University of Maine Cooperative Extension / Bureau of Labor Education
Putting knowledge to work with the people of Maine

Labor Education Professional

Based in Orono, ME

 

Position Title: Labor Education Professional
Rank: Professional 1
Department: Cooperative Extension/Bureau of Labor Education
Reports To: Director, Bureau of Labor Education
Bargaining Unit: UMPSA
Position Type: Full-time 40 hours per week, fiscal year, contingent upon funding, professional position

Purpose:
The Bureau of Labor Education, established in 1966, is a department within Cooperative Extension. The Bureau provides the working people of Maine with information and knowledge necessary to make sense of their place in history and the economic, political, and social environment in which they live and work.

The Labor Education Professional supports the mission of the Bureau of Labor Education by providing specialized educational programs for organized and unorganized workers through research, writing, non-credit teaching, presentations, grant writing, and outreach to workers and organized labor.

Educational programming is often in accomplished partnership with labor unions and non-profit organizations and may involve other academic departments within the university system. The position will prepare educational programs for academic students, workers and worker organizations on a wide variety of subjects, recent examples include collective bargaining, contract maintenance, grievance handling, arbitration, union administration, conflict resolution, federal and state anti-discrimination and equal opportunity law, labor law, contract costing, labor history and Robert’s Rules of Order. The position conducts labor related research in support of the Bureau’s labor education mission and maintains a liaison with labor organizations throughout Maine.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develops curriculum and teaches non-credit courses as appropriate to the applicant’s academic qualifications and experience.
• Provides technical assistance and advice to external constituents as appropriate to the applicant’s training, academic credentials and experience.
• Researches and writes on topics relevant to Labor Studies, labor education, labor unions, labor history, and the mission of the Bureau.
• Utilizes economic and labor market data, demographic trends, state and federal case and statutory law, government regulations, and Bureau of Labor Statistics data in research and writing.
• Develops and edits Bureau educational materials and publications, including fact sheets, articles, brochures, journal articles, curriculum guides, and press releases.
• Recruits students and participants for Bureau programs.
• Researches, identifies, and writes grants in collaboration with the director.
• Assists in the development, maintenance, and updating of the Bureau’s website.
• Seeks and acquires external funding to support applied research and scholarly work.
• Builds productive relationships with internal and external constituencies, e.g. labor unions, government agencies, non-profit organizations, colleagues in Cooperative Extension and other academic departments.
• Compiles and submits reports as requested or required (Civil Rights, Program Impact, and Plan-of-Work).
• Seeks ways to reach underserved and under-represented communities while ensuring compliance with affirmative action, equal opportunity and civil rights guidelines.
• Provides logistics and administrative support to make resources available to constituents.
• Serves on internal and university committees.
• Performs other reasonably related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Qualifications:
Required:

• Minimum of a Master's Degree in a discipline or interdisciplinary field relevant to Labor Studies.
• Approximately 3-5 years of verifiable and related experience.
• Familiarity with the structure and function of U.S. labor organizations and the history of the labor movement.
• Adult education or undergraduate teaching experience.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Experience using spreadsheets and databases.
• Ability to plan, organize, coordinate, teach and evaluate non-credit educational programs for adult audiences.
• Sensitivity to a broad variety of diversity issues and comfort engaging in controversial topics with diverse audiences.
• Computer and educational technology skills.
• Ability to travel both in- and out-of-state, usually requiring a valid driver's license.

Preferred:

• Experience working with labor unions, community organizing or non-profit organizations.
• Ability to use WordPress to maintain websites.
• Fluency in a second language.
• Working knowledge of Cooperative Extension services.
• Knowledge of or experience in grant writing.
• Demonstrated experience with community needs assessments.
• Demonstrated experience working with diverse audiences and knowledge of equal opportunity, affirmative action and civil rights policies.

Supervisory Responsibilities: May supervise community volunteers and student interns.

Work Schedule: Normal University of Maine Cooperative Extension office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This position serves a diverse constituency of workers and workers’ organizations throughout Maine and may require some irregular hours including evenings and weekends.

Bargaining Unit / Schedule for Evaluation: Universities of Maine Professional Staff Association (UMPSA). In the initial six months of employment then annually thereafter in accordance with UMS-UMPSA Agreement.

Salary Range: $47,000 – $55,000 / UMPSA Salary Band 3

More information available online at: https://umaine.hiretouch.com/job-details?jobID=82128&job=labor-education-professional

To Apply: To apply, materials must be submitted via "Apply For Position". The applicant will need to create a profile and application; upload a letter of intent (cover letter) addressing the specific job requirements, updated curriculum vitae, and contact information for three (3) current professional references (names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and relationship to applicant) that may be contacted. The applicant will also need to complete the affirmative action survey, the self-identification of disability form, and the self-identification of veteran status form. Incomplete application materials cannot be considered.

All UMS employees are required to comply with applicable policies and procedures, as well as to complete applicable workplace related screenings, and required employee trainings, such as Information Security, Safety Training, Workplace Violence, and Sexual Harassment. Appropriate background checks are required.

The University of Maine is an EEO/AA institution and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 101 Boudreau Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5754, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).