4-H Youth Development Career and College Readiness Area Advisor - San Luis Obispo County, CA

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT A CLASSIFIED POSITION WITH THE COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO. THIS POSITION IS PART OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SYSTEM.
 
DO NOT APPLY THROUGH THIS WEBSITE.  SEE THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW ON HOW TO APPLY. 

The 4-H Youth Development Career and College Readiness Area Advisor will play a pivotal role in guiding and mentoring youth participants in career exploration and college readiness. This position involves developing and implementing programs that support youth in making informed decisions about their educational and career paths, as well as collaborating with community partners to enhance program offerings.

The University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) invites applications for a UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Area 4-H Youth Development Advisor: Career/College Readiness at the Assistant Rank in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.

The 4-H Youth Development Area Advisor is expected to develop an extension and applied research program in positive youth development emphasizing college and career readiness programs and curricula. 

The Advisor’s youth development program should focus on issues that are culturally relevant to youth in the communities served and be focused on improving college and career readiness, workforce development and access with populations that have been historically underserved, including youth from Latino/a/e, Asian American, Black, and Indigenous communities. 

The Advisor will develop and implement applied research and extension programming for out-of-school time educators, community partners and volunteers in topics such as experiential education, positive youth-adult partnerships, effective pedagogical practices with diverse youth and college and career readiness. 

The Advisor will work with a network of 4-H youth, volunteers, staff, community partners and academics to bridge research and practice with an emphasis on identifying systemic and local factors hindering college access and developing and testing innovative solutions. 

The Advisor will provide academic oversight to support the county-based 4-H youth development programs which include clubs, after-school programs, camps and other delivery modes. 

The Advisor will develop applied research projects locally and in partnership with the Positive Youth Development Program Team, Thriving Youth and College and Career Readiness workgroups. 

The Advisor will be expected to collaborate with other UCCE Advisors and youth-serving programs within the counties served. Additionally, the Advisors will be expected to develop partnerships with youth-serving agencies in the local communities, including K-12 schools, after school programs, community colleges, UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CSU Channel Islands and other youth-serving organizations, and is expected to develop partnerships with other 4-H Youth Development Advisors around the region and state. Clientele will include 4-H youth, 4-H Adult Volunteers, 4-H Professionals, UCCE community educators, and other youth-serving organizations. 

This is an exciting opportunity to join a team of highly motivated UCCE colleagues who are passionate about their work and are dedicated to making a difference within their communities and throughout California.  There is excellent potential for collaborative projects within the UC ANR system. 

Key Qualifications

• Technical competency and demonstrated ability in applied research and extension techniques applicable to clientele, including 4-H youth, 4-H Adult Volunteers and 4-H Professionals as well as other youth-serving organizations.
• Ability to plan, implement, and evaluate educational programs and publish applied research.
• Ability to build partnerships and work with multidisciplinary teams to create research opportunities and extend information to communities served,
• Ability to co-develop research and extension with youth and youth-serving agencies in racial and ethnically diverse communities addressing their key strengths and unique challenges
• Ability and means to travel on a flexible schedule as needed; proof of liability and property damage insurance on vehicle used is required. Must possess a valid California Driver’s License to drive a County or University vehicle.

Additional Skills Required

• Interest in and a desire to pursue a career in UC Cooperative Extension.
• Technical Competence and Impact: The candidate should have a solid understanding of issues, strengths and challenges facing youth and students from diverse communities and opportunities for college and career readiness and must be able to design and implement a program that leads to positive changes and impact within the community and beyond. 
• Communication: The candidate should demonstrate excellence in written, oral, interpersonal, and information technology communication skills. Public speaking to stakeholders is a routine part of this position.
• The candidate should demonstrate the ability to share complex information in a manner tailored to different audiences. The ability to work with youth and adult clientele and collaborators across a wide range of demographic groups, technical backgrounds, literacy levels, and socio-economic classes is essential.
• Collaboration, Teamwork, and Flexibility: The candidate should demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively as a team member with key external stakeholders and county-based staff, as well as with colleagues within the UC ANR community.
• Lifelong Learning: There is an expectation that Advisors evolve and grow across their career and respond to changes in the industry, clientele, and organizational change.
• The candidate should be aware of and willing to actively promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Counties of Responsibility: This position has programmatic responsibilities in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. It is not a remote position; the candidate must be available to work onsite at the headquarter location and travel to and be present in other counties with programmatic responsibilities. Specific expectations for maintaining office hours in the geographic area covered by this position will be outlined upon hire by the respective directors and supervisors.

Reporting Relationship: The Area 4-H Youth Development Advisor serves under the administrative and academic guidance of the local Country Director and the UC Statewide 4-H Program Director.

Location Headquarters: University of California Cooperative Extension Office in Ventura, or San Luis Obispo County.

This position is eligible for indefinite status, subject to terms noted in UC ANR Policy and Procedure Manual, Section 315. 

This is a continuous recruitment and will remain open until filled.