Application link: https://explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/524819

This full-time permanent status-accruing 4-H Youth Development Extension Agent will work jointly for UF/IFAS Extension and Hillsborough County. The successful candidate will plan, develop, implement, evaluate, and report on comprehensive and diverse 4-H Youth Development educational programs in Hillsborough County. Emphasis will be on youth programs in the broad areas of agriculture, natural resources, science, engineering, technology, and leadership, plus volunteer development, supervision, and management. Primary responsibility will be to implement 4-H school enrichment and after-school programs and volunteer development programs, but at times the Agent will help with 4-H community club youth programs.

The candidate will be able to:

• Develop, conduct, coordinate, evaluate, and report on educational programs for 4-H school enrichment and 4-H after-school programs and other innovative programs to support the diverse needs of youth and volunteers.
• Maintain an effective and diverse advisory committee to assist with extension program design, direction, and operation.
• Develop, train, sustain, and recognize an effective volunteer base.
• Develop volunteer management strategy to ensure program policies, enrollment, record keeping, risk management, and experiential learning procedures are updated and accurate.
• Target programs to reflect the area’s population diversity and unique educational needs using a variety of program marketing and delivery methods including in-person, site visit consultations, and deliberately focused virtual platforms such as webinars, videos, and social media.
• Develop community partnerships and work as a team with local volunteers, organizations, agencies, and UF/IFAS colleagues to promote positive youth development.
• Obtain financial resources to support programs and manage all components (e.g., policies, records, risk, communication, and accountability).
• Produce creative, scholarly works and audience-friendly publications.
  

Minimum Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in youth development or a related field.
• Self-starting, energetic, and team oriented.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills.
• Resourcefulness, creativity, enthusiasm, and innovativeness.
• Good organizational development and management skills.
• Ability to establish solid partnerships and work in teams.
• Ability to use information technology and apply social media to extension work.
• A commitment to positive and proactive customer service.
• Expertise in managing competing priorities and adaptability to handle unexpected situations.
• A commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) guidelines of UF/IFAS Extension and Hillsborough County.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• A master’s degree. If hired solely with a bachelor’s degree, we want you to continue to grow in your career. As such, we expect you to make at least 50% progress toward obtaining your master’s degree within the first 6 years of employment.
• Experience with 4-H or youth development.
• Experience creating lesson plans, developing instructional materials, and applying teaching methods appropriate for a diverse audience.
• A strong commitment to community.
• Experience in supervising, mentoring, and evaluating staff.
• Experience working in multicultural settings.
  

Further Information:

UF/IFAS employs more than 2,000 faculty and staff statewide. UF/IFAS Extension is a partnership between state, federal, and county governments with a mission of providing quality, relevant education, and research-based expertise to foster healthy people, a healthy environment, and a healthy economy. We employ 375 Extension Agents, and we have an office in each of Florida’s 67 counties. We attribute our success to a workforce that embraces the contributions of people of all backgrounds and ability levels. The Extension Agent will be a contributor to a community that provides space for innovation, creativity, collaboration, growth, and development for all.

A Hillsborough County physical exam including drug and alcohol screening must be passed prior to employment.

Hillsborough County with a population of 1.4 million is located midway along the west coast of Florida. The county seat is Tampa, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Hillsborough County has 2,265 farms, the 3rd largest number of farms of any county in the state and the 49th highest in the country. Hillsborough County ranks as the 3rd largest producer of agricultural products in the state and is in the top 3% of agricultural counties in the country. In 2017, an estimated 239,358 acres were utilized for agriculture production; this represents approximately 37% of the county's land area.

The Extension office is located 10 miles east of Tampa, in Seffner, near the intersection of I-75 and I-4.

In the event of an emergency, all employees considered essential personnel and may be required to perform alternate duties at the county or district level.

Candidates must have the ability to possess (or be able to obtain) a Florida driver’s license, be able to work flexible hours, and the willingness to occasionally work long and irregular hours, including evenings, weekends, and overnight travel.

Candidates will be reviewed as applications are received, but please be aware that interviews might not be scheduled until 4 to 6 weeks after the position closing date. Are you a good match? Apply today !

Application Instructions

Apply at Careers at UF by 11:55 p.m. (Eastern) of the posting end date, and attach:

• Cover letter that describes how your experience and qualifications have prepared you for this position
• Résumé or Curriculum vitae
• Unofficial copies of all transcripts (showing coursework) of your academic degrees
  

The following documents are also required and may either be submitted through the above link at the time of application, or sent separately to our office (below).

• Current and Previous Employment Form