Floyd County is a rural county located in Southwest Virginia north of the Blue Ridge Parkway and south of Virginia Tech. We are bordered by Patrick, Carroll, Pulaski, Montgomery, Roanoke and Franklin Counties and have a land mass of 383 square miles. The population totals over 15,500 residents, of which approximately 3,216 are youth, ages 17 and under (Kids Count, 2018). Students attend one of five schools: the elementary schools of Check, Floyd, Willis, and Indian Valley or Floyd County High School. There are two grocery stores, several restaurants, many artisan businesses, a variety of agricultural enterprises including cattle, conventional horticulture and organic food systems, forestry production, and our own farmers market.
The 4-H Youth Development Agent is a professional educator who provides leadership to the local 4-H program and manages its day-to-day operation. 4-H is a community of young people learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills. The mission of 4-H is to develop youth, and adults working with those youth, to realize their full potential and become effective, contributing citizens. This is achieved through the development and delivery of research-based, non-formal, hands-on educational experiences.
Responsibilities: Develops and delivers objective, research-based educational programs to meet the needs of broad audiences, specifies program goals and objectives, and identifies resources needed; provides leadership for 4-H Youth Development programs that meet the needs of all youth; identifies, recruits, trains, supports, and manages volunteers to implement and carry out the 4-H educational programming in the unit; determines unit program needs by monitoring trends and issues, and conducting unit assessments involving the unit Extension Leadership Council (ELC) and other leadership committees; networks and builds coalitions with other agencies, organizations and institutions to address the complex youth and family issues and the needs of the 4-H program; coordinates day-to-day activities and events associated with the unit 4-H program including 4-H delivery (community 4-H clubs, project 4-H clubs, school enrichment 4-H, after-school 4-H, special interest 4-H, and 4-H camping).
Individuals will be hired at the Associate Extension Agent title level. A master's degree and promotion to Extension Agent are required no later than the sixth year of employment.
Virginia Tech has an excellent benefits package, including graduate tuition waiver.
Extension Agents recognize the importance of all communities and broad reach in the development and delivery of Extension programs, actively working to increase program participation of all people. Extension Agents are responsible for VCE's civil rights policies and equal opportunity compliance.
