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Open Rank Extension Educator - Early Childhood (Lancaster County)

Employer
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Location
Lincoln, NE

View more

Employment Type
Full Time
Institution Type
Four-Year Institution

Job Details

Working Title:

Open Rank Extension Educator - Early Childhood (Lancaster County)

Department:

Cooperative Ext Division-0788

Requisition Number:

F_210198

Posting Open Date:

11/05/2021

Application Review Date: (To ensure consideration, please submit all application materials before review date):

12/15/2021

Open Until Filled:

Yes

Description of Work:

OVERVIEW:The Early Childhood Educator, focused on young children and their caregivers (e.g., parents, early childhood teachers), will contribute to the integrated (extension, research, and teaching) land-grant mission of the home unit and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources as an effective scholar and citizen.

Nebraska Extension’s Early Childhood team supports adults who play a role in young children’s lives by providing educational programming and resources about early child development and early care and education. Adults play a significant role in setting the stage for young children’s lifelong learning, discovery, and success. The Early Childhood team is committed to empowering these adults to support and provide effective learning experiences for Nebraska’s young children. Such early learning experiences enhance children’s readiness (physical, cognitive, social, and emotional) for school and setting them up for lifelong success.

Nebraska Extension Educators are also committed to engaging with community partners, organizations, and other audiences, as well as individuals in ways that reflect an understanding and value for individual differences (e.g., race/ethnicity, abilities, gender, sexual orientation, religion). Nebraska Extension strives to ensure that creative activities, research and learning policies promote equity.

PROGRAM RESPONSIBILITIES:Focused Assignment – Early Childhood Education (approximately 80% of time):This is a 12-month, non-tenured position. This educator’s home base will be in Lincoln, Nebraska. The subject matter focus for this educator is early childhood development and early care and education. The educator’s primary responsibility is to develop and deliver high quality, innovative educational programs and resources as an active participant in the work of the Early Childhood team and may be active in a statewide issue team that addresses current issues facing Nebraska. The educator’s geographic accountability region will include Lancaster County. The educator is expected to interact closely with parents, teachers, early childhood professionals, and caregivers of young children in their geographic area and possibly statewide based on the current projects and goals of the Early Childhood team. In this position the Extension educator will:1. Use high-impact, innovative strategies and current technologies to design, develop, deliver and evaluate programs for robust statewide extension education programs focused on the Early Childhood team’s goals. 2. Engage in a collaborative-learning environment with professionals and caregivers to encourage the adoption of research-based information in decision-making. 3. Deliver educational programming for early childhood statewide and within the assigned accountability region. Within the assigned accountability region, the educator will also engage with unit leaders, Extension Engagement Zone Coordinators, extension advisory committees, and local stakeholders to determine needs and provide access to educational opportunities. 4. Work in a multi-disciplinary team environment with extension professionals and other partners to translate and teach the latest research-based information. 5. Use entrepreneurial practices to secure grants, program fees, and partnerships to leverage the extension educational program’s resource base and reach.6. Partner with research faculty to engage in action research that can be applied to educational programming.7. Practice effective extension scholarship by engaging in community-based participatory research, conducting needs assessments, identifying priorities in partnership with communities, measuring program impact, and reporting results at professional meetings and in professional publications. 8. Develop a professional development plan to enhance and maintain professional expertise in both early childhood and extension pedagogy.9. Support the youth development program by teaching in areas related to the Early Childhood focused assignment.10. Intentionally identify ways to engage underrepresented or excluded populations in research, creative activity, and research. Organizational Citizenship (approximately 20%): Serve in, contribute to, or support the Lead Educator role. Coordinate with Engagement Zone Coordinator(s) and other Extension professionals locally and in accountability region to develop a robust Nebraska Extension presence.

  • Serve in the specific Lead Educator roles as described in the Roles and Responsibilities of the Lead Educator document found at https://myextension.unl.edu/lead-educator-position-description as determined in partnership with the supervisor(s).
  • Cooperate with local faculty and staff in a team environment to promote Extension’s educational opportunities and impact in the host county.
  • Cultivate a culture of collaboration with local leaders and community members that builds positive relationships between the University and the community.
  • Support engagement of advisory or policy groups such as the Extension Board, Ag Society, or County Commissioners/Board of Supervisors.
  • Understand and adhere to Equal Employment Opportunities; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and Civil Rights compliance efforts.

In addition to the above-described duties, the individual will be expected to accept committee assignments, reporting responsibilities, and other special ad hoc assignments as requested at the administrative unit, college/division, institute, and/or university level.

Some travel is required. Must meet driver standards according to UNL policy and have a valid driver’s license.

Recognizing that diversity within a context of inclusivity enhances creativity, innovation, impact, and a sense of belonging, the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) and Nebraska Extension are committed to creating learning, research, Extension programming, and work environments that are inclusive of all forms of human diversity. We actively encourage applications from and nominations of individuals from underrepresented groups.

Minimum Required Qualifications:

  • Master’s degree in Child Development, Human Development, Early Childhood Education or closely related field.
  • Successful experience in teaching (formal or non-formal) early childhood professionals and/or caregivers of young children 0-8 years.
  • Demonstrated use of innovative strategies and current technologies to design, develop, deliver and evaluate programs focused on the Early Childhood.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated ability to effectively manage multiple priorities and programs.
  • Experience in working with individuals, coworkers, and teams to accomplish individual and/or group goals, as evidenced by college, career, and/or community activities.
  • Outstanding leadership skills as demonstrated by roles in college, career, and/or community activities.
  • Experience coaching early childhood educators.

Criminal History Background Check Required:

Yes

How to Apply:

Click “Apply to this job” and complete the information form. Attach the following:

  1. A letter of interest that describes your qualifications for the job and anticipated contributions.
  2. Your curriculum vitae.
  3. Contact information for three professional references.
In addition, within the application, please complete the required supplemental question(s), one specifically about the value you place on diversity and your anticipated contributions to creating inclusive environments in which every person and every interaction matters (see https://ianr.unl.edu/tips-writing-about-commitment-to-deib for guidance in writing this statement).

For questions or accommodations related to this position contact:

Jodi Mackin, 402-469-0273, jmackin1@unl.edu

Job Category:

Faculty Non-Tenure Leading

Job Category (old):

Faculty Non-Tenure Leading

Job Type:

12 Month (Faculty Only)

Position funded by grant or other form of temporary funding?:

No

Organization

Working at University of Nebraska-Lincoln

For 150 Years, A Leader in Higher Education 
Always a place of high ambition, University of Nebraska was one of the first institutions west of the Mississippi River to award doctoral degrees - the first was granted in 1896. The University of Nebraska established the world's first undergraduate psychology laboratory. The discipline of ecology was born here, and the campuses reflect that tradition, being recognized as botanical gardens and arboreta. An early institutional interest in literature and the arts provided the foundations for today's Prairie Schooner literary magazine, for the University of Nebraska Press, and for the Sheldon Museum of Art, which houses one of the world's most significant collections of 20th century American art.

Today, Nebraska is one of the nation's leading teaching institutions, and a research leader with a wide array of grant-funded projects aimed at broadening knowledge in the sciences and humanities. Nebraska is also a land-grant university and a member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Benefits
The University of Nebraska offers an extensive benefits package that includes health, life, disability and long term care insurance; retirement accounts; tuition reimbursement for employees and their spouses and dependent children; and reimbursement accounts for health care and dependent day care. Leave policies are designed to help employees deal with personal or family events or crises.

Diversity and Inclusion
In the spirit of the phrase "Every Interaction Matters", UNL has an enacted commitment to diversity and inclusive excellence for our faculty, staff, and students. On our campus, diversity and inclusion are important priorities. Examples include: Husker Dialogues, which is an event that helps first-year students focus on diversity and inclusion and practice handling difficult conversations around difference; three Chancellor's Diversity Commissions that are charged with informing and advising the Chancellor and addressing issues of constituent campus communities; and the establishment of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion whose leader operates at the Vice Chancellor level. At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, we strive for excellence in all that we do. True excellence requires that each individual be able to work and learn in an atmosphere of respect, dignity, and belonging. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion requires each of us to continuously ensure our interactions are respectful, protect free speech, and inspire academic freedom.

About Lincoln
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is located in an up-and-coming and safe city of 300,000 people that has many of the cultural and entertainment benefits of a much larger city, with the feel of a friendly Midwestern community. The Pinnacle Bank Arena, opened in 2013, routinely hosts major touring acts. A buzzing entertainment district, the Railyard, connects the arena area to the Historic Haymarket. Cuisines from all continents provide the entree to dynamic urban nightlife and a wide variety of ways to enjoy time with friends. Nebraska's City Campus is one with Lincoln's city center, as it has been since the university was founded.Lincoln has more parkland per capita than Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and all but a handful of U.S. cities. The well-manicured Pioneers Park, the native woods of Wilderness Park and the open grassland of Nine-Mile Prairie are each within a 10-minute trip from campus. Connecting many of these parks is an extensive trails network.

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