Extension Regional Fire Specialist

The Oregon State University (OSU) Forestry & Natural Resources Extension program invites applications for a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, Extension Regional Fire Specialist for northeast Oregon with an academic rank of Assistant Professor of Practice. This position will be based at an OSU Extension County Office in La Grande, OR or Pendleton, OR. The academic home for this position will be in either the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, or the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society within the College of Forestry at OSU.

This position will focus on Extension program development and delivery related to wildland fire science and management in northeastern Oregon. To accomplish this, the position will involve science-based outreach and education, and support for community wildfire planning and landscape-scale project implementation to reduce wildfire risk. Key audiences include public forest and rangeland managers, private landowners, rural and wildland-urban interface communities, forest and fire stewardship workers, Tribes, and fire management specialists. Key topics will include collaborative natural resource management, community wildfire preparedness, wildland fuel reduction and fire management, prescribed fire, timber and range management treatments to build fire resilience, post-burn recovery, and workforce development. We recognize that wildfire disproportionately affects the security and livelihoods of certain populations, including non-English speakers, people of color, Tribal, and low-income communities. Accordingly, the position will develop programming that involves such populations and accounts for disparities in power and social status, as appropriate for the region served.

Oregon State University is committed to practicing and delivery of tools for state-of-the-science interaction and engagement of partners and stakeholders. This individual is required to use modern learning tools, employ and practice engaged scholarship, promote integration of programs across disciplines that are demand-driven, and use -open-source tools that continually align with innovation and shifts in educational program delivery.

Active and effective communication with staff and key stakeholders is critical to the success of this position. The incumbent will work directly with a Fire Program Manager, Director, five other regional fire specialists, and FNR Extension faculty in the Forestry & Natural Resources and Fire Extension Programs; and will also work cooperatively with other faculty and staff at Oregon State University and external partners to develop partnerships that facilitate landscape-scale, cross-boundary management projects. To accomplish this, the position will require travel to fulfill the responsibilities of the position.

Oregon State University and OSU Extension Service are committed to maintaining and enhancing a collaborative and inclusive community that strives for equity and equal opportunity. All employees of OSU Extension Service are responsible for helping to ensure that this commitment is achieved. This commitment includes, but it is not limited to, complying with Civil Rights and Language Access regulations. In addition, this position will design, develop, maintain and/or carry out Extension programs in ways that ensure that all people have equal program participation opportunities.