Extension Relations Specialist

Are you a connector who thrives on building strong partnerships and creating alignment across diverse teams? Do you see the power in uniting people and resources to expand opportunities for young people nationwide? National 4-H Council is seeking an Extension Relations Specialist to strengthen engagement with Land-grant Universities, Cooperative Extension professionals, and other partners who make 4-H possible.

At National 4-H Council, we empower nearly 6 million young people each year, helping them develop the confidence and skills to lead for a lifetime. As the nation's largest youth development organization, we create #Opportunity4All by delivering high-impact programs in STEM, Agriculture, Healthy Living, and Civic Engagement.

As the Extension Relations Specialist, you'll serve as a key link between National 4-H Council and the Cooperative Extension System-supporting communication, building networks, and driving collaboration that helps more youth access high-quality 4-H experiences. You'll work closely with partners to coordinate initiatives, share resources, and ensure efforts are aligned to meet shared goals. Reporting to the Director, Extension Relations, you'll play a central role in connecting people, ideas, and opportunities that strengthen the 4-H movement.

Apply now and help grow the relationships that power 4-H's mission and create opportunities for youth across the country.

Mission

4-H, the nation's largest youth development organization, grows confident young people empowered for life today and prepared for careers tomorrow. In collaboration with the USDA and our network of 110 public universities, we serve every county and parish in the United States in more than 3,000 local 4-H Extension offices. Our programs have a positive impact on young people: 4-H youth are 2x more likely to excel in school, 4x more likely to contribute to their communities, 2x more likely to make healthier choices, and 2x more likely to pursue STEM education or careers.

National 4-H Council, 4-H's private sector nonprofit partner, builds public-private partnerships and provides resources and leadership development opportunities that expand the reach and impact of 4-H. With the Beyond Ready Initiative, 4-H has the potential to reach 10 million young people annually to help them lead healthy, productive and engaged lives. Young leaders will have the experience and mentorship to succeed in an evolving workforce and thrive in their communities.

Position Summary

National 4-H Council seeks an innovative Extension Relations Specialist to execute project management, communications, training and customer relations support within the Extension Relations and Youth Events/Experiences Teams. This new role will work cross-collaboratively with internal Council colleagues and the external 4-H network to support and engage key stakeholders. Reporting directly to the Director, Extension Relations, this position requires commitment to Positive Youth Development, excellent customer engagement skills, and the ability to own and improve upon content and communication management.

Roles and Responsibilities

Content & Web Management:

• Manage content curation for select internal and external online platforms that facilitate Council's internal service and support of the 4-H external network; works cross functionally with Council teams and 4-H stakeholders to ensure content is fresh and relevant.
• Manage annual calendar of events for the 4-H network in Asana.
• Provide event web site technical assistance by diagnosing and troubleshooting common customer service inquires to state and local 4-H customers. Compiling knowledge base to help other customer and set up processes to prevent future issues.

Communication Management:

• Initiate and manage a process for maintaining updated contact lists for key 4-H stakeholders by state and region.
• Provide on-site customer service support during Ignite by 4-H, Council's annual leadership experience for teens (and other events as needed) overseeing event Information Desks and Customer Service helplines to ensure they are efficient and effective.
• Develop and update presentations, one-pagers and other communications as needed for both the Extension Engagement and Events Teams.
• Provide logistical guidance and leadership for 4-H network-facing virtual training and engagement events, including managing pre and post event communications and RSVP lists, coordinating event resources for download and distribution, hosting pre-event prep sessions for speakers, hosting virtual meeting rooms via Zoom or other platforms, and providing timely follow up and support to participants.
• Create and deploy event-specific communications to event participants to help ensure representation from all U.S. states and territories at Ignite and other events as needed.
• Ensure timely event updates and info are incorporated into Council's 4-H network facing news and communications.
• Assist with troubleshooting portal issues and responding to inquiries about Ignite by 4-H through the text hotline, phone, email, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom office hours as part of customer service support.

Stakeholder Relationship Management

• Coordinate with Council's regional liaison team to identify and promote opportunities for engagement with state/local 4-H programs to Council associates.
• Serve as communications and customer support lead for Ignite and other events as needed both prior to, on-site and following the event.
• Develop and manage project plans for key team initiatives.
• Execute Extension Relations market research initiatives (ex: survey development, deployment and reporting).

Minimum Education and Experience

• Must have a bachelor's degree or higher in Marketing, Communications, Nonprofit Management, Human Development or a related field, or equivalent combination of relevant work experience and training.
• Three to five years of youth development experience, public relations, customer relations or marketing experience, with the proven capacity to successfully manage and execute projects in a professionally innovative and creative manner.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Proficient in Microsoft suite including Outlook, Word, Excel, Power point, Teams and Adobe.
• Experience planning and facilitating virtual meetings and trainings using MS Teams, Zoom or other platforms.
• Demonstrate a strong customer service focus by actively listening to needs, resolving issues efficiently, and ensuring a positive and professional experience in every interaction.
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to handle and prioritize multiple projects efficiently.
• Collaborative and results-oriented mindset, with the ability to partner across business units, influence key stakeholders, and drive initiatives forward autonomously.
• Effective communication skills both written and verbal with experience drafting communications and correspondence to engage key audiences and internal and external stakeholders effectively.
• Effective organizational skills to manage multiple priorities and work quickly and accurately under deadlines.
• Ability to adapt quickly and lead with a customer service-based approach.
• Ability to create visually appealing and creatively compelling story telling and communications.
• Strong public speaking skills including the ability to engage audiences in both a remote-online and in-person environment.

Preferred Skills and Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience with data entry with a strong attention to detail and accuracy; ability to manage and update information in a CRM-like environment.
• Experience with online project management platforms such as Asana, MS Project, and Smartsheet.
• Two plus years of experience with 4-H or University Cooperative Extension preferred (participant, volunteer or professional).
• Experience with online file sharing and collaboration platforms such as Google Drive, Canva and Dropbox.
• Events planning and management experience.

Travel Requirements: Standard business hours with travel up to 30% (local, regional, national). Travel may take place during nights and/or weekends. Ability to work events and extended hours as needed.

ADA Requirements: The physical demands described here represent those that an Associate must meet to perform the position's essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Mostly a sedentary role; however, some movement is required.
• Role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, telephones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.
• Requires the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets, and bend or stand as necessary.
• Basic math skills needed to calculate formulas, discounts, and so forth.
• Must be able to lift up to 10 pounds.

Disclaimer: This position description indicates, in general, the nature and levels of work, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other essential functions (as covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act) expected of an incumbent. It is not designed to include or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required. An incumbent may be asked to perform other tasks as needed.