ASO DIR & EXT AGENT III-IV or PROG EXT AGENT III-IV

You Belong at a University That’s Leading the Way

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is creating an environment that affirms community across all dimensions. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352-392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or visit Accessibility at UF.

The Opportunity

The Statewide Associate Director of County Logistics serves as a principal relationship manager between UF/IFAS Extension Administration and Florida’s county governments. Reporting to the Director of County Logistics, this position provides statewide leadership in strengthening partnerships with county administrators, county commissioners, constitutional officers, County Extension Directors, and other local-government leaders.

The position advances Community Resource Development by building the organizational capacity, leadership practices, collaborative networks, and public understanding necessary to support strong communities and sustainable county-university partnerships. The Associate Director provides executive-level consultation, anticipates emerging county concerns, supports resolution of complex relationship matters, and communicates the public value of Extension programming.

This position works closely with County Extension Directors, Extension Administration, state program leaders, business services personnel, government associations, and community partners. The successful candidate will demonstrate sound judgment, organizational diplomacy, strategic communication, and the ability to represent UF/IFAS Extension effectively throughout Florida.

Extension Agent III or IV is a 12-month, permanent-status-accruing faculty appointment, determined by the selected candidate’s qualifications and record of accomplishment. University title information identifies both ranks as permanent-status accruing. Extension Agent III requires a master’s degree with qualifying experience or accomplishments and evidence of creative work, professional writing, or applied Extension research. Extension Agent IV additionally calls for statewide recognition and high-quality educational, creative, professional, or applied research work. Program Extension Agent III or IV is a non-permanent-status-accruing faculty appointment.

The Associate Director of County Logistics for County Relations will carry out the following responsibilities:

Statewide County-Government Relations

• Build and maintain productive relationships with county administrators, county commissioners, constitutional officers, association leaders, and other local-government officials.
• Represent UF/IFAS Extension Administration in executive-level county discussions, statewide meetings, conferences, and strategic engagements.
• Conduct regular county visits to understand local priorities, identify emerging concerns, and reinforce the value of the county-university partnership.
• Coordinate timely, constructive responses to county concerns through consultation, negotiation, and collaborative problem-solving.

Community Resource Development Leadership

• Design and advance strategies that strengthen local leadership, organizational capacity, civic understanding, collaborative planning, and community problem-solving.
• Identify statewide educational needs related to county governance, community decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and public leadership.
• Connect Extension faculty and county leaders with research-based resources that support informed decisions and resilient community systems.
• Develop methods for assessing relationship health, community priorities, stakeholder confidence, and the effectiveness of county engagement.

County Extension Director Consultation

• Serve as a strategic advisor to County Extension Directors on governmental relations, organizational communication, public value, and stakeholder management.
• Coach County Extension Directors in preparing for meetings, presentations, budget discussions, leadership transitions, and complex county matters.
• Support relationship continuity when county administrators, commissioners, Extension leaders, or other key officials change.
• Clarify roles while recognizing that County Extension Directors retain responsibility for day-to-day county relationships.

Education and Public Value

• Help plan and deliver educational programs for county commissioners, newly elected officials, administrators, and other government leaders.
• Explain the federal, state, and county partnership supporting Florida Cooperative Extension.
• Develop presentations, briefing materials, impact narratives, and engagement strategies that communicate Extension’s return on investment and public benefits.
• Gather and analyze feedback from county leaders to inform organizational planning and service improvement.

Collaboration, Scholarship, and Administration

• Collaborate with the Director of County Logistics, Extension Administration, state program leaders, business services personnel, faculty, and external organizations.
• Contribute to strategic planning, committees, task forces, special projects, and organizational initiatives.
• Manage travel, records, communications, and assigned resources in accordance with applicable university policies and procedures.
• Track outcomes and metrics; prepare reports and updates for relevant stakeholders; represent the UF/IFAS Extension on committees and working groups as assigned.

Expected Outcomes

• Stronger, more consistent relationships between UF/IFAS Extension and Florida county governments.
• Increased confidence among county administrators, commissioners, and other officials in the value of Extension.
• Enhanced consultation and strategic support for County Extension Directors.
• Expanded collaboration with county associations and other statewide organizations.
• Improved communication of Extension outcomes, public benefits, and return on investment.
• Greater organizational capacity to anticipate, manage, and resolve county-relations challenges.
• Sustained county support for the partnership that enables Extension programming throughout Florida.

About UF

The University of Florida is a comprehensive public land-grant university committed to excellence in teaching, research, service, and public engagement. Its land-grant responsibilities connect the university’s intellectual and scientific resources with the practical needs of individuals, organizations, industries, and communities throughout Florida. Faculty and staff contribute to work that strengthens the state’s economy, develops leaders, supports responsible stewardship of natural and community resources, and improves quality of life. This statewide Associate Director of County Logistics for County Relations position offers an opportunity to represent the university in high-level relationships that sustain one of Florida’s most important state and local partnerships. As a member of the university community, the successful candidate will work in an environment that values professional excellence, collaboration, accountability, innovation, and measurable public impact.

About UF/IFAS Extension

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences brings together teaching through the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, research through the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, and public education through UF/IFAS Extension. This structure enables university expertise to move from research and academic settings into practical application. It also creates opportunities for faculty to collaborate across disciplines and organizational boundaries when addressing complex issues involving agriculture, natural resources, families, communities, and economic development. As the state’s premier land-grant university, the University of Florida administers Florida’s Extension system through the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

UF/IFAS Extension is founded on a federal, state, and county partnership designed to interpret useful university knowledge and deliver it to Florida residents. County faculty members develop educational programs based on identified needs, while state specialists provide subject-matter expertise and support across multiple counties. UF/IFAS Extension partners with communities to provide relevant education and research-based expertise that support healthy people, a healthy environment, and a healthy economy. It maintains Extension offices in each of Florida’s 67 counties and is connected with 12 Research and Education Centers and five Research and Demonstration Sites.

The statewide Associate Director of County Logistics for County Relations will help sustain this institutional reach by strengthening trust, communication, and shared responsibility among university and county partners. The position provides an exceptional platform for a skilled Extension professional to influence statewide strategy while supporting locally responsive programming. Information about the University of Florida’s holistic benefits offerings, eligibility, retirement, leave, and employee support resources is available at UF Benefits.

The Statewide Assignment

Florida encompasses approximately 53,652 square miles of land and extends from the western Panhandle through the peninsula to the Florida Keys. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated Florida’s population at 23,462,518 on July 1, 2025, an increase of 8.9 percent from the 2020 estimates base. Admitted to the Union in 1845, Florida has developed communities shaped by agriculture, tourism, trade, migration, military activity, coastal resources, and rapid urban growth.

Agriculture remains integral to the state. In 2024, Florida had 44,400 commercial farms using 9.7 million acres. Major commodities included floriculture, strawberries, tomatoes, sweet corn, bell peppers, watermelons, citrus, sugarcane, cattle, and dairy products. These industries operate alongside metropolitan centers, small municipalities, coastal communities, and rural counties, creating distinct governmental and community-development needs.

The position has statewide responsibility and will engage Florida’s 67 county Extension offices, 12 Research and Education Centers, five Research and Demonstration Sites, and other Extension locations. Extensive travel throughout Florida is expected.

Commensurate with education and experience.

• The successful candidate must satisfy the academic expectations for the advertised ranks and demonstrate the leadership capacity necessary for statewide county-relations work.
• A master’s degree from an accredited institution in community development, public administration, leadership, education, organizational development, agricultural education and communication, social science, or another field directly relevant to the assignment.
• Substantial Cooperative Extension experience, including progressively responsible leadership at the county, regional, or state level.
• A record appropriate for appointment as Extension Agent III, Extension Agent IV, Program Extension Agent III or Program Extension Agent IV, including qualifying accomplishments and evidence of creative work, professional writing, applied Extension research, or statewide recognition consistent with the selected rank.
• Demonstrated success establishing and sustaining professional relationships with county governments, elected officials, administrators, community organizations, or comparable public-sector partners.
• Working knowledge of Cooperative Extension’s federal, state, and county partnership and the respective responsibilities of university and county partners.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, implement, evaluate, and communicate the outcomes of research-based educational or organizational-development initiatives.
• Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, facilitation, negotiation, and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate with executive and governmental audiences.
• Ability to exercise discretion, sound judgment, and organizational diplomacy when handling confidential, sensitive, or contested matters.
• Ability and willingness to travel extensively throughout Florida, including occasional overnight travel and participation in evening meetings or statewide events.
• Ability to work independently while maintaining strong communication and coordination with the Director of County Logistics and other organizational leaders.
• Candidates must also have a commitment to the University of Florida’s core values.

No professional certification is required for the Community Resource Development program area. Because the assignment includes no youth engagement, Level 2 DCF screening language is not included.

• Preference will be given to candidates whose academic preparation and professional record demonstrate advanced expertise in statewide leadership, governmental relations, and Community Resource Development.
• An earned doctorate from an accredited institution in community development, public administration, leadership, education, organizational development, agricultural education and communication, social science, or another discipline relevant to the assignment.
• Extensive experience in Cooperative Extension, including service as a County Extension Director, district or regional leader, state-level administrator, senior Extension faculty member, or professional with comparable responsibilities.
• A sustained record of statewide or multi-county accomplishment in county-government relations, leadership development, organizational capacity building, strategic planning, public administration, or community engagement.
• Demonstrated success coaching Extension professionals or other organizational leaders through complex relationships, governmental transitions, budget discussions, conflicts, or high-visibility issues.
• Evidence of a strong scholarly and professional record, including evaluated programs, applied research, professional publications, presentations, grants, recognitions, or leadership in professional associations.
• Experience interpreting community data, stakeholder feedback, program outcomes, and organizational information to develop actionable recommendations for senior leaders.
• Familiarity with Florida county-government structures, county budgeting processes, public meetings, local-government associations, and the operational context of county Extension offices.
• Proficiency in developing executive briefings, impact reports, presentations, and public-value narratives for elected officials and senior administrators.
• Demonstrated ability to build consensus among partners with different operational responsibilities, priorities, and decision-making structures.
• Knowledge and experience with University of Florida Policies and Procedures.

Application Instructions

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

• Cover letter that states applicant’s interest in the position and qualifications relative to the credentials listed above 
• Curriculum vitae 
• Contact information (including email addresses) for 3 individuals willing to write letters of recommendation 

Selected candidate will be required to provide an official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible.  Degrees earned from an education institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). 

Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. The University of Florida is a public institution and subject to all requirements under Florida Sunshine and Public Record laws. The University and greater Gainesville community enjoy a variety of cultural events, restaurants, year-round outdoor recreational activities, and social opportunities.