Food Innovation and Small Business Coordinator - Academic Coordinator II Local Farm And Food Innovation (LFFI) 23-23)r- University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources

Application Deadline: February 24, 2024

The University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) offers a unique recruitment opportunity for a Food Innovation and Small Business Coordinator, Academic Coordinator II. UC ANR operates a statewide network of researchers, educators and support staff dedicated to the development and application of knowledge to address local agricultural, environmental and community health issues. Research, outreach and education from locally based Cooperative Extension offices serves all 58 counties from 70+ locations throughout the state. Our mission is to bring the University of California directly to Californians through research, extension and education programs that support:

• Sustainable, safe, and nutritious food production and delivery
• Economic success in a global economy
• A sustainable, healthy, and productive environment
• Science literacy and youth development

By working and living among those we serve, UC ANR expands the University of California's reach to engage all people and communities in California, ensuring equal access to the UC system.

Purpose:

The Food Innovation and Small Business Coordinator will coordinate the efforts of the Local Farm and Food Innovation (LFFI) Farm to Market team to support and expand small-scale food businesses in Fresno and nearby counties. The Coordinator will work with project staff and community partners to provide technical assistance with product development, food safety, permitting, business planning, and marketing for value-added products, Cottage Foods enterprises, and small-scale processing. This position is an integral part of the LFFI Initiative, part of the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation (F3) Project, offering a unique opportunity to drive positive change in the Central Valley region's food systems. The Food Innovation and Small Business Coordinator will leverage their expertise in food science, food technology, community and economic development, business and/or food systems by supporting technological innovation and small business support for small scale farms, food businesses, and food processing enterprises. This includes supervising Community Education Specialists providing business support, guidance, and resources to small-scale farms and food businesses and translators providing bilingual support in Hmong and Spanish. The Coordinator will coordinate applied research conducted by UC ANR researchers with expertise in food science, food safety, customers trends and more, and to support development of value-added products and small-scale processing technology. The role extends to staying at the forefront of food and food technology trends and will provide valuable insights into equipment selection and processing methods for technology-based startups and food/food processing enterprises. Through understanding of regional resources, the LFFI Farm to Market team led by the Food Innovation and Small Business Coordinator will be able to support startups through all stages of their growth journey, from early stage planning through financing to navigating complex industry trends and supporting startups through all stages of their growth journey, from securing financing to navigating complex regulatory requirements. The Coordinator will have a strong commitment to serving marginalized and disadvantaged individuals and will drive initiatives aimed at enhancing their economic viability and seamless integration into regional supply chains.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Technical Assistance and Community Engagement

• Lead the effort to support the development and scaling of value-added food products and produce from small scale food and farming enterprises in the Central Valley region, and spearhead the coordination of technical assistance.
• Engage with community partners working in small business support, food entrepreneurship, value-added products, Cottage Foods enterprises, and small- to mid-scale food processing to identify priorities for research and extension activities and collaborate on related activities.
• Provide expertise in small business support, food science, and/or community and economic development to guide activities of the LFFI Farm to Market team and stay abreast with knowledge of regional resources available to small businesses.

Research and Knowledge Transfer Activities

 Technical Assistance and Community Engagement

Project Coordination

 

Counties of Responsibility: This position will be headquartered at the UCCE Fresno County Office, Fresno, CA, and will cover the following counties: Merced, Fresno, Madera, Tulare and Kings Counties.

Reporting Relationship: The Food Innovation and Small Business Coordinator is administratively responsible to the LFFI Regional Director.

Qualifications and Skills Required

Education: A minimum of a Master's degree in an appropriate field such as Food Science, Food Technology, Community and Economic Development, Food Systems, Entrepreneurship, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Business, or a related field is required at the time of appointment, in addition to a minimum of three years of professional experience.

Minimum and Required Qualifications

• Experience in education, research, or industry for one or more of the following: food science, community development, food systems, or business planning.
• Knowledge of business principles and business planning applicable to small food entrepreneurs and fostering economic growth within the food industry.
• Ability to engage with small food producers, farms and community partners, understand their needs, and work collaboratively to achieve common goals is vital for success in this role.
• Program coordination, evaluation experience and supervisory skills.
• Demonstrated leadership skills and the ability to work independently and as part of a team in a complex and fast-paced environment.
• Skilled at complex problem solving and competent with online tools for data tracking and collaboration.
• This is not a remote position. The candidate must be available to be onsite.
• Ability and means to travel on a flexible schedule as needed, proof of liability and property damage insurance on vehicles used is required. Must possess a valid California Driver's License to drive a County or University vehicle.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in development of value-added products, small-scale processing technology, agri-food, food entrepreneurship or food-related projects preferred.
• Previous experience working with initiatives aimed at promoting equity and inclusivity, especially within the food industry.
• Knowledge of food-related regulations, especially at the local and regional levels.
• Proficiency in one or more relevant languages in addition to English, such as Hmong and Spanish.
• Administration experience within a university, agency, or similar institutional environment

Technical Competence and Impact

Communication

• Demonstrated excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate and coordinate effectively with diverse stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to share complex information in a manner tailored to the audience.

Collaboration, Teamwork and Flexibility

• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively as a team member with university staff, partner organizations, industry, and other stakeholders.
• Able to adapt as circumstances warrant.
• Aware and willing to actively promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Ability to shift program focus as times, organizational, and stakeholder needs change.

Lifelong Learning

• Demonstrated commitment to ongoing self-improvement.
• Participate in professional organizations, agencies, non-governmental organizations and others by providing information and leadership
• Maintain a program of continuous self-improvement by participating in in-service training, seminars, workshops, work group & program team meetings, short courses, professional society meetings and other relevant opportunities.

Learn more about Skills and Areas of Programmatic Review (including Professional Competence, University and Public Service and Affirmative Action and DEI) at: https://ucanr.edu/sites/Professional_Development/files/355229.pdf

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Clinical Assistant /Associate / Full Professor/ Lecturer / Instructor - Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics

The Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACE) seeks to fill a clinical teaching and outreach faculty position in Agricultural Economics.

Applicants will develop a nationally recognized outreach program in support of the University’s land grant mission. The program should focus on the modern management decisions facing agricultural producers - including commodity marketing, emerging technology adoption, and conservation- and how they can benefit Illinois and global stakeholders participating across the food supply chain. The incumbent will teach and mentor undergraduate and professional continuing education students in the Department’s concentrations focused on agriculture, environmental economics, and/or policy.

Responsibilities: The person filling this position will be expected to: (1) develop or maintain (depending on rank) a nationally prominent outreach program by actively participating in farmdoc, our award-winning Extension and outreach program and working with various Illinois stakeholders, e.g., Illinois Corn Growers Association, Illinois Soybean Association, Illinois Specialty Growers Association, Illinois Nutrient Research Education Council, Illinois Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership, the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the state legislature, or other relevant stakeholders. (2) Contribute to the Department’s academic programs through teaching, typically three courses per year, and provide academic leadership and service, broadly defined and commensurate with rank.

ACE, the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES), and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) provide a rich environment for collaborative teaching and outreach, and a commitment to achieving excellence through diversity and inclusion. Our externally oriented departmental culture presents opportunities for engagement with faculty from other departments in the College and Campus and with stakeholders and policymakers through the Department and College extension efforts, including the farmdoc project, Gardner Agriculture Policy Program, and partners such as the Illinois Farm Business Farm Management Association (FBFM).

Qualifications: Candidates would preferably have a Ph.D. in agricultural and/or applied economics, economics, agribusiness, or a related field. An applicant with a master’s degree and industry and/or Extension experience would also be highly valued. An appointee with a master’s degree may hold the title Instructor; An appointee with an earned Ph.D. may hold the title Lecturer or Clinical Assistant/Associate/Full Professor, depending upon experience and qualifications.

Salary and Appointment: Competitive, based on qualifications and rank, with a starting salary in the $75,000-$130,000 range. The initial appointment is expected to be 45% teaching, 45% Extension, and 10% academic leadership/service. This position is a full-time, 100% nine-month non-tenure track faculty appointment (9-month service basis paid over 12 months), with the possibility of summer appointment.

Start Date: August 16, 2024.

Application: To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by February 19, 2024, but applications will be accepted until a candidate for hire is identified. Interviews may begin before the closing date; however, no offers will be extended until after that date. To apply, please create a candidate profile at http://jobs.illinois.edu and upload a brief cover letter, a CV, a sample of written work (e.g., manuscripts, reports, extension guides or bulletins, training manuals, etc.), an outreach statement,a teaching statement, a statement describing the candidate’s commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusive environments, and names and contact information for three references. References will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission.

Additional Information: In the Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics (ACE), we educate decision-makers about global economic issues related to food, agriculture, development, environmental sustainability, and financial markets. Through research, education, and extension, our award-winning faculty and students are at the forefront of advancing knowledge and putting economics into action in Illinois and worldwide. We strive to offer an inclusive, welcoming, and enjoyable work climate where faculty and staff are empowered to accomplish their professional goals.

Department Information:  see https://ace.illinois.edu/ or contact Yvonne Cubberley, at 217- 300-7580, or yvonne@illinois.edu.

Questions about the position: Contact the search Chair, Peter Goldsmith at pgoldsmi@illinois.edu with “ACE Clinical Faculty ” in the subject line.

Questions about the application process, please call: 217-333-2137.

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AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT

Assistant Professor or higher - Agribusiness Marketing and Management

The Department of Agriculture within the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the American University of Beirut seeks dynamic and motivated candidates for a full-time, 9-month tenure-track Assistant Professor Faculty position in Agribusiness. We seek candidates with the vision and expertise to lead an impactful research program that advances agribusiness marketing and management in Lebanon and the region. The appointment will be at the level of Assistant Professor or above, starting September 1, 2024.

Primary Responsibilities

Develop and conduct a research program in the Department of Agriculture in agribusiness marketing and management and related areas. The successful candidate will also teach undergraduate and graduate courses (four per year - fall and spring semesters) in the marketing and management of food, fiber and agribusiness-related products, marketing research, marketing plans, operation management and other courses consistent with both the needs of the department and the expertise of the candidate.

This position will also incorporate responsibilities in advising undergraduate and graduate students in Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, serving as a liaison with professional local and regional Agro-food organizations, and outreach service within the Faculty’s extension programs. The person filling this position will have the opportunity to work closely with other faculty in related and complementary teaching, research, extension and applied research programs.

Required Qualifications 

• Ph.D. in Agribusiness Management, Business, Marketing, Agricultural Economics, or a closely related field with a strong focus on Agriculture. Successful candidates will demonstrate strong teaching capability, competence in statistical and programming techniques, excellent communication skills, and potential for developing an internationally recognized research agenda including securing and conducting externally-funded research.
• Demonstrated ability to teach is imperative. Preference will be given to a person with experience in marketing and management from previous teaching or other employment.
• Candidates will be evaluated on: Demonstrated capacity to be effective teachers, productive scholars, and effective collaborators with FAFS colleagues and other faculty at AUB; effectiveness of research, including publications in peer reviewed journals, and effectiveness in obtaining competitive external funding; effectiveness of teaching, success in working with undergraduate and graduate students in a learning and mentoring environment; Interpersonal skills and the willingness to adapt as change.https://www.aub.edu.lb/fafs/Pages/default.aspx

Application Deadline: Until filled.

Application Process:

Send a current and signed resume/curriculum vitae, official transcripts, copies of publications or working papers, statement of research and teaching interests, and the names and addresses of at least three professional references to:

Dean of Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences,
American University of Beirut 
P.O. Box: 11-0236, Riad El-Solh, Beirut, 1107 2020, Lebanon 
Send an electronic copy to: fafs@aub.edu.lb.

Letters of reference must not accompany the application. Applicants should ask the referees to send their letters directly to the office of the Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the above address.

The American University of Beirut is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. The home page is available at: https://www.aub.edu.lb/fafs/Pages/default.aspx

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