The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Iowa State University seeks to hire a Director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center (IPIC). The IPIC was established in 1994 as a coordinated effort between CALS and the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). The Director will lead an integrated extension and research program that informs and serves the Iowa pork industry and ensures that Iowa producers receive accurate and timely information to aid in making their operations more efficient and profitable. The Director will be expected to maintain relationships with Iowa and national pork producer organizations and develop new relationships to broaden the Center’s impact; to facilitate collaboration among faculty and staff from CALS, CVM and Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension; to oversee education and research programs to address critical industry issues for the benefit of pork producers, the environment and the community; and to secure external funding to support the center activities.
This is an internal search open to tenure-track faculty in CALS. The position will be approximately 50% Extension/administration and 50% research/teaching. The Director will report to the CALS Associate Dean for Extension and Outreach in their Director responsibilities. The Extension/administration effort will include oversight of the center and leading the swine extension team. Administration of the center includes managing the budget, managing connections with commodity organizations, and promoting center activities. Leading the extension team includes supervising 5 field specialists plus 3 center staff, as well as leading the team in needs assessment, program development and delivery, evaluation and impact measurement and reporting. Supporting extension programming as a subject matter specialist is also expected. The Director will maintain their faculty position and reporting to their academic department chair for their efforts in research/teaching. The relative percent effort in these areas will be negotiated based on expertise and departmental needs.
Successful candidates must be able to communicate effectively with the entire industry and create a vision for its sustainable growth. The Director engages stakeholders, faculty and staff to identify priorities and develop research-based programs to inform and educate producers, allied industries and policy makers. The successful candidate must be an impact driven, systems thinker who can create and implement a vision for a globally competitive and sustainable pork industry. The successful candidate must also be able to effectively communicate with people across the breadth of the Iowa pork industry and academia and be comfortable working with media and public on controversial issues. The individual must understand Midwest pork production systems and have their own applied research and extension program related to swine production. Generation of external funding is an expectation.
Applicants must have a Ph.D. in a field related to animal agriculture and currently hold a tenure-track position in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Preferred education and experience include:
- Practical experience in swine management or production;
- Experience in building and leading effective cross disciplinary teams;
- Experience in managing budgets and supervising staff;
- Experience in Extension programs or industry engagement on swine related topics;
- Demonstrated success in attracting external grants and contracts;
- Knowledge and understanding of the Midwest pork production sector;
- Experience in assessing and reporting impacts and metrics;
Interested candidates should submit their application to the chair of the search committee Dr. Matthew Helmers (mhelmers@iastate.edu; 515-294-6717) by June 1, 2023.
Applications should include:
- Statement of interest in the position including a vision for the Extension and research programs of the IPIC
- Letter of support from their department chair
- Current curriculum vitae
- Names and contact information for 3 references