Regional Director of Western SARE

Western SARE is one of four regions organized under the national SARE , a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Its mission is to advance American agricultural sustainability through innovations that improve profitability, environmental stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and impactful outreach education. The Western SARE region encompasses 13 western states, as well as American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Micronesia and Guam. Duties and Responsibilities In addition to the commitment of WSARE principles framed in the Host Institution plans and objectives; the duties and responsibilities of this position are: Leadership: Facilitate recruitment of new members into the AC (Administrative Council), through open advertisement of vacancies and preparation of candidate slate for election by standing AC; Interact with Professional Development Program (PD) Regional Coordinator and provide the required leadership to ensure Chapter 1 and Chapter 3 Western SARE program excellence, especially in terms of compliance with NIFA SARE guidelines, and to guarantee Western SARE efforts are integrated at the regional and national level; Deliver the required administrative leadership for the entire Western SARE research and education program and supervise and evaluate the professional staff; Enable collaboration between national SARE leaders at USDA-NIFA and the Western SARE AC to establish research and Extension priorities in sustainable agriculture for the region; Act as the program's liaison to the national SARE office; Represent and promote the Western SARE program at the local, regional, and national level; Convene and support AC, Executive Council and staff meetings; Assist the Professional Development Program (Chap. 3 UW), AC and State Coordinators to fulfill the Western SARE goal through strong local programs focused on the development of human capacity; Manage the Research and Education Program including development of Call for Proposals for AC approval, updating national grant management system for each proposal round, populating R&E technical review panels, facilitate panel discussions and submit recommendations to the AC and review R&E progress and final reports. Communication: Interact on a regular basis with Western Integrated Pest Management, the Regional Agriculture/Natural Resource Deans and Directors of both Agricultural Experiment Station and Extension organizations to promote the Western SARE program, coordinate research efforts, program collaboration and facilitate Extension activities on sustainable agriculture and natural resource conservation; Collaborate with the Communications and Outreach staff to publicize research-based results and educational programs developed from funded projects. This includes editorial and content review of regional publications like Simply Sustainable; Promote; via a series of competitive grant programs; the development of stakeholders' led research and learning networks that facilitate adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and re-shaping of food production systems and the resilience of the ecosystems that support agriculture; Foster an environment where a diversity of views, activities, and backgrounds engage in a social contract to promote the development and adoption of sustainable environmental stewardship, agricultural production and consumption systems; Reach out to key constituents in the Western region (i.e. farmers and ranchers, stakeholder organizations, Extension and other ag educators, agricultural and natural resource nonprofit organizations, government agencies, underserved groups, and Deans and Directors at the Land Grant Universities) to engage them in the Western SARE priorities and programs. Organization: Administer the Chapter 1 (Research and Education) competitive grants program efficiently and equitably through a professional program staff In coordination with the AC, this person will oversee the competitive process including preparing calls for proposals based on input from State Coordinators, surveys of regional stakeholders and input from AC and technical review panels; Facilitate a seamless flow of program advertisement, proposal review and panel recommendations from Chap 3 into the broader Chap 1 effort; Support program managers in the recruitment of proposal reviewers, assignment of proposals for review, collection and summarization of reviewers' evaluations, and present reviews for funding decisions; Coordinate the posting of grants t based on MSU and NIFA guidelines, including finalizing award agreements, authorizing changes after grants are awarded and collection and review of project reports by program managers; Prepare and present to a comprehensive annual budget for review and approval; Establish the required human capacity and logistical structure that will act as the building block upon which the Western SARE research and education program will stand; Conduct; in coordination with the national USDA-NIFA SARE program; periodic needs assessments and program evaluations. Required Qualifications - Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills Existing College of Agriculture tenure-track faculty who have earned Associate or Full rank or existing College of Agriculture Research Faculty as defined in the faculty handbook. Ph.D. Grant writing and grant management experience. Experience supervising people. Preferred Qualifications - Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills Excellent communication skills and people skills. Experience working with diverse groups of people including public, faculty, staff, students and NIFA. Grant proposal review experience. The Successful Candidate Will Have excellent leadership skills that help others to understand and commit to the vision and goals of WSARE; Have strong interpersonal and analytical skills in written and verbal communication, including skills involving quantitative and qualitative analysis, and co-creative decision making; Have skills in identifying needed resources and utilizing existing resources efficiently; Maintain confidentiality; Have demonstrated ability to work with and engage various populations; understand unconscious bias; Be willing to learn the protocol for planning, directing, and administering WSARE policies and programs in accordance with USDA NIFA policies and guidelines; Have the desire to work in a team-based, dynamic environment and have ability to adapt to changing priorities; Display commitment to excellence and the missions of WSARE; Have a commitment to transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement; Ability to work independently, be self-directed in prioritization of tasks and initiative and assume responsibility for final decisions; Have demonstrated ability to transfer evidence-based outcomes/recommendations to agricultural producers and land managers from underserved as well as mainstream communities. Position Special Requirements/Additional Information This job description should not be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements, but a general description of the job. Nothing contained herein restricts Montana State University's rights to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Physical Demands To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. The Program Western SARE is one of four regions organized under the national SARE, a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Its mission is to advance American agricultural sustainability through innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education. The Western SARE region encompasses 13 western states, as well as American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Micronesia and Guam. The Department Montana State University provides education, research, and outreach programs focusedto meet the changing needs of Montana. The College of Agriculture and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station generate and disseminate superior knowledge and technological solutions to increase the competitiveness of Montana's communities, preserve environmental quality, and improve the quality of life for all our citizens. The College The Montana Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) is made up of faculty and supporting staff conducting research and outreach programs. These programs address: Crop and animal production methods Market growth opportunities Pest management Environmental quality issues MAES has seven off-campus research centers and local campus farms that address challenges in the diverse agro-ecosystems of the state. Collectively, our campus farms and research centers, along with faculty on the MSU-Bozeman campus, constitute MAES and the MSU College of Agriculture. As such, we consider the entire state of Montana as our "campus."