Director of Institute Ag Professionals

Position: Director of Institute for Ag Professionals
About the Job

Title:

Director of Institute for Ag Professionals

Job code: 0006, Non-Exempt Temporary (up to 67 days in a calendar year)

Employee Group:
Department of Agricultural and Natural Resources Systems (ANR)

Full/Part Time (FTE):
Part time, 0-40 hours per week depending on time of year, with no more than 67 calendar days worked in a calendar year

Regular/Temporary:
Ongoing

Office location:
St. Paul Campus;
St. Paul, MN this is an in-person position where flexible hybrid options may be available.

Estimated salary range: $50-65/hr

Apply by:
July 9, 2026

About the Job

The University of Minnesota Extension Department of Agricultural and Natural Resource Systems conducts crop production education programming for agricultural professionals through a suite of events collectively referred to as the Institute for Ag Professionals (IAP). The three core program elements are the Field School for Ag Professionals, the Crop Pest Management Short Course & Minnesota Crop Production Retailers (MCPR) Trade Show, and the Research Updates for Ag Professionals.

The demand for IAP's programming is strong as a result of the quality of the programming as it responds not only to the Certified Crop Advisor accreditation needs but, most importantly, because of the desire of the agricultural professionals to stay abreast of the latest research and best management practices. By targeted and focused programming to agricultural professionals, the IAP and the University of Minnesota Extension is able to impact a large swath of Minnesota's acreage with the agricultural professionals serving as the primary distributor of the research-based information by sharing what they learn with their clients.

The Director of IAP will be responsible for IAP strategic planning and goal setting, budget development and management, developing and maintaining relationships both internal to Extension and the University as well as with external partners, and programmatic oversight of Extension personnel working with IAP programming.

Location and Work Environment

This position will report to the Program Leader for the Crops team in the Department. The office location for this position is on the St. Paul campus at 203 Hayes Hall in St. Paul, MN with some limited hybrid working arrangements being possible.

Work Schedule

This position uses a timecard to record time. A weekly schedule will be between 0-40 hours depending on the program needs and time of year. Significant work periods will be during the planning stages for each of the three major events as well as during the events themselves. Effort for the late July Field School starts with planning in late winter, effort for the December Short Course occurs in early summer and effort for the winter Research Updates starts in mid-fall.

The position will primarily work days, with very occasional evening and weekend work needed when implementing the actual program events.

Primary Responsibilities

100% IAP Program Leadership

* Lead the IAP program in its vision, goal-setting, and long range strategic planning efforts

* Develop and manage a program budget, with a focus on maintaining the program's fiscal sustainability

* Recruit and convene planning committees and implementation teams of campus and field faculty along with external collaborators when appropriate and feasible

* Develop and maintain relationships with external organizations (e.g. the Minnesota Crop Production Retailers association) important to the success of the program

* Provide programmatic supervision of Extension personnel working with IAP programming

* Accountable for evaluation and reporting systems regarding IAP programs

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

* A master's degree in agronomy

* At least 10 years of professional experience leading Extension educational programming for agricultural audiences (producers, agronomists, crop consultants, etc)

* Experience developing a program budget, including developing a revenue plan to ensure the program is financially sustainable, ideally related to crop production

* Experience conducting peer-reviewed and published research related to crop production

* Demonstrated experience in successfully writing,…