Extension Educator – 4-H Youth Development (2 openings)

About the Job

The 4-H Extension Educator position is a community-based academic professional of the University of Minnesota Extension. This position links University of Minnesota research and Minnesota residents by creating learning opportunities that address local needs.

Primary Responsibilities

• Program Development, Delivery, and Engagement – 40%

• Engage youth, volunteers, and partners to create a program plan for all youth of the county/tribal community, addresses local needs and opportunities, aligns with the strategic direction of the MN 4-H Youth Development program and leads to program growth and sustainability.
• Design, develop, deliver, and implement high quality, culturally-relevant, impactful programs that support youth in learning and leading.
• Develop/adapt lesson plans and teach/facilitate youth and adult learning using relevant content and instructional best practices (pedagogy/andragogy).
• Plan and manage the delivery of 4-H clubs, camps, after school programs, showcase and fair opportunities, and other events and activities.
• Identify and implement strategies to grow program participation, ensuring programs and processes are welcoming to all youth, volunteers, and staff.
• Successfully collaborate, partner with and build strong working relationships with supervisor and Program Leaders, other Extension educators, peers, department team members, county partners and stakeholders; mainly in person but at times virtually.
• Develop and support community partnerships that extend program reach and expand program impact.
• Establish and maintain an effective staffing plan including partners, volunteers, interns, and short-term employees.
• Use established evaluation tools and processes to inform future program design, improve effectiveness, demonstrate value, and market the program.

• Volunteer Systems – 35%

• Establish and support a volunteer development system that builds the capacity and long-term sustainability of the 4-H program.
• Maintain and collaborate with volunteers, volunteer leaders and others to enrich and grow relationships and volunteer roles in 4-H.
• Identify needs and opportunities for volunteers to serve in management and delivery roles, and recruit and place individuals in these roles.
• Cultivate relationships with and build capacity of volunteers through a support system consisting of effective orientation, training, utilization, recognition, and evaluation.
• Ensure the volunteer screening process is implemented and followed at all times; alert or report any concerns or variances from processes.
• Acknowledge and address problems that arise with volunteers and volunteer roles.

• Program Operations – 15%

• Manage and monitor compliance with organizational policies and procedures, including youth safety, risk management, and financial management.
• Manage, oversee and document the budget related to the County 4-H program. This includes expenses, deposits, cash and check handling, asset inventory, accurate record keeping, and financial reports. Follow strict University, Extension, 4-H and other financial policies, processes and procedures in all aspects of program and county work.
• Ensure that self and partners, participants and volunteers follow all financial procedures related to county and related work; prepare and communicate when issues or questions arise; including meeting budget and other financial deadlines.
• Manage established processes for youth enrollment, volunteer enrollment, event participation and reporting, club chartering, program agreements, and related.
• Recruit, orient, supervise, and support interns and short-term employees.

• Communication and Reporting – 10%

• Develop/adapt and implement an ongoing year-round communication plan that attracts youth, families, and volunteers from diverse backgrounds and leads to enrollment and retention.
• Collect data and prepare and deliver reports and presentations to share the public value, impacts, and accomplishments of 4-H Youth Development with local stakeholders; including department, unit and regional teams and groups.
• Communicate with peers, teams, county partners and others regarding 4-H Youth Development and Extension programs’ value and mission.
• Represent the University of Minnesota, Extension, and the Department of Youth Development in all work interactions, events, conferences and related in a positive and collaborative way.

Qualifications

• Required Qualifications

• Required to complete the job screening questionnaire to be considered for any roles (https://z.umn.edu/4HEducatorquestionnaire)
• Bachelor's degree at time of hire in fields related to but not limited to education, social sciences, family and consumer sciences, sociology, psychology, and agriculture. Degree must be completed by the start date.
• Experience (paid or unpaid) leading, teaching, and/or managing programs for youth, grades K-12.
• Experience in recruiting, guiding, or managing volunteers or staff.
• Ability to work collaboratively and cohesively with peers, leaders and leadership, stakeholders, volunteers, participants and others in order to achieve and follow Extension goals, objectives and expectations.
• Demonstrated ability to document, track and follow financial policies, processes and procedures (including University, Extension, Department, County and related).
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks, timelines, priorities and schedules while maintaining high quality of work and working with minimal supervision.
• Evidenced ability to effectively communicate in English using oral and written communication methods (e.g., business correspondence, publications, presentations, web, and social media).

• Additional Requirements

• It is an essential function of the job to work in the assigned office location almost exclusively when not conducting work in the community. Work in the community will include various educational settings, including outdoors (e.g., camps, fairs); limited hybrid or remote work options may be possible.
• Will work evenings, overnights, and weekends for events, camps, fairs, programming to meet responsibilities of the position.
• Valid driver's license and own means of transportation with required liability insurance in order to transport materials; and rarely other people. Mileage reimbursement provided.
• This position often works in the community. Must be able to travel within the county several times per week and regionally/statewide multiple times per year. Reimbursement for travel and subsistence is available in accordance with University policy.
• When not in the assigned office location, employees must be reachable with a mobile number at the employee's own expense. That number will be published in the Extension staff directory.
• Ability to bend, reach, twist, and lift or carry 10 pounds frequently and 30 pounds occasionally.
• Must be able to stand for 90 minutes at a time and sit for 90 minutes at a time. Some days will require hours of standing or sitting.
• This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship.

• Preferred Qualifications

• Two (2) or more years of post-bachelor’s degree experience relevant to youth development, program development, and/or volunteer systems development.
• Evidenced knowledge of youth development theory and practice (e.g., college coursework, volunteer training)
• Experience designing, developing, delivering, and/or evaluating high-quality educational programs.
• Experience managing a volunteer system, including recruiting, placing, training, coaching, and evaluating volunteers.
• Demonstrated ability to resolve conflicts.
• Proficient use of technology for communicating, locating information, and monitoring trends to design, deliver, evaluate, and report programs.
• Evidenced ability to work cooperatively with community partners or local governments to address educational needs.
• Experience teaching youth and/or adults in a non-formal setting.
• Experience organizing and managing events and activities.
• Experience planning and applying relevant organizational policies, procedures, and regulations (e.g., creating safe environments, financial practices).

About the Department

About the Extension and Youth Development
University of Minnesota Extension is a major outreach arm of the University of Minnesota with a mission to serve the public through applied research and education. Our mission is to make a difference by connecting community needs and University resources to address critical issues in Minnesota. Extension strives to attract and retain high-quality, passionate employees. Find further information on the Extension website.

About the Extension and Youth Development
University of Minnesota Extension Department of Youth Development works in partnership with communities to build engaged young people who are ready to learn and lead in a global society. Using youth development methods and principles that are based on experiential learning and proven to result in positive youth development, we foster sustainability and resilience by building community-wide knowledge, capacity, and networks that support the healthy development of youth. Our audiences include all Minnesota youth grades K-13, and volunteers, youth workers, and partners who deliver positive youth development programming; and, agencies, organizations, and groups that affect the lives of youth. To learn more about our programs, please visit https://extension.umn.edu/4-H.