Agribusiness Program Director

Central Washington University is recruiting an Agribusiness Program Director to join our College of Business Deans Operating team in Ellensburg, Washington. This role is an important member of our team as they enhance the vision for the University. The role is a project campus-based outreach position, which means you get to see the lives you are impacting within the University and throughout the state of Washington. We're offering a salary, depending on experience, from $75,000 - $85,000 annually plus the awesome CWU benefits.

Who we are:

We are a team of individuals committed to Changing Students' Lives. No matter what job, each of us plays a part in supporting and empowering our students to fulfill their dreams.

Working in higher education provides career growth and career choice. Think of a university campus like a mini city, operating across 380 acres. You'll find diverse academics, libraries, athletics and sporting events, full service and quick serve dining, conferences and events from small to large, recreation centers, housing, health services, police and public safety for the campus population of ~10,000 students.

Central Washington University has been named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Top Producing Institution for the 2022-2023 academic year. In addition, for the seventh time in eight years, CWU is a recipient of the prestigious Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. Come join us on our journey to encourage, inspire, and create spaces where all identities thrive on campus.

Tour our campus in Ellensburg here. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjdhOegDa9A

What we offer:

Our investment in you begins the day you join our team, a healthy and successful future for you is important to us. We offer medical, dental, life and disability insurance, retirement and optional savings plans, tuition assistance for you and your dependents, discounts across town, an employee assistance program for individualized counseling, and a wellness incentive program. Learn more: Benefits, Perks, and Leave.

The Role:

The Agribusiness Program Director builds, manages, plans, implements, and evaluates Agribusiness program development activities. These activities include but are not limited to; efficient and professional communications amongst students, stakeholders, administration, and the public; program promotional/marketing activities; student professional development; industry engagement and donor relationships; increasing program enrollment to traditional student and workforce development populations. This position will reflect CWU's commitment to diversity and create a learning environment that is welcoming, accessible, and inclusive for everyone.

The Program Director will enhance the Agribusiness program of the CWU College of Business through the following (and/or other) activities:

- Builds College of Business (CB) relationships with the business community, particularly in the State of Washington; CWU community; and students.
- Supports collaborative growth between the Agribusiness Program and departments/programs across CWU.
- Identifies key student audiences to increase enrollment (e.g., FFA; HEP; WAEF); collaborates with University Relations, Enrollment Management, and CB staff to promote the Agribusiness programs.
- Supports the continued growth and development of the CWU Agribusiness Program through:

• Program marketing and promotion within and outside CWU
• Student recruiting and advising within and outside CWU
• Managing increased industry engagement
• Managing the internal and external collaborations relevant to the program (e.g., AgForestry seminars)

- Develops and promotes communication vehicles for students, alumni, faculty (e.g., website, Agribusiness Club/Hub.).
- Plans and executes events supporting the Agribusiness program development and student professional development (e.g., IFPA's Career Pathways Virtual Certificate Program, IFPA's Global Produce & Floral Show, community engagement activities).
- Manages activities and relationships with Agribusiness Advisory Board and donors; writes and submits grant applications and reports; attracts new funding.
- Measures, tracks, and suggests strategies for CWU agribusiness program performance, activity, and engagement (e.g., student surveys, alumni surveys, program learning outcomes assessment).

- Perform other duties as assigned.

• Master's degree in marketing, management, entrepreneurship, economics, food- or agricultural- business, or related field.
• Experience in agribusiness industry (e.g., food production, food processing, food service).
• Experience working with different stakeholders (e.g., small/large businesses, administrators, legislators).
• Strategic mindset to help advance agribusiness program in the college, university and with external partners.
• Excellent written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to effectively organize multiple work assignments involving competing priorities to produce work products. that are accurate, of a high quality and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability and/or experience working with students and/or co-workers from a wide range of abilities, backgrounds and experiences.
• OR applicable combination of education and/or experience which demonstrates the ability to perform the essential functions of the position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Terminal degree.
• Experience working with agribusiness owners, founders, stakeholders, and/or managers across Washington State.
• Affiliation with professional agribusiness organizations in Washington State.
• Willingness to teach a wide range of courses in Agribusiness (academic and continuing education) at all levels and modalities.
• Experience or interest in curriculum development and improvement.
• Life experiences that demonstrate an ability to contribute to CWU's commitment to inclusion and diversity.
• Experience or interest in mentoring individuals from a variety of backgrounds.
• Fluency in Spanish.

Competencies

• Accountability/Dependability: Accepts responsibility for quality of own work; acknowledges and corrects mistakes. Shows up on time, meets standards, deadlines and work schedules.
• Judgement: Makes timely, informed decisions. Analyzes options and determines appropriate course of action.
• Teamwork: Promotes cooperation and mutual support to achieve goals. Encourages participation and mutual support.
• Adaptability/Flexibility: Responds positively to changing business needs and responsibilities. Adapts approach and methods to achieve results; recovers quickly from setbacks and finds alternatives.
• Commitment to Diversity: Recognizes the value of diversity and helps create environment that supports and embraces diversity.

Don't meet every single requirement? At CWU we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway. This may be the job for you!

Salary: This position has a minimum annual salary of $64,974 and maximum annual salary of $94,213. The Hiring Department's expected hiring range is $75,000 - $85,000. In accordance with RCW 49.58.110, the above salary reflects the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the hiring range is based on the candidate's current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position.

Schedule/Appointment: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm (1 hour lunch) with some weekends and evening - dependent on departments need / The role is a campus based position, but will require travel within Washington state / Anticipated end date of June 30,2025

Working Conditions: Work is performed in an indoor office setting with frequent in-person interactions. It is essential to be able to remain at a desk/computer workstation for prolonged periods of time, perform extensive data entry and other computer-related tasks and create/maintain filing systems for departmental records. Some evening or weekend work and/or occasional travel may be required.

Benefits: CWU offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical and dental insurance, retirement and optional savings plans, life and disability insurance, along with vacation and sick leave plans depending on employment classification. For additional information please visit Benefits, Perks, and Leave.

An employee of CWU may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program if the employee has student loans. To learn more, visit: https://ofm.wa.gov/state-human-resources/public-service-loan-forgiveness-program.