County Extension Director

NC State Extension Forestry; North Carolina; On-site; USD 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Paid tuition

Health Insurance

Flexible Scheduling

Retirement Savings

Supplemental Benefits Programs

WolfPerks!

Job summary

NC State Extension in Gates County seeks a County Extension Director to lead a county-wide Extension program. You will coordinate interdisciplinary staff, align educational initiatives with community needs, and work closely with county officials and university partners to deliver impactful programs.

The role requires strong leadership, budgeting, and stakeholder engagement, with a focus on growing a robust, research-based education system for North Carolinians.

Qualifications

• Minimum requirements include a Master’s degree with 3+ years in Cooperative Extension or equivalent, or a Bachelor’s with 10+ years in the field.
• Experience leading interdisciplinary teams and managing program development.
• Strong public policy, budgeting, and stakeholder engagement capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the county Extension staff to deliver a comprehensive education program.
• Develop and manage resources, budgets, and staff development plans.
• Collaborate with county government, NC State University, and external partners.
• Provide visionary leadership and advisory governance for Extension activities.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Strategic Planning

Education

Master’s degree in Extension/education

Bachelor’s degree in Extension/education

Job description

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Posting Details

Position Information

Posting Number PG190894CE Position Number NE-00002535-0926 Position Type NC Cooperative Extension

Department Information

Job City & State: Gatesville, NC Department NCCE Gates County

System Information

Working Title: County Extension Director Appointment: 12 Month Recurring Job Type: Full-Time - Permanent FTE 1.00

Position Overview

Essential Job Duties

Are you looking for a rewarding career that will let you give back to your community? NC State Extension extends research-based knowledge to all North Carolinians, helping them transform science into everyday solutions that improve their lives and grow our state. We are the model of excellence in non-formal, research-based education that advances agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, youth and communities, while creating prosperity for all North Carolinians. Working for NC State Extension allows you to teach without being tied to a classroom and school bell.

Benefits

• Paid time off
• Paid tuition
• Health Insurance
• Flexible Scheduling
• Retirement Savings
• Supplemental Benefits Programs
• WolfPerks!

You Belong Here! At NC State, our goal is for all employees to reach their fullest potential at work. As you consider this opportunity, we encourage you to review our Employee Value Proposition (https://news.hr.ncsu.edu/you-belong-here/) and learn more about what makes NC State the best place to learn and work for everyone.

The County Extension Director is a leadership position with Cooperative Extension at North Carolina State University. The major responsibility of the job is to provide leadership for and coordinate the efforts of the county Extension staff in developing an effective total county Extension educational program in cooperation with North Carolina A&T State University’s Cooperative Extension Program.

The position requires a dynamic individual to provide visionary leadership for a comprehensive Extension program to meet the needs of all segments of the population. The County Extension Director serves as the County Extension administrative leader with responsibilities for administration, public policy issues, and community/leadership development. The County Extension Director is responsible for maintaining an effective advisory leadership system representative of all program areas. The County Extension Director provides leadership and expertise in coordinating/securing resource development for all program areas. Responsibilities include marketing Extension programs and impacts.

The County Extension Director must maintain a strong, collaborative relationship in assisting the staff in delivering educational programs with county government input and support. Also, to meet the needs of county citizens, the position must network and collaborate with agencies and organizations, county departments, schools, town officials, area agencies, and University and Extension personnel. The position will be responsible for coordinating staff development, and training. The individual must demonstrate the ability to plan, organize, and work well with people.

Primary Function of Organizational Unit

North Carolina Cooperative Extension gives our residents easy access to the resources and expertise of NC State University and NC A&T State University. Through educational programs, publications, and events, Cooperative Extension field faculty deliver unbiased, research-based information to North Carolina citizens.

Gates County, located in the quiet, scenic Inner Coastal Plain of northeastern North Carolina, combines a deep agricultural heritage with a strong sense of community. Known for its rich farming history in peanut, cotton, corn, soybean and timber production, the county is deeply rooted in agribusiness and natural resource stewardship. Bordered by the iconic Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and the Chowan River, Gates County offers an exceptional quality of life with abundant outdoor recreation, while sitting within convenient driving distance of the Hampton Roads area of Virginia and the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

For information about Gates County visit https://gatescountync.gov/

To learn more about the NCCE Gates County Center go to https://gates.ces.ncsu.edu/

Other Duties And Responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

The County Extension Director must be able to both lead and manage an interdisciplinary team, including coordination and alignment of agent educational programs to meet the needs of their clientele and of county government. This is a county department head level position and the County Extension Director will be expected to perform at that level and be accountable. Close communications with both the County Manager, County Commissioners, County Liaison as well as with University administration are required.

The County Extension Director is required to have an active Extension Advisory Council that meets on a regular basis. This group of volunteers represents all Extension program areas and performs both as advisors and advocates for the local Extension program. The County Extension Director is responsible for all supervision, staff development, evaluations, and alignment of work responsibilities.

Other responsibilities include, but are not limited to, organizing and allocating resources, marketing the Extension program, preparing budgets, maintaining administrative relationships, interpreting and communicating policy, teaching, evaluating, and reporting in the assigned county.

Other Work/Responsibilities

Responsibilities include organizing and allocating resources, marketing the Extension program, preparing budgets, maintaining administrative relationships, interpreting and communicating policy, teaching, evaluating, and reporting in the assigned county.

The ability to work with a broad range of people, staff, customers, elected officials, and volunteers is essential. The County Extension Director must maintain an effective, collaborative relationship in delivering educational programs by working closely with county government agencies and organizations, county departments, local officials, area agencies, University, and Extension personnel in nearby counties. This position is responsible for coordinating staff development and training, conducting performance evaluations, and aligning staff work responsibilities. The position will also be assigned programming responsibility for subject matter area(s).

Travel within the district, as well as occasional travel outside the district is required. Travel is reimbursed following state guidelines.

Supervisory

Number of Permanent Employees this Position Supervises 6 Percent of Time Spent 50% administrative. 50% in one of the following areas: Agriculture/Horticulture, Family and Consumer Sciences or 4-H Youth Development

Requirements and Preferences

Identify if the Position is Mandatory / Essential / Key Key Personnel Work Schedule 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, evenings and weekends as required Minimum Experience/Education

The major responsibility of the job is to provide leadership for and coordinate the efforts of the county Extension staff in developing an effective total county Extension education program.

Other Responsibilities Include

• organizing and allocating resources
• marketing the Extension program
• preparing budgets
• maintaining administrative relationships
• interpreting and communicating policy, teaching, and evaluating
• reporting in the assigned county.

The minimum requirements for the County Extension Director are either:(i) Master’s degree from an accredited institution in a field related to Extension/educational programming, administration, organizational leadership, or public administration, and a minimum of (3) three years of service with Cooperative Extension or similar work experience in a university or community outreach organization or programOR(ii) a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in a field related to Extension/educational programming, administration, organizational leadership, or public administration, and a minimum of (10) ten years of service with Cooperative Extension or similar work experience in a university or community outreach organization or program. A candidate applying with a Bachelor’s degree and less than 10 years of experience must be actively enrolled in an accredited graduate degree program and confer the degree within one year of hire.

Preferred

Administrative and supervisory experience, including experience with human resource development, fiscal resource management, and external relations.

Department Required Skills

The position requires someone with exceptional communication, managerial and leadership skills. Excellent public relations skills and the ability to connect the local program needs with N.C. State University’s missions are required. The ability to work with a broad range of people, staff, customers, elected officials, and volunteers is essential. The CED must maintain an effective, collaborative relationship in delivering educational programs by working closely with county government agencies and organizations, county departments, local officials, area agencies, NC State University, and Extension personnel in nearby counties. The successful candidate must have demonstrated the ability to plan, organize, and work well with people. Successful performance of the duties encompassed in the CED’s job requires that the individual possess educational leadership and statesmanship qualities, habits of industry, a sense of responsibility, a genuine appreciation for the work of the individual, a high degree of objectivity, and effective oral and written communication skills.

Potential candidates should have skills, abilities, or experience in the following areas:

• demonstrated leadership in Extension programming and management
• supervisory experience
• skills in human relations
• ability to negotiate
• public relations
• team building
• strong communication skills
• managing public policy issues and securing and managing outside funding and resources to develop innovative educational programming.

Preferred Years Experience, Skills, Training, Education

Agriculture, Family & Consumer Science or 4-H Youth Development background preferred but not required. Candidates should have abilities or experience in at least one of the following areas: agriculture or horticulture, community and resource development, administration, or appropriate Extension related subject matter; demonstrated leadership in Extension programming and volunteer management; supervisory experience and skills in human relations, negotiations, public relations, and team building; managing public policy issues; and securing and managing outside funding and resources to develop innovative educational programming; and the ability to work with people, staff, customers, elected officials, and volunteers.

Required License or Certification

Valid Driver’s License and reliable, personal transportation required. Valid North Carolina driver’s license is required within 60 days of hire and must be maintained.

Recruitment

Recruitment Details

Anticipated Hiring Range Minimum $50,000 commensurate with education and experience Internal Transfer Only No

Job Open Date 09/17/2026

Applicant Information

NC State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal opportunities for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, and veteran status. The University encourages all qualified applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities, to apply. Individuals with disabilities requiring disability-related accommodations in the application and interview process are welcome to contact 919-513-0574 to speak with a representative of the Office of Equal Opportunity.

If you have general questions about the application process, you may contact Human Resources at [phone] or [e-mail].

Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. Degree(s) must be obtained prior to start date in order to meet qualifications and receive credit.

NC State University participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

Supplemental Questions

• * How did you learn of this opportunity?
  • NCSU Website
  • Job Alert (automated email from our system)
  • NCSU Executive Search Services
  • Monster.com
  • CareerBuilder.com
  • InsideHigherEd.com
  • HigherEdJobs.com
  • The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • Professional Journal
  • Print Advertisement (Newspaper / Periodical)
  • Radio / Television Advertisement
  • Professional Organization
  • Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC)
  • Direct Contact from NCSU HR Representative / Recruiter
  • NCSU Employee Referral
  • Social Media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Other)
  • Other
• * If you learned about this vacancy from "other source" or "other website", please provide the source. (Open Ended Question)
• * In 4-5 sentences, please tell us about your greatest leadership achievement in your professional career. (Open Ended Question)
• * In 4-5 sentences, please tell us about a difficult project that you have led and what obstacles you faced. (Open Ended Question)
• * in 4-5 sentences, please give us an example of a time when you used good judgement and logic to solve a problem on a tight timeline. (Open Ended Question)
• * in 4-5 sentences, please describe a situation where you recognized a potential problem as an opportunity and how you handled it. (Open Ended Question)