Extension Educator-Fixed

MSU Careers Recent Jobs; Menominee, Houghton (MI, MI); Hybrid; USD 50,490 - 61,710; Full time

Job summary

Michigan State University Extension is seeking an Inland Lakes Shoreline Educator to lead statewide outreach on shoreline stewardship and BMP adoption. You will design, implement, and evaluate programs with MSUE colleagues and partners to reach lakefront owners and communities.

Overall, the role emphasizes collaboration, cultural awareness, and high‑quality extension education, with possible county office bases across the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in aquatic ecology, limnology, fisheries management, science communication, or related field.
• Demonstrated ability and skill in educational program planning, implementation, and evaluation.
• Ability to travel in local and surrounding communities as required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver statewide educational programs supporting lake stewardship and BMP adoption.
• Collaborate with MSU Extension teams and partner agencies to coordinate outreach and events.
• Lead outreach workgroups and create annual outreach plans aligned with project goals.
• Engage lakefront owners, associations, contractors, and agencies; promote shoreline best practices.
• Monitor outreach metrics, assess impact, and refine strategies for program improvement.

Skills

Strong interpersonal skills

Written communication

Team collaboration

Public outreach planning

Technology proficiency

Education

Master’s degree in aquatic ecology or related field

Tools

Qualtrics

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Zoom / Teams

Job description

Working/Functional Title

Inland Lakes Shoreline Educator

Position Summary

Michigan State University Extension is committed to fostering a welcoming and collaborative environment, which requires all staff to contribute toward a vision for success regardless of title or position within the organization. We strive to create a positive culture, access to resources, and a sense of belonging for staff, partners, and programming participants. This means that all staff at MSU Extension are dedicated to the following:

• We work together to ensure that programming is available to all audiences, creates meaningful and positive impacts for participants, and demonstrates partnership and collaboration across communities.
• We understand that a welcoming and respectful environment is built through the efforts of everyone.
• We foster an environment that welcomes a broad range of perspectives and experiences, ensuring that all individuals have the opportunity to contribute and thrive.
• We ensure that every team member is prepared with the skills and resources to contribute to our welcoming and supportive culture.
• We foster an environment that values a range of perspectives, skills, and experiences by working to ensure access to programming for communities.
• We commit to continuous learning and engagement to better serve Michigan residents and meet the evolving needs of communities.
• We recognize that broad accessibility and collaboration are essential elements of our work and are vital to organizational and programmatic success.
• We embrace a culture of understanding, coaching, and feedback toward achieving a vision of success for the entire organization and its staff.
• Together we will achieve success, and we commit to these goals in our work, continued education, and ongoing efforts.

POSITION SUMMARY

As part of MSU Extension (MSUE) and the Community, Food and Environment Institute (CFEI), this position provides local as well as statewide leadership and educational programming expertise in support of MSU Extension’s Center for Lakes and Streams, as well as a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) funded project focused on advancing lake stewardship in Michigan. This position will have statewide responsibilities and will collaborate across work teams, Institutes, and community groups, working with faculty, specialists, and educators for overall advancement of the needs of the Institute clientele.

In this position, you will identify, design, implement and evaluate research-based educational programs that meet current and projected outreach needs related to the adoption of best management practices (BMPs) in lakes statewide, with an emphasis on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Northern Lower Peninsula. Through your leadership, you will conduct site visits, provide technical assistance, and deliver educational programming that ultimately results in shoreline habitat restoration efforts that include native plantings, bioengineering, and adoption of upland stormwater BMPs. You will also support education on and development of conservation easements on lakes of high conservation value.

Through collaboration in research, engagement with community members, and dissemination of research-based information through various methods, including in-person and multimedia programming and written communications, you will explore and implement programs that lead to public knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that encourage adoption of best practices that support inland lake health. You will also develop, produce, and deliver outreach materials with messaging and content that is accessible and is consistent with Community, Food and Environment Institute, and the MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams messaging.

Your work will include close collaboration with colleagues at MSU and MSU Extension, as well as the network of partner groups that include Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, and Tribes including the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, and the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.

In order to reach program objectives, you will collaborate and lead within a multi-agency team. This includes your participation in the co-leadership team, representing project goals, and coordination of cross-partner efforts to meet timelines and conservation objectives. You will oversee outreach strategy and planning. This includes your leadership and coordination of the outreach workgroup, development of annual outreach workplans, and ensuring alignment with project goals and behavior-change strategies. You will design and deliver education and engagement programs that implement targetted outreach (workshops, trainings, meetings, materials) to promote shoreline best management practices, conservation easements, and lakeshore stewardship. Engagement and support of key audiences is also required. You will work directly with lakefront property owners, lake associations, contractors, and agencies to increase participation, remove barriers, and build long-term stewardship culture. Additionally, you will monitor, evaluate, and adapt efforts to track outreach metrics, assess effectiveness, and refine strategies to improve adoption of conservation practices and meet project goals.

There are multiple MSU Extension county office spaces available that this position can be based from, including Gogebic, Ontonagon, Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga, and Iron Counties. Other office locations in the UP will be considered based on the unique circumstances of the selected individual.

This position may be eligible to utilize a flexible work environment, however, there is an expectation to work from a MSU Extension county office. The needs, responsibilities, and opportunities of an individual’s position and office location drive the ability and amount of work-location flexibility.

This position is a full-time, fixed term end-dated appointment, renewable annually based upon successful performance and continued funding.

Characteristic Duties/Responsibilities

• Identify, develop, conduct, and evaluate innovative educational programs that meet current and projected statewide needs, and supports growth and understanding of critical issues facing people in Michigan.
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships intra- and inter-organizationally and create and promote positive public relations for MSU Extension and the CFEI.
• Understand and support the Community, Food and Environment Institute’s efforts in culture, access, belonging, and Civil Rights, with a special emphasis on removing barriers from participation and reaching all populations, including but not limited to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status, socio-economic class and other human differences in rural, suburban and urban communities, and where applicable, increasing programmatic delivery and participation in urban centers.
• Communicate and interact with community groups to evaluate the needs of the clientele.
• In concert with the MSU Extension work team(s), work with federal, state, and county agencies to complete needs assessment of the community and develop effective programming.
• Serve as an information resource to clientele, partners, and Extension staff.
• Develop and utilize appropriate media methods to communicate current and timely information, research results, and relevant industry updates, as well as a schedule of current and future activities.
• Collaborate with MSU Extension staff to gather and report programming outputs and impacts, to demonstrate program effectiveness, and to guide future program priorities for MSU Extension, the CFEI and work teams.
• Actively participate in professional development opportunities.
• Author, produce, and submit regular research‑based educational materials and articles.
• Other duties or projects as assigned by the Institute Director.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Masters -Aquatic Ecology, Limnology, Fisheries Management, Science Communication

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution in a field of study related to aquatic ecology, limnology, fisheries management, science communication, or related field must be earned by date of hire.
• Familiarity with lake conservation best practices, policy frameworks, and environmental/biological processes influenced by management decisions.
• Demonstrated ability and skill in educational program planning, implementation, and evaluation.
• Ability to demonstrate sensitivity, knowledge, and use of appropriate approaches, skills, and techniques, which reflect an understanding and awareness of social, cultural, and varied economic backgrounds and perspectives of the target population served.
• Demonstrated success in program development and delivery to audiences/communities representative of the communities we serve, and proven ability in establishing and working with a network of constituents and community members across race, color, gender, national origin, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, veteran status, socioeconomic class, and other differences.
• Ability to create and carry out a project plan from research of initial concept to project completion and follow-up.
• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Experience and proven ability working productively with a team serving in both leadership and contributor roles.
• Self‑motivated with demonstrated ability to work independently in an office environment without daily supervision and/or coaching.
• Proficiency in use of technology (e.g., web research, Zoom, Qualtrics, Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook for mail/calendaring, distance technology, etc.) for day‑to‑day work and educational program delivery, record keeping, reporting, team‑based communications, and overall management.
• Ability to travel in local and surrounding communities, and occasional long‑distance travel are required as a regular part of this position.
• Demonstrated skills and professional development over the past five years related to cultural awareness and the ability to work effectively with individuals from varied backgrounds.
• Experience with marketing/promotion of educational programs.
• Understanding of and ability to implement Civil Rights principles and compliance standards.
• Other skills and/or physical abilities required to perform duties of the position.

Desired Qualifications

• 3-years’sexperience in Extension program delivery or demonstrated ability and skill in educational program planning, implementation, and evaluation (relevant experience acquired within the last 5-years, preferred).
• Demonstrated drive and initiative, with proven ability to manage multiple responsibilities and tasks simultaneously.
• Experience in successful contract and grant writing, including securing and managing grant funds and resources.

Required Application Materials

Current resume/CV.

Cover letter.

Four (4) professional references including two (2) current or previous supervisors.

Special Instructions

This position is a full-time, fixed term end-dated appointment, renewable annually based upon successful performance and continued funding.

Starting salary $56,100/year, commensurate with education and experience.

Please note this is a union position represented by AFT Michigan.

Website

https://youtu.be/R58m2-um5Mg?si=Qra8RMsPySKEGpZF

MSU Statement

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.

Advertised: Jul 20, 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: Aug 31, 2026 Eastern Daylight Time