Position Description

County Profile: Located in mid-western Montana, Lewis & Clark County is home to the Capital City of Montana and has a population of about 67,000. The majority of the populace lives in or near Helena, with the smaller communities of Augusta and Lincoln in the northern end of the county. Carroll College and the Helena College of the University of Montana offer local opportunities for advanced education. The leading source of employment is the State of Montana. In addition, Fort Harrison serves the military community with local Guard and Reserve units, and a Veteran’s Hospital. Surrounded by National Forest, Hauser Dam, Canyon Ferry Dam, and Lake Helena, Lewis & Clark County offers a multitude of opportunities for avid outdoor activities such as skiing, boating, fishing, hunting, hiking, mountain biking, camping, and much more. Helena’s location lends itself to easy travel access to Butte, Great Falls, Bozeman, and Missoula and is only 150 miles from Glacier National Park. Lewis & Clark County offers the opportunity to participate in both urban and rural programming, with a unique blend of traditional agricultural land and outdoor recreational havens. Helena itself is a unique blend of historical properties from its Gold Rush days of instant fortunes to the many recent community additions and ongoing development. In addition to this position, the Extension Office is staffed with an Agriculture & Natural Resource Field Faculty, 4-H Youth Development Field Faculty, a part-time grant funded 4-H Military Program Coordinator, a SNAP-Ed Extension Instructor, and an Administrative Assistant and is located on the Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds.

The focus of this position is to provide leadership for MSU Extension Family and Consumer Science and Community Development education programs in Lewis and Clark County. The successful candidate will plan, implement, and evaluate educational programs to enhance physical, mental, and economic well-being for individuals and families in Lewis and Clark County. Specific areas of emphasis include family economics, family and human development, food and nutrition, health and wellness, and housing and environmental health.

Additionally, this position will conduct Extension education programming to enhance the economic, community, and leadership capacities of the communities of Lewis and Clark County including Helena, East Helena, Augusta, Craig, and Lincoln. The person in this position will help existing businesses become more successful; support businesses considering locating to Lewis and Clark County; assist entrepreneurs considering new business opportunities; work toward enhancing economic and community vitality; evaluate and assess public policy and other issues that impact economic and community vitality; and explore and implement efforts that will benefit community economic stability. To accomplish these goals, synergistic partnerships will be developed with communities; government agencies, boards and committees; citizen-led groups and private organizations; and community development-related groups

We seek individuals who work professionally and effectively with diverse individuals, foster and maintain effective interpersonal relationships, exhibit excellent written and verbal communication skills and have the ability to contribute positively to the academic success of students and the mission of Montana State University.
Duties and Responsibilities
Plan, implement, and evaluate research based educational programming to affect positive Family and Consumer Science and Community Development focused community impacts .
Strengthen the impact and scope of the Family and Consumer Science and Community Development programs in Lewis & Clark County.
Provide leadership to local Extension staff and stakeholder groups to conduct continuous needs assessments of Family and Consumer Science and Community Development communities in Lewis and Clark County.
Embrace a team approach to planning, developing and implementing the overall MSU Extension program in Lewis & Clark County.
Practice professional development to continually improve expertise in delivering MSU Extension programs.
Cooperate with partner agencies and other groups that support Family and Consumer Sciences and Community Development.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree.
At least one degree or relevant work experience in Family and Consumer Sciences, Community Development or related field.
Demonstrated ability to recruit, train, and provide professional development to volunteers.
Demonstrated ability to provide effective leadership to Extension programming.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple and varied tasks and to accept and delegate responsibilities.
Experience helping diverse groups and individuals accomplish common goals.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree
Demonstrated ability to work with volunteers to implement effective programs
Demonstrated ability to facilitate groups
Demonstrated ability to help groups find constructive solutions to challenging issues
Grant writing experience

Other Requirements

The successful candidate will possess excellent human relation skills; a high level of professionalism; the ability to work effectively with other staff members; evidence of good judgment; flexibility and innovation to respond to changing needs of people in Lewis and Clark County; and will be able to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing. The successful candidate will also have a familiarity with multi-cultural and different socioeconomic audiences, an interest in working with people from diverse backgrounds, and a commitment to the principles of diversity. Dedication to supporting and enhancing Montana State University’s initiative for diversity, equity and inclusiveness.

This position, if filled at the Master’s degree level, will be tenure-track. A successful candidate without a Master’s degree will be required to complete their Master’s degree, in a program area relevant to their Extension position, within six (6) years of their start date. Failure to do so may result in termination.

Must possess currently or be eligible to obtain a valid State of Montana Driver’s license and have an acceptable driving record (less than 12 points), or have other reliable means of transportation. Must have access to a vehicle to use for work (mileage will be reimbursed), and have minimum vehicle liability insurance. Do NOT send a copy of the driver’s license.

This job description should not be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements, but a general description of the job. Nothing contained herein restricts Montana State University’s rights to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.
Physical Demands
Position requires frequent night and weekend work, extensive reading, frequent travel throughout the county, and occasional travel throughout the state of Montana. Position also requires using a variety of teaching methods and operating a variety of demonstration and educational equipment.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Travel Requirements

Frequent travel throughout the county, occasional travel throughout the states

Driver’s license or alternate transportation required?

yes

Contact Name

Dan Lucas

Contact Email

Contact Phone

(406) 274-8969

Application Instructions

Apply online at http://msuextension.org, click on "careers."

Equal Employer Statement(s)

Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Salary

DOE/DOQ

Montana State University Extension

Full Time

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