Center Director

Position Announcement

Center Director – Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Stephenville

Position Description

Texas A&M AgriLife Research seeks a dynamic and research-active individual to serve as Center Director at the Stephenville Center. This person will be responsible for administering and coordinating all aspects of the Center, while participating in active research through collaboration to enhance overall faculty research productivity.

The Center Director will provide visionary leadership, recognize and respond to dynamic research and public service needs regionally and statewide, and catalyze the design and implementation of innovative research projects. Key responsibilities include fostering productive partnerships and relationships with relevant organizations, recruiting and retaining highly qualified faculty and staff, promoting professional development, facilitating the acquisition of external resources, and providing fair and transparent management of human, physical, and fiscal assets.

Responsibilities

• Develop a vision for the continued role of the Center and AgriLife Research in the dynamic environment of agriculture, food, and water science in the north-central region of Texas, throughout Texas, and across the nation.
• Provide intellectual, philosophical, and strategic leadership to Center faculty and scientists, staff, and students to enhance research, extension, and teaching missions.
• Develop strategic responses to agriculture-related challenges and opportunities, particularly in meeting the needs of the region's food, fiber, and value-added processing industries.
• Develop and/or lead research teams to respond to internal and external research grant opportunities with the involvement of research faculty from AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension, as well as other research partners.
• Manage human, physical, and fiscal resources, and build a strong and growing portfolio of extramural funding to enhance the Center's research capacity and reputation.
• Support ongoing collaborative research and foster synergistic new initiatives between Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, and Texas A&M University System regional universities.
• Represent the Center to state and federal agencies, private organizations, partners, collaborators, key industry groups, and international organizations.
• Provide leadership for the coordination of efforts between research, teaching, and extension faculty to create an effective and synergistic working relationship.
• Coordinate with the administration of AgriLife Research to plan initiatives, convey research and extension information, and pursue fundraising opportunities that will benefit the Center.
• Communicate effectively with AgriLife Research administration, department heads in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, AgriLife Extension leadership, and other Texas A&M University System components.
• Develop collaborative and administrative leadership between Center Director and District Extension Administrator for Research and Extension programs and operations for the Center.

Administrative Relationship

This position reports to the Director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research.

Required Education/Experience

• An earned Ph.D. in an agricultural or closely associated discipline.
• A well-recognized leader in agricultural sciences, with an excellent research background in a relevant field, as demonstrated by publications in refereed journals, grant funding, honors and awards, and academic stature appropriate for a full-time faculty appointment at the rank of Professor.
• Demonstrated ability to engage with stakeholder groups, identify critical challenges, and conduct solutions-oriented research to address them.
• Demonstrated success in building, supporting, and leading interdisciplinary teams.
• Experience in managing human and fiscal resources.

Preferred Education/Experience

• At least 10 years of experience conducting competitively funded research.
• Knowledge of the land grant university system and a track record of using research and extension to solve problems and convey practical solutions to stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience navigating conflicting interests to achieve accepted practices among groups.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrates excellent writing and speaking skills in English.
• Able to communicate effectively with faculty, staff, administration, and stakeholders.
• Able to manage interdisciplinary teams effectively.
• Able to inspire Center employees, manage teams, and invest in the individual success of staff members.
• Demonstrates a clear commitment to the mission of a land-grant university system.
• Skilled in strategic planning and development to advance the goals of the Center.
• Able to coordinate with broad-based partners and stakeholders to address current and emerging agricultural, food, and water challenges statewide, nationally, and internationally.

Location

Stephenville, Texas

About the Center

The Stephenville Center is located in north-central Texas, with a focus on dairy, cattle, hay, peanut, pecan, viticulture, biofuel, and equine industries. The Center houses 5 Research and 6 Extension faculty, with facilities including greenhouses, laboratory and office space, classroom, and conference rooms.

About Texas A&M AgriLife Research

Texas A&M AgriLife Research is the leading research and technology-development agency in Texas for agriculture, natural resources, and the life sciences. Our discoveries yield economic, environmental, and health benefits that are key to our state's success and vital to the lives of its citizens.