Extension Specialist, Regional Watershed (Lower Eastern Shore)

The University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) is a leading Land-Grant institution providing teaching, research, and Extension programs through University of Maryland Extension (UME) to clientele in the State of Maryland and beyond. UME seeks to fill a 12-month, tenure-track faculty position in watershed-based education with a particular focus on green infrastructure and nature-based solutions using technologies and data science, where applicable at individual and community landscape levels. The Regional Watershed Specialist for the Lower Eastern Shore will work in Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties in Maryland as well as statewide to provide non-formal education and technical assistance to stakeholders, including local and county governments, watershed groups, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), communities, and individuals. Education programming will focus on practices that improve water quality and quantity at the local level that lead to quantifiable reductions in non-point sources of pollution, as well as improvement of water quantity/quality issues in the face of a changing climate, increasing catastrophic weather events, and intensities in a rapidly urbanizing region and state. The educator will be a member of the University of Maryland Extension’s Watershed Protection and Restoration Program (WPRP), which consists of faculty members with similar educational responsibilities in other regions of the state. 

Responsibilities:

• The educator aids with efforts such as implementing educational components of local watershed implementation plans (WIPs), local Watershed Stewards Academies (WSA), and actively participates in the Watershed Assistance Collaborative (WAC). The individual will provide educational leadership on important issues and utilize scientific and traditional local ecological knowledge when relevant and appropriate.
• The educator will conduct needs assessments to identify research and education program priorities of targeted audiences. The educator will be responsible for working intentionally and collaboratively to increase the visibility and reach of UME programs through educational programming designed to meet the needs of audiences. The position will interpret and disseminate the latest research findings using a variety of delivery and communication strategies appropriate for intended target audiences, including, but not limited to, presentations, one-on-one technical assistance, workshops, classes, demonstration projects, webcasts, social media, publications, mass media, and community coalitions.
• In addition to base program funds, the educator will be responsible for securing resources through grants, contracts, program fees, partnerships, and sponsorships to develop a robust Extension program that uses innovative teaching and learning strategies to design, develop, deliver, and evaluate programs that engage participants in a collaborative learning environment and encourage adoption of research-based information in decision-making.
• The faculty member will be on track for tenure and promotion to a higher rank in accordance with UMD policy and UME tenure guidelines within the defined timeframe, and will fulfill the teaching, scholarship, and service requirements of a University of Maryland faculty member. In carrying out these duties, the individual reports to the Program Leader & Assistant Director for the Environment and Natural Resources and Sea Grant Program.