Soil Fertility Outreach Specialist

Job Summary

Are you passionate about bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world farming? As the Soil Fertility Outreach Specialist, you will play a pivotal role in advancing the sustainability and profitability of Wisconsin’s diverse agricultural landscape.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Collaborate with farmers and colleagues to develop and implement on-farm research, demonstrations, and outreach activities that engage the community in exploring innovative practices.
• Design and maintain high-quality outreach programs that translate research findings into actionable solutions for the field.
• Develop and maintain expertise related to soil fertility management.
• Build trust-based relationships with stakeholders, technical advisors, and Extension colleagues to inform priorities and increase program impact.
• Work with the Program Manager to facilitate programmatic efforts, maintain strategic direction, build partnerships and seek a diverse funding portfolio to support the work.

Required Qualifications

• Three or more years relevant professional experience.
• A master’s degree in a field related to this position’s focus.
• Strong interpersonal relationship and problem-solving skills in a team setting.
• Demonstrated skills in interpreting, utilizing, and applying evidence-based information and research findings.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both written and verbal, through a variety of technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively work with people from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated educational program development skills which include planning and implementing programs; evaluating learning experiences; and communicating program impact and value, in both written and verbal formats, for a variety of lay and other audiences as well as stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience in understanding experimental design, statistical analysis and interpreting research data.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating with growers in on-farm research.
• Demonstrated experience with building diverse, collaborative partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate scientific materials in written and verbal forms for a variety of lay and other audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to write and manage grants and establish partnerships that pool or leverage public and private funds in support of the Institutional mission.
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team.