University of Wisconsin-Madison
Area Extension Director - Area 15 (Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette Counties)
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Job Category:
Limited
Employment Type:
Regular
Job Profile:
Administrative Director (B)
Job Summary:
The Division of Extension is hiring an Area Extension Director to serve as an administrative leader in Area 15 (Grant, Green, Iowa, and Lafayette Counties).
The Area Extension Director (AED) provides overarching leadership, direction, and guidance within the geographic area, leading a team of county-based Extension educators and support staff to cultivate an inclusive, respectful, and collaborative work environment. Through ongoing engagement with local communities, the AED helps identify emerging needs and opportunities, aligning Extension resources and programming to address those priorities effectively.
A successful AED will require great competency to work with diverse staff and clientele and have the political savvy required to work with counties to identify and assess new opportunities in programming, funding, and staffing.
Reporting to the Assistant Dean, the AED will support the work with county governments, municipalities, and partner organizations to ensure that the educational needs of local communities are met.
The AED serves as the direct supervisor for the programmatic Division of Extension staff in the area and provides leadership in staff development and partnerships. The AED ensures compliance with equal employment opportunity and civil rights laws, regulations, and policies while carrying out the primary duties.
Principal Duties of this AED Position Include:
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Program and Community Relations
- Develop and manage relationships with partner organizations operating within and across the geographic boundaries of the area, such as county governments, tribal nations, municipalities, third-parties, other governmental agencies.
- Assist program leadership in supporting local staff programming opportunities within the geographic area, ensuring educational needs of the local communities are met.
- Identify issues of critical importance to the community; create opportunities for increased engagement between Extension and the community.
- Ensure preparation of annual educational workplans and reports of activities and impacts for the public, county government, and Division of Extension administration.
- Assist Institutes in adapting and sharing program impacts and other communications to enhance the visibility of Extension programs within the Area.
- Engage with program leadership to coordinate regional and statewide programming activities to achieve local programming goals as necessary.
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Supervision and Staff Development
- Supervise, coach, and lead Division of Extension staff and county support staff, including annual performance reviews and professional development activities.
- Promote a positive, supportive environment within the local offices teams through hiring practices and promotion of an inclusive work environment. Support and encourage professional improvement of faculty and staff.
- Manage recruitments and hiring processes for new positions within the geographic area.
- Provide critical support roles for volunteer management in Extension educational programming.
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Financial Management
- Develop and manage budgets for UW-Madison Division of Extensions Area offices, including salary, fringe, travel, professional development, and county-level budgets.
- Develop, steward, and manage contracts and agreements established between the Division of Extension and its partners, including counties. Collaborate with Institutes to assess opportunities to diversify funding to support existing programs and build capacity to address emerging issues; strategies may include grants and contracts, cost recovery practices, gifts and contributions, and other revenue alternatives.
- Negotiate and implement annual county extension contracts between Division of Extensions programmatic objectives and counties in Area.
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- Policy Implementation and Management
- Lead the implementation of program and administrative policy and procedures within the geographic area.
- Ensure compliance of relevant policies and procedures by staff and volunteers.
- Maintain regular communication with Extension leadership regarding risks and compliance.
Regional Location
The Area Extension Director will serve a multi-county geography in the driftless region of southwest Wisconsin. The Area 15 AED will provide leadership in Grant, Green, Iowa, and Lafayette Counties. The headquarter location is flexible within the area and will be determined based on area needs, successful candidate’s preferences, and availability of suitable office space.
In Person
It is anticipated this position requires work be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location.
Evening/Weekend Work
This position may be required to work occasional nights and weekends to meet the program needs and priorities of the communities served.
Travel Expectations
It is expected that employees will make individual arrangements for transportation adequate to meet position responsibilities and essential job functions. Read more about UW-Madison Driver Authorization.
Key Job Responsibilities:
- Recommends, reviews, and directs personnel resource allocation to ensure appropriate utilization of resources.
- Directs, implements, and monitors strategic planning initiatives to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, and staffing resources.
- Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees.
- Develops and audits administrative operating reports, budgets, policies, and procedures to comply with regulations, institution policies, and business objectives.
- Serves as the unit liaison to internal and external stakeholder groups providing organizational information and representing the interests of the unit.
- Supervises managerial, professional, and support staff of the unit or division and facilitates unit staff developmental opportunities.
Department:
About Extension
Extension embodies the Wisconsin Idea by developing and connecting the research and educational resources of UW–Madison with residents and communities to address local, statewide, and national issues. We teach, learn, lead, and serve, transforming lives and communities.
Additional Department Details
Extension’s mission is to connect people with the University of Wisconsin. We teach, learn, lead, and serve, transforming lives and communities.
Compensation:
The minimum annual (12 months) starting salary for the position is $92,000 but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.
Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. Benefits information can be found at https://hr.wisc.edu/benefits/.
Required Qualifications:
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- Two or more years of demonstrated staff or volunteer supervisory experience.
- Experience coordinating, developing, and delivering community-based educational programs.
- Knowledge of budget management for a business, non-profit, or governmental organization.
- Demonstrated success collaborating with partner organizations (e.g., government bodies, non-profit organizations, businesses, municipalities, or tribal nations).
- Demonstrated ability to effectively lead teams in-person and remotely.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively work with people from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Five or more years of staff supervisory experience.
- Experience managing a budget for a business, non-profit, or government organization.
- Experience working with or for county governments.
- Demonstrated ability to productively work through complex challenges.
- Experience identifying and prioritizing educational programmatic opportunities.
- Experience with Cooperative Extension, as part of the U.S. system of land-grant institutions, dedicated to service in the public good.
Education:
Required Education:
- Bachelor’s degree.
How to Apply:
We are eager to learn more about how your experience and passion may align with this position. To begin the application process, click the "apply now" button. You will be prompted to upload the following documents:
- Resume
- Letter of Qualifications (cover letter)
Please note when applying, there will be only one attachment field. You must upload all your documents in the attachment field. Please submit a cover letter referring to your work experience and a resume detailing your educational and professional background as it relates to this position. Your cover letter should communicate your interest in the position and how your skillset aligns with the role. The application reviewers will be relying on written application materials to determine who may advance to preliminary interviews. Failure to upload all required materials may result in your application not being considered.
For additional guidance and resources on how to tailor your application materials to the job posting, please click https://extension.wisc.edu/careers/.
Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment. UW-Madison is not an E-Verify employer, and therefore, is not eligible to employ F-1 STEM OPT Extension participants.
Application Deadline is October 11, 2026 at 11:59pm (CDT).
Contact Information:
Michele Blakeman (Human Resources)
(608) 262-7110
Jeremy Solin (Hiring Manager)
(715) 498-7051
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.
Institutional Statement on Diversity:
Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who
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