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• CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

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POSITION SPECIFICS​

Penn State Extension is seeking a high-performing Assistant Director to lead the Agronomy and Natural Resources (AGNR) program area, which encompasses the following Program Teams: Agronomy, Energy, Pesticide Education, Farm Safety, Water Quality, Forestry and Wildlife, Urban Forestry, New and Beginning Farmer and Master Watershed Steward. This position plays an essential role in helping the organization expand reach and access to high-quality educational programs, products, and services.

The Assistant Director of Programs (ADP) reports directly to the Associate Director of Programs, who provides overall leadership for Extension’s program vision and product portfolio. Under this leadership structure, the ADP is responsible for ensuring that all AGNR program teams effectively implement the Program Development Process (PDP), a structured market assessment and program prioritization process used to identify opportunities, guide investments, and ensure that Extension’s resources are allocated to high-value programming. The ADP will provide strategic leadership, supervision, and coaching to AGNR Extension educators, program team leaders, and affiliated faculty.

Responsibilities include:

• Guiding teams through planning, prioritizing, budgeting, development, delivery, evaluation, and sustainability of educational programs and products.

• Ensuring that program teams develop timely, customer-centered, research-based offerings that include in-person programs, online courses, publications, technical resources, digital tools, and applied educational services.

• Coordinating closely with the Associate Director of Programs, the Evaluation Director, the College of Agricultural Sciences Marketing and Digital Education teams, and academic departments to ensure teams are aligned with organizational goals and university research priorities.

• Guiding AGNR teams in understanding customer needs and market opportunities, setting clear program priorities, and advancing a product mix that improves Extension’s agility, financial stability, and overall impact. This includes identifying op