Job Details

Working/Functional Title

Extension Evaluation Specialist

Position Summary

Michigan State University Extension is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive organization, which requires all staff to contribute towards a vision for success. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to our work, regardless of title or position within the organization. This means that all staff at MSU Extension are dedicated to the following:

• We work together to ensure that programming is delivered to diverse audiences, produces equitable impacts for all participants, and demonstrates partnership and inclusion for all groups.
• We embrace that it is everyone’s job to create a culture that promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
• We ensure that every team member is prepared with the skills and resources to contribute to our welcoming and inclusive culture.
• We foster inclusion by recognizing and valuing diverse perspectives, skills, experiences, and work to create equal access to programming for communities.
• We commit to continuous learning for diversity, equity, and cultural competency, in order to achieve inclusive excellence.
• We understand that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential elements to our work and are vital to the organizational culture and programmatic success of MSU Extension.
• We embrace a culture of understanding, coaching and feedback towards achieving a vision of success for the entire organization and its staff.
• Together we will achieve success and we commit to these goals in our work, continued education, and ongoing efforts.  

POSITION SUMMARY

MSU Extension (MSUE), the outreach arm of Michigan State University is a large and complex unit that includes four institutes with more than 700 employees in 83 counties spread across the upper and lower peninsula of Michigan. As a key member of MSU Extension, this role offers statewide leadership and specialized knowledge in evaluating the efficacy and effectiveness of Extension programs and initiatives. This is achieved through consultation, fostering capacity development, and active involvement in understanding organizational learning outcomes and impact. This position will have statewide responsibilities and will collaborate across Institutes, work teams, faculty, specialists, and educators for overall advancement of organizational impact.

In this role, you will collaborate and consult with MSU Extension staff and programmatic work teams to establish evaluation objectives, ensuring programs are evidence-based and responsive to community needs. You will assist in the development and implementation of comprehensive evaluation plans and methodologies to gauge program impact in alignment with program goals, grant requirements, and reporting deadlines. Your analysis of evaluation findings will inform decision-making, identify best practices and areas for enhancement to ensure Extension programs effectively serve the intended audiences.

Your responsibilities include assisting with designing, implementing, and managing evaluation strategies (e.g., needs assessments, logic models) to measure program outcomes and ensure that Extension programs and initiatives are meeting their intended goals and objectives. You will assist in identifying appropriate data collection methodologies including surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, and other research methods. You will also assist in analyzing data from multiple methods (i.e., qualitative, and quantitative data) to assess program impact and identify areas for improvement.

Your leadership will be crucial in bolstering MSU Extension's evaluation capacity. You will train Extension staff in evaluation methodologies, data collection techniques, and provide technical assistance and guidance on evaluation-related matters such as the development of funding proposals and annual work plans.

Additionally, you will identify and monitor shared performance indicators across the organization, aligning with funding requirements, MSU Extension's strategic initiatives, and MSU's Strategic Plan. You will communicate the value of MSU Extension programs effectively through clear and actionable evaluation reports presented to MSU Extension leadership and other relevant individuals and groups.

Although negotiable, there will be space available for this position to work from the MSU Extension campus office located in East Lansing, Michigan.

This position may be eligible to utilize a flexible work environment, however, there is an expectation to work from a MSU Extension campus office. The needs, responsibilities, and opportunities of an individual’s position and office location drive the ability and amount of work-location flexibility.

This position is a full-time, fixed term end-dated appointment, renewable annually based upon successful performance and continued funding.

Characteristic Duties/Responsibilities

• Consult, collaborate and conduct program evaluations for various educational programs that meet current and projected statewide needs, and supports growth and understanding of critical issues facing people in Michigan.
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships intra- and inter-organizationally and create and promote positive public relations for MSU Extension.
• Understand and support MSU Extension’s efforts in diversity, equity, inclusion and Civil Rights, with a special emphasis on removing barriers from participation and reaching diverse populations, including but not limited to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status, socio-economic class and other human differences in rural, suburban and urban communities, and where applicable.
• Communicate and interact with community groups to evaluate the needs of the clientele.
• In concert with the MSU Extension work team(s), work with federal, state, and county agencies to complete needs assessment of the community and develop effective programming.
• Serve as an information resource to clientele, partners, and Extension staff.
• Develop and utilize appropriate media methods to communicate current and timely information, research results, and relevant industry updates, as well as a schedule of current and future activities.
• Collaborate with MSU Extension staff to gather and report programming outputs and impacts, to demonstrate program effectiveness, and to guide future program priorities for MSU Extension.
• Actively participate in professional development opportunities.
• Author, produce, and submit regular research-based educational materials, reports, and articles.
• Other duties or projects as assigned by the MSU Extension Director and Associate Director(s).

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Masters -Evaluation, Human Sciences, Agriculture,

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s degree from an ac