Hiring Department
University of Missouri (MU) Office of Extension and
Engagement
MU Extension's Plant Health & Technology program
Job Description
MU TITLE: Assistant/Associate/Full Extension
Professional
LOCATION: Osceola Missouri, and primarily serves St. Clair
along with Bates, Benton, Camden,
Cedar, Hickory, Morgan and Hickory Counties in the West Central
Region, with additional service
across the state as needed.
SPECIALIST EMPHASIS
The emphasis area for this position is horticulture, which includes
the science of specialty crops, soils, weeds, insects, and
pathogens. The position involves planning, implementing, and
evaluating educational programs. Horticulture programs in MU
Extension focus on home horticulture and commercial horticulture
production. Educational programs include commercial production,
home gardening, environmental stewardship, landscape development,
and food safety. Field Horticulturalists also support MU Extension
efforts in soil testing and integrated pest management. The
position involves interacting with the community, commodity groups,
industry representatives, other university colleagues, and local
and statewide elected officials.
This position is a 12-month, ranked, non-tenure track appointment
at the rank of assistant, associate, or full Extension
Professional. Rank will be determined at the time of the
appointment based on qualifications and experience in accordance
with the MU Extension faculty standards. This position will hold
the working title of Field Specialist in Horticulture.
As a Field Specialist, your workload distribution at appointment
will be 90% Extension Teaching and 10% Traditional Service.
This appointment is renewable annually at the discretion of the
University and workload distribution may change at the discretion
of Extension leadership. Circumstances affecting continued
employment include, but are not limited to, work performance, fund
availability, and educational priorities.
CORE DUTIES OF MU EXTENSION SPECIALISTS
MU Extension Specialists deliver the University of Missouri to all
Missourians. They serve all Missourians by bringing research-based
solutions to work on local problems. MU Extension Specialists teach
new and foundational concepts, link people to resources, support
partner organizations, participate in research, train volunteers,
evaluate programs, foster innovation, and serve communities. MU
Extension Specialists work as a team to expand educational
attainment, foster economic development, and improve health
outcomes. These core duties fall into three major areas:
Educate, Create, and Connect .
- Educate . MU Extension specialists design, conduct, and
evaluate educational programs. MU Extension specialists teach
research-based information via meetings, in-person and online
courses, continuing education classes, technical assistance,
volunteer training, media, websites, consultation, and other
educational methods. They provide inclusive educational programs
that support the individual, organizational, and community goals of
Missouri’s learners and clients.
Create . MU Extension specialists develop innovative and
research-informed educational products, services, materials, and
other scholarly works. These include curricula, publications,
presentations, educational tools, websites, and similar resources.
MU Extension specialists obtain and use extramural funding to
support creative works. MU Extension specialists contribute to the
scholarship of Extension and Engagement by evaluating programs that
result in learning and behavior changes that impact individuals and
communities.
Connect . MU Extension specialists engage with learners,
stakeholders, volunteers, and communities, including county
extension councils, government officials and agencies, partners,
and University and professional organizations. MU Extension
specialists listen and respond with care. MU Extension specialists
intentionally foster engaged partnerships and robust connections to
the wide array of programs offered by the whole University of
Missouri System.
Professional Expectations
- Engage with stakeholders in all coverage counties to identify
educational needs and then collaborate with appropriate internal
and external partners to meet programming needs, incorporating
timely marketing strategies.
- Create an annual plan-of-work that reflects local needs and
aligns with statewide program area efforts. Provide a monthly
report of impact to county extension council assigned, supervisors,
county commissioners and others, regarding programmatic efforts.
Attend at least one county extension council meeting each month and
provide an oral update on program efforts.
- Collaborate with campus-based specialists on research projects
and then deliver findings from those efforts via demonstrations,
field days, courses, workshops, consultations, publications, and
appropriate media.
- Work in collaboration with other specialist in counties of
responsibility to serve the needs of the headquartered county,
ensuring counties receive promotional materials in advance of
programming.
- Effectively work with supervisors, other specialists, and local
leaders to complete administrative tasks as needed to support
county efforts.
- Demonstrate competency in communication, educational
programming, subject matter knowledge, educational delivery,
volunteer management, grant acquisition, teamwork, interpersonal
relations, organization knowledge, leadership, and
professionalism.
- Offer timely, research-based information during times of
natural disasters or similar events.
- Represent the University of Missouri on boards and committees
as assigned.
- Participate in professional development events to improve both
technical and leadership skills.
- Other duties and responsibilities as assigned to support the
mission of MU Extension.
Additional Expectations
- MU Extension programs often occur outside of normal business
hours. MU Extension Specialists should expect to attend these
events as needed to meet the needs of learners, clients, and
stakeholders.
- MU Extension Specialists travel regularly throughout Missouri
and occasionally to out-of-state locations. MU Extension requires
specialists to have a valid Missouri driver’s license, a legally
operating vehicle, and wireless telephone/data service for
university use. MU Extension specialists receive reimbursement for
approved travel expenses, per University of Missouri policy.
MU EXTENSION LEADERSHIP RECEIVED
The Senior Program Director for Agriculture & Environment
provides overall programmatic leadership. Programmatic supervision
comes from the Education Director for the Plant Health &
Technology program area and administrative oversight from the
Regional Director for the West Central 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, and
responsive educational strategies throughout Missouri. Our
dedicated and knowledgeable specialists and staff collaborate with
researchers and community leaders to develop and deliver programs
that address the needs of Missourians, including educational
attainment, economic development, and healthy people. For more
information about MU Extension and Engagement, please visit
https://extension2.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’s
comprehensive undergraduate programs and its graduate,
professional, and research programs attract an annual enrollment of
more than 30,000 students. MU Extension and Engagement programs are
located on all four campuses and in 114 counties and St. Louis
city.
Qualifications
An earned Master’s or Ph.D. with appropriate coursework
demonstrating knowledge of Horticulture, Plant Sciences, Agronomy,
Plant Sciences, Crop Sciences, Soil Sciences, Agriculture, or a
related academic field at the time of appointment.
Anticipated Hiring Range
Minimum starting salary of $58,000.00, salary will be commensurate
with qualifications and experience of the applicant.
Application Materials
Complete the brief online application and be prepared to
upload:
• Cover Letter
• Resume/CV
• Copies of all unofficial academic transcripts, and
• a list of 3-5 references
For questions regarding the online application process contact
MUHR@missouri.edu or call
573.882.7976. For technical problems with the online application
process contact
Helpdesk@missouri.edu or call
573.882.5000.
Sponsorship Information
Employment visa sponsorship is not available for this
position.
Benefit Eligibility
This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of your
total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits
package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement,
and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. For
additional information on University benefits, please visit the
Faculty & Staff Benefits website at
https://www.umsystem.edu/departments-staff/human-resources/benefits-retirement
Equal 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.
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