Community Development Educator

The Community Development Educator 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 that support: thriving individuals and families; effective organizations; healthy and vibrant communities; and strong economies.

This Community Development Educator position will serve Fond du Lac County WI and surrounding communities. The Community Development Educator designs delivers and evaluates research-based educational programming and services aligned with the positions programmatic focus: building the capacity of nonprofits community organizations and coalitions. The Educator will assess needs and develop educational responses (e.g. workshops peer networks facilitated processes) that support community-serving organizations with action planning board governance volunteer engagement fund development and program/service evaluation. The Educator will collaborate with local partners already serving the area.

This position will work with a team of colleagues to refine and deliver existing peer-learning programs aimed at increasing the capacity of nonprofits to deliver on their mission implement continuous improvement and equitable practices and work jointly with other organizations to address local needs. The Educator will also develop new content to meet additional needs of nonprofits especially in areas of the state with fewer resources available to support nonprofits.

As part of the positions county-based work the Community Development Educator connects Fond du Lac County and its communities to other Community Development and Extension resources and supports priority local initiatives through the facilitation of group and community engagement processes.

Programmatic Focus:Organizational and Leadership Developmentwith an emphasis on building the capacity of nonprofits community organizations and coalitions. Examples of this work include:

• Assess the organizational development needs of community-serving organizations (e.g. nonprofits coalitions school districts local governments) and develop educational responses (e.g. workshops peer networks facilitated processes).
• Collaborate with local partners already serving area nonprofits (e.g. Fond du Lac Area Foundation) to support their capacity building efforts in the following ways: assist with needs assessments advise on curriculum design and deliver organizational development content (e.g. fund development strategies board governance volunteer management program planning and evaluation).
• Support community-serving organizations with consultation design and facilitation of goal-setting action planning strategic planning and program evaluation processes.
• Support local coalitions addressing community development issues (e.g. housing transportation childcare) in the following ways: training and resources on group processes assist with adopting appropriate structures and policies that support their ongoing work facilitate group action planning and goal setting and advise on evaluation strategies.

Meeting Other Local Needs:

The Community Development Educator will prioritize and spend most of their time on a clearly defined programmatic focus: building the capacity of nonprofits community organizations and coalitions. To the degree local needs shift or other programmatic needs arise the CD Educator will serve as the primary conduit for the community to access the appropriate research and educational resources if they are available within theCommunity Development Institute. The Educator serves as the on-ramp for the community to access the wide range of resources in Community Development and Extension more generally. Examples of such resources include: training for local government officials assistance with housing needs studies broadband and food entrepreneurship.

Recognizing that regardless of programmatic area of focus CD Educators are often called upon to support the facilitation of community and group processes (e.g. action planning visioning group decision-making) all CD Educators will have these core competencies and support these efforts as resources allow.

Statewide Contributions:

All CD Educators are expected to contribute to statewide efforts related to their area of focus. This benefits the local funding partner. Through their statewide work the CD Educator is connected to the most current research best practices programming and networks. They bring that expertise back to the county for application to local issues and needs.

This particular CD Educator will work with a team of colleagues to refine and deliver existing peer-learning based programming as well as develop new content that can be delivered in-person virtually or through self-paced formats. This position will play an important role in ensuring Extension is responding to areas of the state where there are fewer resources available to support nonprofits.

The main office for this position is located in Fond du Lac WI and the primary programming focus is Fond du Lac County; however some programming may also be conducted over a broader geographical area.

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.

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 $59603 but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications

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:

• Demonstrated ability to design and deliver educational programs for adult learners.
• Two years of relevant work experience in the area of programming and service delivery
• Experience facilitating group processes including strategic planning visioning or community engagement.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to build and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively work with people from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with or for community nonprofit organization
• Knowledge of organizational development practices (e.g. governance fund development volunteer management evaluation).
• Familiarity with research-based approaches and data-informed decision-making.

Education:

How to Apply:

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 note when applying there will beonlyoneattachment field. You must uploadall your documents in the attachment field. 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.

Application Deadline is Monday February 23 2026 at 11:59pm (CST).

Contact Information:

Jeremy Solin

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 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.

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 visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

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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).

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