Youth Health and Well-Being Educator – Columbia, Missouri

Job Description

MU TITLE: Extension Instructor

HEADQUARTERED: University of Missouri-Columbia

The University of Missouri (MU) Office of Extension and Engagement’s distinct land-grant mission is to improve lives, communities, and economies by producing relevant, reliable, and responsive educational strategies throughout Missouri. Our dedicated and knowledgeable faculty and staff collaborate with researchers and community leaders to develop and deliver programs that address the needs of Missourians including: educational attainment; environmental concerns; community, economic, business and workforce development; global food systems; and health systems. For more information about MU Extension and Engagement, please visit https://extension.missouri.edu

The University of Missouri Extension is accepting applications for the position of Youth Health and Well-being Educator, a joint position with Community Health Engagement and Outreach (CHEO) and the Missouri 4-H Center for Youth Development. The mission of CHEO is to improve the health and wellbeing of Missourians at every stage of life. 4-H is a youth development organization that centers around three mandate areas of STEM, Healthy Living, and Civic Engagement. Missouri 4-H currently reaches an audience of approximately 60,000 youth with the aid of over 10,000 adult volunteers. The area of youth health and well-being encompasses a wide range of activities in Healthy Living.

Position Overview

The Youth Health and Well-being Educator will provide leadership to the implementation of the 4-H Healthy Living mandate including, public health promotion, prevention, and overall health and well-being by working collaboratively with colleagues, teaching and research faculty, regional Extension faculty and staff, youth, volunteers, and stakeholders.

The Youth Health and Wellbeing Educator will provide professional development opportunities to build capacity within 4-H and Extension to deliver evidence-based programming. This position will provide proactive, tailored technical assistance to Extension faculty, including statewide implementation of Iowa State University’s Prevention Science Institute’s PROmoting School-community-university Partnerships to Enhance Resilience (PROSPER) implementation teams in the adoption, implementation, and sustainability of evidence-based prevention programs.

The Youth Health and Well-Being Educator provides leadership educational opportunities in Healthy Living and well-being to youth ages 5 to 18 to learn the role of health and build awareness of health and well-being careers. This position is expected to collaborate with 4-H faculty and staff around the state of Missouri and other Healthy Living fields for cross-disciplinary educational outreach in and outside of Extension.

This position will have a working title of Youth Health and Well-Being Educator and a MU title of Extension Instructor.

As an Extension Instructor, your workload distribution at appointment will be 90% Extension Teaching and 10% Traditional Service.

This appointment is renewable annually at the discretion of the University and workload distribution may change at the discretion of Extension leadership. Circumstances affecting continued employment include, but are not limited to, work performance, fund availability, and educational priorities.

Key Responsibilities

1. Provide leadership and coaching around health and well-being by working with 4-H Leaders, 4-H members, PROSPER Team Leads, volunteers, and academics in the state of Missouri, incorporating extension research and innovative ideas.
2. Utilize youth development and education principles to build a Healthy Living program with colleagues, teaching and research faculty, Extension faculty and staff, youth, volunteers, community partners and other stakeholders.
3. Provide educational leadership by planning and supporting the implementation and evaluation of culturally competent educational and prevention programs including, but not limited to, SPIN Clubs, afterschool programs, etc.
4. Develop, organize, coordinate, and lead comprehensive county, regional and state learning opportunities incorporating health and well-being, and career readiness in these fields.
5. Generate and manage revenue to sustain and grow educational youth health and well-being programming by building and maintaining strong multidisciplinary collaborations with university, community and professional leaders and other partners in fields and disciplines that contribute to youth health and well-being.
6. Serve as the liaison between PROSPER Team Leads and the state management team and with the Center for 4-H Youth Development to foster collaborations with other internal and external partners, including coordinating and facilitating meetings with each team lead and reporting implementation progress on a semi-monthly basis.
7. Provide leadership with youth health and well-being events.
8. Assist Extension faculty in the development and implementation of new and existing programming in the areas of youth health and well-being.
9. Other duties as assigned

PROFESSIONAL EXPECTATIONS

• Exhibit a high personal standard of excellence, be an effective team player, and demonstrate inclusively, civility and respect for all.
• Identify future trends and stay abreast of current trends and evidence- and research-based knowledge to effectively create relevant, reliable, and responsive education. Apply this knowledge in scholarly products such as curriculum, in-service education instruction, articles in professional and popular press, presentations at professional meetings, grant proposals and more.
• Engage with stakeholders and learners, maintain positive interpersonal relationships, and exhibit effective written and oral communications skills.
• Actively participate in professional development opportunities to continuously improve skills and increase research-based knowledge. Demonstrate mastery of core competencies, including subject matter expertise, effective and innovative teaching strategies, program development processes, and integration of new and emerging technology.
• MU is fully committed to achieving the goal of a diverse and inclusive academic community of faculty, staff, and students. We seek individuals who are committed to this goal and our core campus values of respect, responsibility, discovery, and excellence.

UNIVERSITY INFORMATION

The University of Missouri, also known as Mizzou and MU, is the Flagship University of the four-campus University of Missouri system. It is the state’s 1862 land-grant university and one of the most comprehensive universities in the United States. MU’s broad undergraduate programs and its’ graduate, professional and research programs attract annual enrollment of more than 30,000 students. MU is centrally located in Columbia, MO, which is consistently ranked as one of America’s most livable cities. MU Extension and Engagement programs are located on all four campuses and in 114 counties and St. Louis city.

LEADERSHIP RECEIVED

Position will primarily report to the Community Health Outreach Specialist and secondary to the Director of 4-H Missouri Center for Youth Development.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree in public health, health sciences or related fields at time of appointment.

Candidates must demonstrate they are authorized to work in the United States. Sponsorship of U.S. temporary employment visas will not be offered for this position.

Candidates will be evaluated on:

• Level of education in public health, health sciences or related fields
• Familiarity with new 4-H delivery modes (i.e. Afterschool, SPIN Clubs)
• Proven organizational and project management skills
• Leadership in planning and program implementation
• Experience in area of specialty, public health or community health, youth development, and community engagement
• Knowledgeable of behavioral health and youth health, well-being, and prevention education
• Possess excellent problem-solving skills and ability to motivate, encourage and ensure accountability

Successful candidate will also demonstrate the following:

Effective and innovative teaching strategies that engage others. Must be able to integrate new and emerging technology into teaching strategies.

Effective listening, written, and oral communication skills including public speaking and presentation abilities.

Organizational skills, interpersonal skills, problem-solving abilities, and collaborative leadership experiences.

Flexibility, resiliency, and the ability to operate with minimal guidance.

Positive outlook, high personal standard of excellence, and passion for the vision, mission, and values of MU Extension.

Application Materials

Complete the brief online application and be prepared to upload:

• Cover Letter

• Resume/CV

• Copies of all academic transcripts, and

• a list of 3-5 references

It is recommended that these required documents be uploaded as one PDF file as a resume document. For questions regarding the online application process contact MUHRS@missouri.edu or call 573.882.7976. For technical problems with the online application process contact Helpdesk@missouri.edu or call 573.882.5000.

Benefit Eligibility

This position is eligible for University benefits. The University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, and educational fee discounts. For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at http://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/benefits

Values Commitment

We value the uniqueness of every individual and strive to ensure each person’s success. Contributions from individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives promote intellectual pluralism and enable us to achieve the excellence that we seek in learning, research and engagement. This commitment makes our university a better place to work, learn and innovate.

In your application materials, please discuss your experiences and expertise that support these values and enrich our missions of teaching, research and engagement.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy shall not be interpreted in such a manner as to violate the legal rights of religious organizations or the recruiting rights of military organizations associated with the Armed Forces or the Department of Homeland Security of the United States of America. For more information, call the Director of Employee and Labor Relations at 573-882-7976.

To request ADA accommodations, please call the Director of Accessibility and ADA at 573-884-7278.

Know Your Rights

To read more about Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) please use the following links:

• Know Your Rights English Version
• Know Your Rights Spanish Version

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