Small Farms Lead Community Educator (Community Education Specialist 3) Job Listing at University of California in Davis, CA (Job ID 69338)

Description

Job Description

The Small Farms Lead Community Educator will coordinate county-based outreach and training efforts to increase extension support for small-scale, diversified, and socially disadvantaged farmers. Working under the general direction of a county-based Small Farms Advisor, the Small Farms Lead Community Educator will develop, design, and evaluate bilingual (Spanish) educational materials, develop, plan, and deliver extension programming, develop and conduct effective methods to increase outreach, and participate in program evaluation, needs assessments, and strategic planning for outreach and extension efforts in the assigned county or counties. Outreach and extension efforts will also be coordinated with a statewide network of Community Education Specialists and Small Farms Advisors in multiple counties. As part of the statewide network, the Small Farms Community Education Specialist will identify one or more areas of content expertise related to production, regulatory compliance, or marketing in which to serve as a subject matter expert and a lead worker coordinating development of educational materials on specialized topics. The small farms network will work closely with partner agencies and non-profit organizations to coordinate and leverage statewide technical assistance efforts.

This position is a contract appointment that is 100% fixed and ends two years from date of hire with the possibility of extension, if funding permits.

Pay Scale: $49,800.00/year to $67,000.00/year

Job Posting Close Date: 
This job is open until filled. The first application review date will be 6/17/2024.

Key Responsibilities:

75%

• Develop, design, and deliver educational materials in English and/or Spanish to assist small- scale farmers in complying with regulations (Food safety), accessing markets and assistance programs, and improving crop production (Integrated pest management). Serve as a lead worker on development of educational materials where background and expertise are sufficient to serve as a subject matter expert for specific project topics. 
• Develop and conduct effective methods, venues, and partnerships to increase outreach to small-scale and socially disadvantaged farmers. Maintain farmer contact lists and coordinate outreach through radio, social media, newsletters, farm visits, and networking. Organize, promote, and conduct extension workshops. Leverage and coordinate resources from additional grant-funded projects in the assigned county or counties to enhance outreach and extension programming. 
• Provide direct one-on-one technical assistance and extension support in English and/or Spanish to farmers. Conduct farm visits and meet with farmers individually to assist with production, marketing, access to resources, regulatory compliance, and access to grants, incentives, and economic relief programs. Assist farmers with online applications, identify barriers to access to relief programs, and collect feedback from growers and community partners to be used for strategic planning of outreach and educational methods in response to emerging needs. 

15%

• Identify and develop effective methods of evaluation for workshops. 
• Collect and organize feedback from participants at workshops and through individual farm visits. 
• Participate in long-range planning and evaluation of outreach, extension, and training methods and prioritize methods with higher success. 

10%

• Assist the Small Farms Advisor with research activities and data management. 
• Participate in data collection for field research trials, gather input from farmers, manage database and Excel records, assist with tracking of activities, farmer contacts, and expenses, organize information for program evaluation, and prepare reports and summaries. 
• Keep accurate records and develop systems to organize reporting data.

Requirements:

• Associate degree with coursework in plant science, entomology, plant pathology, soil science, irrigation, agroecology, agronomy, agricultural engineering, agricultural science, agricultural business, agricultural economics, food safety, community development, or a related field and/or equivalent experience/training.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail. Excellent time management skills and the ability to manage multiple project tasks. Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications. Excellent communication skills.
• Experience working in an agricultural setting or directly working with farmers. 
• Experience in extension, adult education, project coordination, public speaking, or community outreach.
• Bilingual communication/translation abilities in English and Spanish.

Preferred Skills:

• Bachelor's degree with coursework in plant science, entomology, plant pathology, soil science, irrigation, agroecology, agronomy, agricultural engineering, agricultural science, agricultural business, agricultural economics, food safety, community development, or a related field and/or equivalent experience/training.
• Experience working with disadvantaged or underserved communities. 
• Demonstrated skills and experience communicating research results to diverse audiences.
• Experience in applied agricultural research.

Special Conditions of Employment:

• Must possess valid California Driver's License to drive a County or University vehicle. Ability and means to travel on a flexible schedule as needed, proof of liability damage insurance on vehicle used is required. Reimbursement of job-related travel will be reimbursed according to University policies.
• The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check. This is a designated position requiring a background check and may require fingerprinting due to the nature of the job responsibilities. UC ANR does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities.
• As of January 1, 2014, ANR is a smoke- and tobacco-free environment in which smoking, the use of smokeless tobacco products, and the use of unregulated nicotine products (e-cigarettes), is strictly prohibited.
• As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs, as may be amended or revised from time to time.  Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.
• Travel including travel outside normal business hours may be requested.
• Overtime and occasional weekend work as needed, usually on short notice to meet operations needs may be requested. Occasional weekend work typical includes conferences, meetings and / or trainings.

The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) brings the power of University of California research and education to all 58 California counties. Through research and extension in agriculture, natural resources, economic growth, nutrition, and youth development, we work to improve the life of every Californian.

Collaborating to solve problems.

Connecting to serve communities.

For over 100 years, our advisors, specialists, faculty and staff have been committed to connecting Californians to their land grant university. We are highly collaborative and mission-driven to promote the health and well-being of people and places across the state. We are also trusted partners with hundreds of community organizations in addressing California's most pressing challenges.

UC ANR is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce and will honor your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. We encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ+ community members, and others who demonstrate the ability to help us create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming.

This position will promote, in all ways consistent with the other responsibilities of the position, accomplishment of the Affirmative Action goals established by the Division.  

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. If you have questions, please email the Human Resources Department.

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs, as may be amended or revised from time to time.  Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

Internal Candidates: Review the job posting and click the internal applicant link to apply. Use the same credentials used to login to UCPath to access the internal UC ANR job postings in order to apply.

Employment applications must be submitted online through our careers site.  Please note, we do not accept resumes or applications by email or on paper.

External Candidates:  You must register to apply for a job or create a job search agent profile. Review the job posting and click the external applicant link to apply. Click the 'Register Here' link and follow the steps to create the account. The system will not prompt you to register until you try to apply for a job online.

Employment applications must be submitted online through our careers site.  Please note, we do not accept resumes or applications by email or on paper.