Description

The Forestry Outreach Manager will oversee outreach and engagement efforts for the Natural Resource Users Law and Policy Center (NRULPC), a collaborative initiative between the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law and Cooperative Extension. NRULPC is committed to providing legal and policy analysis, mentorship, and advocacy for Arizona’s natural resource communities. This position is designed to lead the policy efforts of the NRULPC in critically evaluating complex natural resource law and policy matters, creating usable material drawn from research for natural resource users, and real-time engagement with the natural resource industry. 

This role will directly support the NRULPC’s mission by combining forestry science and policy through Cooperative Extension programming that promotes responsible stewardship of natural resources and expanding legal and policy expertise within Arizona’s agricultural and natural resource sectors. The Outreach Director will be a key liaison, helping to bridge gaps between stakeholders, providing legal and technical support to those in need, and increasing the NRULPC’s impact within local communities.

For more information about NRULPC, visit :  https://extension.arizona.edu/programs/natural-resource-users-law-and-policy-center-nrulpc 
For more information about this position or to apply, go to https://arizona.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/4/home/requisition/23571?c=arizona

Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Community Outreach:
- The Forestry Policy Lead for outreach efforts across Arizona, working with local elected officials, community partners, and industry stakeholders to address forest natural resource management and legal policy issues.
- Facilitating legal and technical support on policy making and their impacts to individuals and businesses involved in forest natural resource management policies, particularly those lacking access to such resources due to economic, cultural, or social barriers.
- Serve as the forest policy lead for the NRULPC, organizing and leading meetings with stakeholders in Arizona’s agricultural and natural resource industries in policy related issues.
- Oversee and lead the NRULPC forest policy efforts to inform stakeholders, students, partners on the impacts of policies and policy making in natural resource management.
- Lead and organize meetings on forest policy development and impacts for various groups, ensuring broad representation of the agriculture, natural resource, and legal communities, with a focus on fostering collaborative relationships.

2. Research Collaboration:
- Coordinate faculty research with the NRULPC to develop and deliver research on the impacts of local, state, and federal policies as needed primarily on forestry, but also on range, water, farming issues as they relate to forestry
- Enhance the capacity of Cooperative Extension by promoting policy impacts, and economic analysis of Arizona’s forest natural resource issues.
- Coordinate with the NRULPC to develop and deliver undergraduate-level information for courses in the field of natural resource policy.
- Publish work for non-academic, public facing consumption as well as for peer-reviewed journals.
- Supervise students and staff, managing the delivery of services, research, and community engagement initiatives as they pertain to forest policy impacts on our natural resource users in the state.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Knowledge of state and federal legislation impacting forest natural resource management and policy.
- Experience with grassroots organizing and working in communities with economic, social, or cultural challenges. with the NRULPC’s mission, particularly in regard to providing legal, technical, and educational support to communities.
- Ability to organize and facilitate academic and policy events that bring together students, faculty, and stakeholders in the forest natural resource law and policy space.
- Familiarity with public interest law clinics, particularly those focused on forest, agricultural and natural resource regulation and management.
- Strong leadership and management skills, with experience supervising teams and overseeing outreach programs.

Requirements

Preferred Qualifications:
- Master's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required; JD or Ph.D. preferred.   
- Two years experience in political outreach, community relations, and public policy, particularly related to forest natural resource management.
- Experience in legal and policy analysis, and the ability to provide technical and legal support to communities in forest natural resource management at the local and national levels.
- Experience with Arizona’s forest natural resource landscape policies and the issues facing agricultural, environmental, and legal sectors.
- Proven experience working with academic institutions, government agencies, and advocacy organizations to support legal and policy initiatives.