, emeritus work plans, professional development planning, developing and implementing plans for coaching, corrective actions, program improvement plans, and letters of expectations, coordinating monthly leadership update webinars and annual face-to-face professional development meetings, and providing regular communications with all UCCE unit personnel about University and County updates and navigating both University and County human resources' policies and procedures. Model your actions and support UCCE unit directors in achieving the metrics identified in their position descriptions related to leadership, administration, finance and partnership development. In consultation with ANR leadership, make recommendations and implement decisions on programmatic, operational, workforce planning, and other pertinent issues. Develop and maintain effective professional relationships with colleagues across all local units, as well as systemwide. Liaison between County Directors, Academic Assembly Council and Staff Assembly Council.

Administrative Policy: Understand, uniformly apply, and ensure compliance of UC and County Administrative policies and procedures, including UC ANR Affirmative Action guidelines and policies. Provide leadership to academics and staff to ensure assessment of clientele needs. Set standards for UCCE units to measure outcomes and impacts and communicate these milestones to local clientele and stakeholders. Value and deliver high quality, professional, responsive and innovative service. Demonstrate the ability to analyze situations or problems, make timely and sound decisions, construct plans and achieve optimal results. Collaborate across organizational units as appropriate to gather and integrate information to formulate approaches to resolve issues and respond to and resolve complex and/or sensitive issues. Facilitate resolution of informal conflicts and/or complaints within UC Cooperative Extension units when requested by or involving UCCE unit directors.

Budget and Funding: Demonstrate evidence of successfully and effectively allocating resources, monitoring the use of resources, and reporting to funding agencies. Demonstrate integrity, accountability and efficient stewardship of university and county resources in a manner consistent with the UC Standards of Ethical conduct and other policies.

Human Resource and Business Unit Relationships: Collaborate with UC ANR Human Resources and Business units, on various matters impacting or pertaining to UCCE unit procedures and practices, to ensure services meet the needs of UCCE units. Facilitate communication between Business Units, Research & Extension Centers, and UCCE units. Cultivate, maintain, and nurture internal UC relationships. Collaborate with colleagues to achieve results in alignment with the operations and mission of the University of California.

Advocacy and Communication: Represent UC ANR and UCCE in professional manner. Ensure clientele needs are assessed. Support the development of priority program goals to successfully meet clientele needs, in alignment with UC ANR's Strategic Vision, Initiatives and Plan. Maintain positive relationships with new and existing partners, stakeholders and clientele to cultivate, maintain, and nurture political and industry relationships and resources to build new programs that expand UCCE's reach across the state. Meet with and provide responsive communications with key stakeholders (e.g., industry partners, donors, policy makers and elected officials, and others as required). Increase awareness of UCCE by disseminating information on behalf of the unit to county residents, stakeholders, clientele, and politicians. Represent UC ANR on various statewide and/or national committees and serve as the liaison between UC ANR and UCCE offices and employees. Promote active, ongoing advocacy and support of UC ANR. Collaborate with UC ANR Office of Government Affairs to support UCCE unit academics in responding to regulatory, state and federal agencies, external groups, industry organizations and the mass media on issues related to applied research and extension projects. Represent the University as a resource and contact person to industry leaders, producers, non-University of California academics and the public. Communicate needs, successes and opportunities with Government Affairs staff.

Qualifications and Skills Required

Required Qualifications: For Academic Administrator Series, a minimum of a Ph.D. or other terminal degree in disciplines related to extension education, personnel management, higher education administration education, development or related fields are required at the time of appointment. For Academic Coordinator III Series, a minimum of a Master's degree in disciplines related to extension education, personnel management, higher education administration, development or related fields are required at the time of appointment. A Ph.D. or other advanced degree is preferred. Key Qualifications: Demonstrated experience in program planning, evaluation, and budget management. Demonstrated experience providing leadership in developing and implementing extension and applied research programs. Experience supervising academics and administrative professionals. Experience working collaboratively with a wide variety of stakeholders and developing productive partnerships. Excellent oral/written communication skills. Ability and experience in working in diverse environments and with diverse people and collaborators. Experience in developing and implementing presentations/workshops for diverse audiences. Must be literate in internet communications and software appropriate to support research and education programs. Demonstrated literacy in the educational use of computers, the Internet and other distance learning techniques. Demonstrated experience to work independently and collaboratively in teams. Additional Requirements: Applicants need to meet appointment criteria for the respective University of California academic title series and evidence for success in meeting required academic advancement criteria as per UC Academic Personnel Manual. Ability and means to travel on a flexible schedule as needed, proof of liability, and property damage insurance on vehicle used is required. Must possess a valid California Driver's License to drive a university vehicle. This is not a remote position. The candidate must be available to work onsite. In accordance with UC ANR Flexible Work Guidelines flexible work agreements are available upon approval by supervisors and periodic re-evaluation. A background investigation will be required for the successful candidate, including fingerprinting and a criminal history clearance by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This position is subject to the requirements and compliance of the California's Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA). Employment within UC ANR is contingent upon securing written acknowledgement to comply with California law. Desired Experience: Strong leadership skills and recent experience in County Cooperative Extension programming and personnel management. Knowledge of UC ANR. Working knowledge of the UC ANR policies and organizational structures.

Salary & Benefits

Salary: For the Academic Administrator Series, the salary will be in the University of California Academic Administrator series and commensurate with applicable experience and professional qualifications. For information regarding UC Academic Administrator salary scales, please refer to the University of California website: https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2024-25/july-2024-scales/t34.pdf. The Academic Administrator position is a two-year renewable term appointment. For the Academic Coordinator III Series, the salary will be in the University of California Academic Coordinator III Series and commensurate with applicable experience and professional qualifications. For information regarding UC Academic Coordinator III salary scale, please refer to the University of California website: http://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2024-25/july-2024-scales/t35-iii.pdf. Benefits: The University of California offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance, retirement plans, two days per month paid vacation, one day per month paid sick leave, and paid holidays. For more information, refer to the UC Benefits website at: https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/index.html.