The Community Development Institute Director is a senior level administrator who will provide organizational and cross disciplinary leadership for the Community Development Institute within the Division of Extension. This full-time role will be responsible for strategic financial and operational oversight of Extension programs within the Institute including Organizational and Leadership Development Community Economic Development Community Food Systems and Local Government Education.
The Institute Director provides administrative leadership in all areas of Institute operations program development evaluation and implementation; external partnership development; development of financial resources and budgetary administration; and human resource development and administration.
The Director will support the institutes contribution to the scholarly applied research and knowledge exchange as a part of delivering evidence and research-based education outreach and programming. The Institute Director fills an essential role within the Division of Extension in supporting effective educational programming and achieving the Extension Mission to connect the people of Wisconsin - where they live and work - to UW-Madisons research and resources. This full-time dynamic position reports directly to the Associate Dean of Agriculture Natural Resources and Community Development.
Statewide Location
Division of Extension headquarters are located within Madison WI at 3500 University Avenue.
In Person
It is anticipated this position requires work be performed in-person onsite at a designated campus work location. Partial remote work may be an option depending on operational needs and the finalists preferences.
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.
About Extension
UW-Madisons Division of Extension serves the people and communities of Wisconsin by addressing local statewide and national issues improving lives through research-based education fostering partnerships and action and facilitating positive impacts.
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 short the Community Development Institute plants and cultivates the seeds for thriving communities and organizations.
The minimum annual (12 months) starting salary for the position is $96000 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 ( Qualifications: Seven or more years of professional experience in a field related to the Institutes purpose (community development topics such as applied economics regional planning public policy organizational development local food systems and civic engagement) More than three years of supervisory experience including recruiting hiring coaching mentoring and training staff Demonstrated experience in leading planning and managing strategic initiatives Proven ability to maintain and develop successful relationships with partners across disciplines and geographies Proven ability to manage budgets Established track-record of building partnerships with people of cultural backgrounds and perspectives different from ones own Working knowledge of Extension and land-grant institutions Proven ability to attract extramural funding Required Education Masters degree in a field that relates to the responsibilities of this position such as public administration political science sociology economics community and non-profit studies or related field. Preferred Education Terminal degree in a field that relates to the responsibilities of this position such as public administration political science sociology economics community and non-profit studies or related field. 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 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. For additional guidance and resources on how to tailor your application materials to the job posting please click 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. The application deadline is 11:59pm on October 12 2025. Patrick Robinson 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 OpportunityEmployer. 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 backgroundsand encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings click here. To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodationfor 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 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.Preferred Qualifications:
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Institutional Statement on Diversity:
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students faculty and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus please visit:Diversity and Inclusion
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).
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Required Experience:
Director
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