Director of Jefferson Farm & Gardens Extension and Education Center and Field Specialist in

LOCATION: Columbia, Missouri with additional service across the state as needed. Overview of Responsibilities Jefferson Farm & Gardens is a 67-acre educational farm operatedby MU Extension in Columbia, Missouri. It is a public teaching anddemonstration site where agriculture, horticulture, food systems, youth education, natural resources, environmental education, andcommunity engagement come together. The site serves youth, families, producers, entrepreneurs, community partners, faculty, staff, and visitors from across Missouri. This position has two connected responsibilities. First, the personserves as Director of Jefferson Farm & Gardens and isresponsible for the daily operation, management, visibility, andlong-term success of the site. Second, the person serves as an Extension agricultural business specialist. In that role, theperson uses the farm’s high-value crops, gardens, food systems, facilities, and public programs as real examples to help producers, landowners, food-system entrepreneurs, and beginning entrepreneurslearn how agricultural businesses can be planned, launched, managed, marketed, and sustained. Together, these responsibilities make Jefferson Farm & Gardensboth a well-run public education site and a practical place toteach agricultural business development, food systems, Agri-entrepreneurship, producer education, and communityengagement. Director of Jefferson Farm & Gardens The Director of Jefferson Farm & Gardens leads one of MUExtension’s premier public education and demonstration sites. Thedirector serves as the on-site leader and farm manager. Thisincludes responsibility for the farm, gardens, grounds, facilities, equipment, livestock areas, demonstration spaces, classrooms, andevent areas. The director keeps these areas safe, attractive, useful, and ready for public programs. The director coordinates educational programs, manages facilitiesand grounds, supports partnerships, oversees public use of thesite, and expands learning opportunities that support MU Extensionpriorities. Group reservations are managed through a campuswideonline system, with partial event management support provided by acampus-based team. A key part of this role is helping Extension specialists, faculty, and program teams use Jefferson Farm & Gardens as a place toteach, demonstrate, host events, conduct applied work, and connectwith Missourians. The director supervises the daily work of farm support staff, including student, volunteer, and seasonal employees. The directoralso oversees equipment maintenance; coordinates needed goods andservices from vendors and contractors and prepares the Jefferson Farm &Gardens operations budget for approval. Agricultural Business Specialist Emphasis The academic and program focus of this position is agriculturalbusiness, food systems, and Agri-entrepreneurship. The specialistuses Jefferson Farm & Gardens as a living classroom to show howhigh-value agricultural and food-based enterprises can move fromidea to production, business planning, marketing, customerengagement, financial management, and long-term success. This work connects the crops, gardens, food systems, demonstrations, and events at Jefferson Farm & Gardens topractical business models that beginning farmers, specialty cropproducers, small-scale entrepreneurs, food-system entrepreneurs, and community partners can understand and use. The goal is to helppeople see not only how to grow or produce something, but also howto test an idea, identify customers, manage costs, set prices, reduce risk, reach markets, and build a business that canlast. Examples may include high-value horticultural crops, local foodenterprises, value-added agriculture, agritourism, farmers markets, direct marketing, youth entrepreneurship, farm-to-schoolconnections, community food projects, and other small agriculturalbusiness opportunities. These examples should help new and existingentrepreneurs better understand what it takes to start, grow, orimprove an agricultural or food-based business. The specialist plans, delivers, and evaluates educational programsthat help farmers, landowners, entrepreneurs, food-system partners, and agribusinesses make better decisions. These programs may coverbusiness planning, enterprise budgets, pricing, marketing, financial management, tax issues, risk management, feasibilitystudies, customer discovery, market testing, food systemdevelopment, and ways to start, grow, or diversify an agriculturalbusiness. The specialist also works with other Extension specialists, producer organizations, local governments, state agencies, agricultural support groups, entrepreneurs, food-system partners, and community partners to identify needs, use resources well, andconnect people with the right expertise. The goal is not simply togrow high-value agricultural products at Jefferson Farm &Gardens. The goal is to show how those enterprises can become partof a realistic, profitable, and sustainable business model. Plan, Deliver, and Evaluate Educational Programming for Agricultural Entrepreneurs — 45%Conduct needs assessments and develop, deliver, and evaluateeducational programs in collaboration with MU Extension colleaguesand community partners. Use Jefferson Farm & Gardens as a living classroom foragricultural business, food systems, and Agri-entrepreneurshipeducation. Develop hands-on demonstrations that use the Farm’s crops, gardens, facilities, events, and other resources to show howagricultural and food-based businesses can be planned, launched, managed, marketed, and sustained. Program Collaboration and Community Engagement — 20%Work with MU faculty, Extension specialists, educationdirectors, schools, agencies, nonprofits, donors, volunteers, andcommunity partners to expand teaching, demonstration, outreach, andpublic education at Jefferson Farm & Gardens. Help Jefferson Farm & Gardens serve as a statewide Extension education and demonstration site that supports local, regional, and statewide priorities. Partner with the Boone County Extension and Engagement Specialist, Boone County Extension Council, Advisory Board, localofficials, agricultural groups, schools, volunteers, donors, andother partners. Farm, Facilities, and Site Operations — 10%Provide daily leadership for farm, garden, grounds, livestock, equipment, facilities, classrooms, meeting rooms, anddemonstration-site operations. Prepare and maintain indoor and outdoor spaces for Extensionprograms, field days, school visits, tours, meetings, volunteeractivities, and public events. Coordinate scheduling, setup, cleanliness, safety, accessibility, equipment maintenance, repairs, supplies, groundscare, seasonal operations, and daily work of student, volunteer, and seasonal staff. Resource Development and Entrepreneurial Leadership —8%Co-develop and carry out a resource-development plan withsupport from MU Extension leadership, CAFNR Advancement, fiscalstaff, grants support staff, and other university partners. Maintain a practical business plan for Jefferson Farm &Gardens that reflects its mission, operations, staffing needs, program goals, and financial needs. Lead grant writing, proposal development, budgeting, partnercoordination, reporting, and management of funded projects. Communications and Visibility — 10%Work with MU Extension and Mizzou communications teams topromote Jefferson Farm & Gardens programs, partnerships, events, demonstrations, grants, and impacts. Provide timely updates, photos, field notes, event information, and program highlights for leadership, partners, donors, funders, news stories, tours, digital media, and social media. Administrative and Fiscal — 7%Work with MU Extension and A&E Extension fiscal offices toprepare and manage the operations budget, maintain records, trackexpenditures, and follow MU Extension fiscal policy. Approve facility-use requests and agreements within policy, maintain fee schedules, and route exceptions or high-risk requeststo the appropriate university offices. Coordinate vendors and contractors, support safety training andonboarding, and route conflicts of interest, safety concerns, orlegal, financial, or reputational risks to the proper office. This position is a 12-month, ranked, non-tenure track appointmentat the rank of assistant, associate, or full Extension Professional. Rank will be determined at the time of appointmentbased on qualifications and experience in accordance with MUExtension faculty standards. This position holds the working titleof Director of Jefferson Farm & Gardens. As an Extension Professional, your workload distribution atappointment will be 25% Administrative Activity, 65% Extension Teaching and 10% Traditional Service. This appointment is renewable annually at the discretion of the University, and workload distribution may change at the discretionof Extension leadership. Circumstances affecting continuedemployment include, but are not limited to, work performance, fundavailability, and educational priorities. Core Duties of MU Extension Specialists MU Extension Specialists deliver the University of Missouri to all Missourians by bringing research-based solutions to local problems. These core duties fall into three major areas: Educate, Create, and Connect. The emphasis among these duties and specific deliverableswill vary by appointment and evolve from year to year, directed byan annual plan of work for the program area and for theindividual. Professional Expectations Engage with councils, commissions, legislators, funders, donors, volunteers, and stakeholders to identify educational needs, build partnerships, and collaborate with appropriate internal andexternal partners to meet those needs. Create an annual action plan that reflects local needs, Jefferson Farm & Gardens priorities, and statewide program areaefforts; provide regular reports of impact to the Boone County Extension Council, Boone County Commission, supervisors, advisorygroups, and other partners as requested. Collaborate with campus-based faculty, Extension specialists, field specialists, students, and community partners on research, demonstration, education, and outreach projects, and deliverfindings through field days, tours, courses, workshops, consultations, publications, media, and digital platforms. Demonstrate competency in communication, educationalprogramming, subject matter knowledge, educational delivery, volunteer and personnel management, grant acquisition andmanagement, fiscal stewardship, partnership development, teamwork, interpersonal relations, organizational knowledge, leadership, andprofessionalism. Offer timely, research-based information and represent the University of Missouri on boards and committees as assigned. Participate in professional development events to improvetechnical, administrative, grant-development, entrepreneurial, andleadership skills. Conduct all activities in accordance with the Civil Rights Acts, Title IX, Rehabilitation Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and local, state, and regional affirmative action plans. Other duties and responsibilities as assigned to support themission and purpose of MU Extension and Jefferson Farm &Gardens. Additional Expectations Travel regularasy throughout Missouri, using own transportation, with occasional out-of-state travel. A valid Missouri driver’slicense, a legally operating vehicle, and wireless telephone/dataservice for University use are required. Reimbursement for approvedtravel is provided per University of Missouri policy. MU Extension programs and Jefferson Farm & Gardens eventsoften occur outside of normal business hours. Working evenings andweekends is regularly required to meet the needs of learners, clients, stakeholders, partners, and visitors. MU Extension Leadership Received Primary supervision for Jefferson Farm & Gardens directorduties is received from the Senior Program Director for MUExtension’s Agriculture and Environment program area. Programmaticsupervision for the Agricultural Business specialist emphasis isreceived from the Education Director for the Agriculture Businessand Policy program area. Administrative oversight is received fromthe Regional Director for the Northeast Region. MU EXTENSION INFORMATION The University of Missouri (MU) Office of Extension and Engagement’s distinct land-grant mission is to improve lives, communities, and economies by producing relevant, reliable, andresponsive educational strategies throughout Missouri. Ourdedicated and knowledgeable specialists and staff collaborate withresearchers and community leaders to develop and deliver programsthat address the needs of Missourians, including educationalattainment, economic development, and healthy people. For moreinformation about MU Extension and Engagement, please visit https://extension.missouri.edu/UNIVERSITY INFORMATION The University of Missouri, also known as Mizzou and MU, is the Flagship University of the four-campus University of Missouri System. It is one of the state’s land-grant universities. MU’scomprehensive undergraduate programs and its graduate, professional, and research programs attract an annual enrollment ofmore than 30,000 students. MU Extension and Engagement programs arelocated on all four campuses and in 114 counties and St. Louiscity.

Qualifications: An earned master’s degree is required in horticulture, plantscience, agriculture, agricultural education, agriculturalbusiness, agricultural economics, natural resources, farmmanagement, public administration, nonprofit management, or aclosely related field at the time of appointment. Candidates will also be evaluated on Experience developing, delivering, and evaluating educationalprograms for producers, entrepreneurs, youth, community partners, or public audiences. Practical knowledge in managing a farm, garden, educationcenter, public facility, nonprofit program, or similar outdoorlearning site. Administrative and leadership experience, including supervisionof employees, students, volunteers, or seasonal staff, andmanagement of fiscal, physical, and program resources. Working knowledge of horticulture, agriculture, livestock care, conservation practices, natural resources, public gardens, educational farms, food systems, or related areas. Experience with grants, proposals, budgets, project management, post-award administration, funder reporting, and entrepreneurialrevenue strategies such as contracts, gifts, sponsorships, and usefees. Experience building partnerships and coordinatingcollaborations with faculty, Extension specialists, publicagencies, schools, county governments, nonprofits, donors, volunteers, funders, elected officials, and other communitypartners. Experience supporting public programs such as tours, fielddays, school visits, volunteer activities, advisory boards, community events, or other public-facing educational programs. Anticipated Hiring Range This position offers a minimum starting salary of $85,000, with thefinal salary determined based on the candidate’s qualifications andexperience. Application Materials Cover Letter Resume/CVCopies of all unofficial academic transcripts, anda list of 3-5 references Sponsorship Information Employment visa sponsorship is not available for thisposition. Benefit Eligibility This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of yourtotal compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefitspackage, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. Foradditional information on University benefits, please visit https://www.umsystem.edu/departments-staff/human-resources/benefits-retirementEqual Employment Opportunity The University of Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To request ADA accommodations, please call the Director of Accessibility and ADA at 573-884-7278.60465