Water Program Manager

• Location: Madison, Wisconsin
• Department: EXTENSION/NATURAL RESOURCES INSTITUTE DIRECTOR
• Category: Outreach and Community Engagement
• Employment Type: Partially Remote
• Employment Type: Staff-Full Time
• Application Period Opens: Jul 22 2024 at 10:10 AM CDT
• Apply By: Aug 11 2024 at 11:55 PM CDT
• Job Number: 303060-AS

Job Summary:

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. The Natural Resources Institute is one of six Institutes in the Division of Extension.

About the Natural Resources Institute & Water Program:
The UW-Madison’s Extension Natural Resources Institute embraces and embodies the Wisconsin Idea, harnessing the leading-edge research of the university and facilitating change through an extensive network of state and regional partnerships. We understand the value of on-the-ground, local relationships and are committed to providing the information and leadership needed to grow healthy, thriving communities and support resilient, productive natural resources, food systems and economies.

The Water Program is a newly created program within the Natural Resources Institute that will align our water-related extension specialists and integrated faculty specialists under one umbrella. The program includes Extension’s non-point source water quality efforts, watershed education, and emerging contaminants expertise. Strong partnerships and funding relationships with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and others serve as the foundation to the work. The Water Program will provide research- and evidence-based education, resources and expertise to our federal, state, and tribal partners, communities, non-profit organizations, and Wisconsin’s residents.

About this Position:
The Water Program Manager position is an integral part of the UW Madison Division of Extension’s Natural Resources Institute. This position will work with Outreach Specialists and Extension Faculty Specialists to plan, design, deliver and evaluate research-based programs.

The Program Manager will:
– Mentor/supervise program staff. This position currently will have between six and nine direct reports.
– Facilitate and lead a process to develop a program scope of work with faculty and staff affiliated with the program.
– Build trust-based relationships with a diversity of stakeholders across the state to inform the strategic direction of the program.
– Maintain and strengthen existing relationships with funding partners and develop new partnerships that support the strategic direction of the program.
– Generate reports and presentations annually that share the impact of the work of the program.
– Collaborate and participate in the Natural Resources Institute Leadership Team to develop coordinated processes and policies across programs and the Institute.

Division of Extension headquarters are located within Madison, WI but the position location is flexible in WI and will be determined based on programmatic needs, successful candidate’s preferences, and availability of suitable space.

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. (https://blogs.extension.wisc.edu/oaic/call-to-action/). As such, all Extension employees are expected to foster and promote the values of diversity and inclusion.

Responsibilities:

Provides guidance for program planning, implementation, and evaluation, and/or supervises outreach staff. Monitors budget and appropriate funding for programming. Promotes stable and productive relationships between the university and community. Strives to expand and ensure access to programs, facilities, and educational services to diverse audiences.

• 25% Supervises the implementation of outreach-program-focused strategic planning initiatives and objectives
• 10% Develops and implements operating policies and procedures to promote the outreach program in alignment with the strategic plan
• 10% Monitors the unit or program budget and approves program expenditures
• 15% Reviews recommendations for and provides input on the design and development of new outreach programs or services
• 10% Determines outreach program needs and the personnel resource allocation plan
• 15% May exercise 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 FTE or equivalent employees
• 10% Maintain and strengthen existing funding partnerships and develop new funding through alignment of needs and priorities with existing or new partners
• 5% Participate in the Natural Resources Institute Leadership Team to develop coordinated processes and policies across programs and the Institute

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.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Education:

Required
Master’s Degree

Qualifications:

Required:
– 5 or more years of professional experience
– Experience developing and managing budgets
– Demonstrated ability to communicate scientific materials in written and verbal forms for a variety of lay and other audiences
– Demonstrated educational program development skills including planning and implementing programs, evaluation, and communicating program impact and value to stakeholders, specifically related to water resources, water stewardship, or water educational programming
– Experience with mentoring and/or supervising
– Knowledge and skills to effectively interact with people from different cultural backgrounds including those associated with race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, disability, sexual orientation and other aspects of human diversity

Preferred:
– Degree in a field that relates to the program this position will oversee, including, but not limited to human dimensions or behavior change in natural resource management, agriculture extension, rural sociology, hydrogeology, water resources, geology, soil science, agronomy, environmental science, environmental health or other closely-related fields
– Two years of supervisory experience
– Established track-record of building partnerships with diverse stakeholders
– Demonstrated experience in a leadership role, including strategic planning and implementing change initiatives
– Experience in group facilitation to support needs identification, decision making and stakeholder engagement with complex issues
– Successful experience obtaining funding through grants, contracts, gifts, and/or revenue generation

Work Type:

Full Time: 100%

This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.

Appointment Type, Duration:

Ongoing/Renewable

Salary:

Minimum $70,000 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 (https://hr.wisc.edu/benefits/).

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. To begin the application process, click the “apply now” button. You will be prompted to upload the following documents:
– Resume
– Letter of Qualifications (cover letter)

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.

For additional guidance and resources on how to tailor your application materials to the job posting, please click https://extension.wisc.edu/careers/. 

Contact:

Chad Cook
chad.cook@wisc.edu
920-232-1990
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Official Title:

Outreach Program Manager(OE008)

Department(s):

A47-EXTENSION/ANRCD/NR/WTR/LAND WTR PROG

Employment Class:

Academic Staff-Renewable

Job Number:

303060-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. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, click here

If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability, you can find information about how to make a request at the following website: https://employeedisabilities.wisc.edu/disability-accommodation-information-for-applicants/

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may 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.