Job Description

Overview
Utah State University is partnering with Central Utah Water Conservancy District and the Colorado River Authority of Utah to develop an Agriculture Demonstration, Research, and Implementation Program (AG-DRIP). The goal of this program is to work with water users and managers in the Colorado River Basin portion of Utah to improve irrigation management and build agricultural resiliency to drought and water scarcity.



The goal of the program is to develop an implementation program to engage, enable, invest, innovate, validate, and adapt agricultural water optimization practices in the Colorado River Basin.



The objectives of the program are:

engaging water users and managers to build trust and partnerships for the program,
enabling water users and managers through onsite evaluations, education materials, and a hands-on education facility to discover and prioritize improvements that achieve their irrigation management goals,
investing in demonstration projects at individual farms and irrigation companies to learn, improve, innovate, and develop opportunities to reduce consumptive use, and
validating the success of efforts by helping water users and managers evaluate their data, identify challenges, and make corrections as needed to ensure success and achievement of goals.
The implementation program will be for water users at the farm level and water managers at the irrigation company level. It will initially include seven major tasks aimed at enhancing farm and water company resiliency to drought and to helping prepare for possible curtailment by beginning to measure water use, improving water management, and developing and implementing irrigation management plans. These tasks can and will be adjusted over time.



The program will involve working with a large number of farmers (25 new farms each year) and water managers (5 new irrigation companies each year) to:

Develop irrigation management plans with water users and managers,
Demonstrate sensor-based irrigation and water management,
Evaluate water measurement methods for effective potential water demand programs.
The program coordinator will oversee all research, demonstration, implementation, and outreach components of the AG-DRIP program. The program coordinator may train and direct full-time benefited employees as well as hourly employees, graduate students, and/or volunteers for the Ag-DRIP program.



This position is budgeted for 1 year, but may be longer contingent upon funding.

Responsibilities
Designs, coordinates, and implements the aspects of the Ag-DRIP program.
Serves as a principal liaison for Ag-DRIP between students, faculty, staff, other departments, and/or external constituencies.
Facilitates planning sessions, workshops, and other meetings with water users and managers.
Coordinates activities of Ag-DRIP support staff, consultants, faculty, and/or volunteers engaged in implementation and administration of program objectives.
Monitors and administers Ag-DRIP revenues and expenses; may develop or participate in the development of funding proposals.
Writes, edits, and coordinates development of promotional materials, educational materials, training manuals, newsletters, and/or brochures, as appropriate for Ag-DRIP.
Collects and analyzes data; prepares scheduled and special reports; maintains program records and statistical information.
Writes and/or assists with writing grants and proposals as appropriate to the objectives and funding nature of the program; may participate in other fundraising activities.
Create content for program website.
Train and direct staff, student employees, volunteers, and/or graduate students.
Teach or lead seminars, classes, and/or workshops.
Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in a related field plus two years of relevant work experience; or a master’s degree in a related field; or an equivalent combination of education plus experience.
Experience evaluating irrigation systems.
Experience with soil moisture, weather, and flow meter sensors.
Preferred Qualifications:

PhD degree in soil science, plant science, irrigation engineering or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education plus experience.
Knowledge of research and information gathering methods and procedures related to water management, including water balance, evapotranspiration measurement, and flow monitoring.
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

Ability to coordinate and organize meetings and/or special events.
Ability to lead and train staff and/or students, and work in team environment.
Ability to gather and analyze statistical data and generate reports.
Knowledge of principles and practices related to irrigation and agricultural systems in Utah.
Required Documents
Along with the online application, please attach:

1. Resume/CV to be uploaded in the Candidate Profile

2. Cover Letter to be typed pasted into a text box at the end of the application

3. Three professional references with contact information