Community Development Extension Educator

University of Wisconsin-Madison; Chippewa Falls (WI); On-site; USD 55,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Wisconsin–Madison is seeking an Outreach Specialist to support Eau Claire, Chippewa, and Dunn counties with research-based education, facilitation, and community engagement. The role partners with county leadership to align priorities, develop strategic plans, and build local capacity through leadership development and organizational support.

The Educator links county governments to UW–Madison Extension resources, conducts statewide collaboration, and may require in-person work

Qualifications

• At least two years of professional experience in community development, local government, nonprofit organizations, organizational development, public engagement, or related field.
• Experience facilitating groups, meetings, planning processes, or community engagement.
• Experience building relationships and working collaboratively with different stakeholders.
• Experience designing, delivering, or supporting educational programs.

Responsibilities

• Schedules and secures resources and communicates logistics in support of an outreach program.
• Delivers outreach program content and materials to community members.
• May assist with the monitoring of outreach program budget spending.
• Researches, develops, and facilitates outreach program content and materials.
• Leads the implementation of programs, policies, and procedures through oversight of day-to-day activities for program staff and volunteers.
• Develops and evaluates curriculum and programs and provides recommendations for improvement.
• Identifies, promotes, and maintains external partnerships to support the outreach program.

Skills

Community development

Public engagement

Group facilitation

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Job description

Job Profile:
Outreach Specialist

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process. Job Category:
Academic Staff
Employment Type:
Regular
Job Profile:
Outreach Specialist
Job Summary:
The Community Development Extension Educator supports Eau Claire, Chippewa, and Dunn County governments in addressing county priorities through research-based education, facilitation, community engagement, and organizational and leadership development.
The Educator works closely with county leadership to identify emerging needs, establish priorities, and advance initiatives that address locally identified opportunities and challenges. Priority issues may vary among the three counties over time. Whenever possible, the Educator will work with county leadership to align priorities across the three counties to maximize impact and reduce the number of priority issues the Educator is supporting. Priorities will be established in partnership with county leadership and Extension program leadership and revisited regularly to ensure the scope and workload remain focused and manageable across the three counties.
Program Focus
The Educator's program focus is facilitation, community engagement, strategic planning, and organizational and leadership development. The Community Development Educator is not expected to serve as a subject-matter expert in the county-identified priority issue areas. Instead, the Educator helps the counties access relevant expertise from local, state, and university sources.

County Priority Initiatives: The Educator helps counties identify, organize around, and advance priority issues. Examples include:

• Design and facilitate strategic planning, visioning, goal-setting, and action-planning processes.
• Identify relevant research, data, and technical expertise to inform decision-making.

Community Engagement and Stakeholder Alignment: The Educator helps counties engage the people, organizations, and systems necessary to address priority issues and achieve desired outcomes. Examples include:

• Identify organizations, groups, and individuals working on one or more of the identified county priorities.
• Design and facilitate community engagement processes.
• Facilitate alignment and collaboration among county government, municipal governments, community organizations, businesses, residents, and other stakeholders whose involvement is relevant to county priorities.

Organizational and Leadership Development: The Educator works primarily with local governments and, when connected to identified county priorities, nonprofit organizations, coalitions, and other organizations to strengthen organizational capacity and leadership. Examples include:

• Design and deliver educational programs for organizational leaders, managers, boards, staff, and volunteers focused on leadership, communication, decision-making, collaboration, and organizational effectiveness.

Connections to Extension and University Resources
The Educator serves as a point of connection between county governments and the research, educational resources, and subject-matter expertise available through Extension and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Statewide Contributions
Educators are expected to contribute to statewide efforts related to their area of expertise. Through statewide engagement, the educator remains connected to emerging research, promising practices, educational innovations, and professional networks that can be leveraged to support county priorities.

County Location
The main office for this position is located in Eau Claire, WI with a primary programming focus of Eau Claire, Chippewa, and Dunn counties; however, some programming may also be conducted over a broader geographical area.

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.

Applicants are required to: Have a valid drivers license and a reliable source of independent transportation for periodic in-state work travel, and/or comply with requirements for UW-Madison vehicle use authorization.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Schedules and secures resources and communicates logistics in support of an outreach program
• Delivers outreach program content and materials to community members
• May assist with the monitoring of outreach program budget spending
• Researches, develops, and facilitates outreach program content and materials
• Leads the implementation of programs, policies, and procedures through oversight of day-to-day activities for program staff and student and community volunteers
• Develops and evaluates curriculum and programs and provides recommendations for improvement
• Identifies, promotes, and maintains external partnerships to support the outreach program

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.

About The Institute
The Extension Institute of Community Development provides educational programming to assist leaders, communities, and organizations realize their fullest potential. We work with communities to build the vitality that enhances their quality of life and enriches the lives of their residents. We educate in leadership development, organizational development, food systems, community economic development, local government education and much more. In short, the Community Development Institute plants and cultivates the seeds for thriving communities and organizations.

Compensation: The minimum annual (12 months) starting salary for the position is $60,795 but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications

Benefits 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:

• At least two years of professional experience in community development, local government, nonprofit organizations, organizational development, public engagement, or a related field.
• Experience facilitating groups, meetings, planning processes, or community engagement.
• Experience building relationships and working collaboratively with different stakeholders.
• Experience designing, delivering, or supporting educational programs.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with county government, municipal government, Tribal Nations, or public-sector organizations.
• Experience working with nonprofit organizations, coalitions, community-based organizations, or cross-sector collaborations.
• Ability to work across organizational boundaries and bring stakeholders together around shared goals.

Education:
Required Education
Bachelors degree in community development, public administration, nonprofit management, leadership studies, organizational development, or a related field.
Preferred Education
Master's degree in community development, public administration, nonprofit management, organizational development, leadership studies, or a related field.

Application Deadline is October 19, 2026 at 11:59pm (CDT).

Contact Information:

Michele Blakeman (Human Resources)
[e-mail]
[phone]

Kristen Bruder (Hiring Manager)
[e-mail]
[phone]

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 is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.