Manager, Matanuska Experiment Farm & Extension Center

The MEFEC Manager will coordinate efforts by administrators, faculty, staff, and stakeholders to identify and promote access opportunities for Alaskans, in particular Mat-Su and Copper River District residents, to access UAF resources that may enhance economic stability and vitality, district wide and statewide, and will improve citizen well being as a part of the statewide outreach, research and teaching mission of the Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension (IANRE), the Cooperative Extension Service (CES), and the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (AFES).

The Matanuska Experiment Farm was established as the USDA Agricultural Research Station in the Matanuska Valley in 1917. It was transferred to the University of Alaska Fairbanks and became a branch station of the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station in 1932. The facility is comprised of approximately 950 acres of which 260 acres are maintained fields and pastures and roughly 800 acres are forestland and lakes. The facility contains state of the art teaching and distance delivery technology and office, meeting and classroom space. The Matsu Copper River Extension District Office moved to this location in 2013. The facility is now an integrated center for teaching, research and extension. There are currently approximately 16 faculty and staff located at the Matanuska location.

UAF is Alaska’s only Land Grant college. Grants of land from governments to the people have been a driving force behind the settlement and establishment of communities. The Morrill Land Grant Act, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, created Land Grant colleges to serve as “the people’s universities, bringing the research and knowledge of the campus to the people where they live and work.”

The MEFEC manager will provide leadership, vision, and administrative oversight for initiatives and programs associated with the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center. This person will be responsible for facilitating the identification of and response to needs of the community by playing a vital role in bringing the outreach, research and teaching resources together for the wellbeing of the community. They will also work with UAF and IANRE resource staff to ensure timely evaluation of programs and services provided for public consumption. Primary research efforts at the Center are related to, but not limited to, agricultural and environmental sciences and the incumbent will be expected to create a teamwork atmosphere between outreach, research, and teaching for the best use of MEFEC facilities and 950 acre land base.

Minimum Qualifications:

Three years college coursework and three years progressively responsible experience related to the program specialty, or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

Minimum of two years applicable experience in a management/leadership position.
Minimum two years experience in marketing and/or communications

Prefer experience in grant writing and/or promoting grant proposals in an organization.
Valid Driver’s License required or the ability to obtain one.

Position Details:

This position is located in Palmer Alaska. This is a full-time, exempt staff position complete with both a competitive salary and full employee benefits package. UA provides a generous compensation package that includes retirement options, annual leave, 12 paid holidays per year, tuition waivers for employees and family members, and affordable medical, dental and vision care coverage. New hires will be placed on the UA Staff Salary Schedule, Grade 79, based on education and experience.

Application review will begin on April 28, 2026. To ensure consideration, please submit your application by 11:55 PM Alaska Standard Time on April 27, 2026. 

The University of Alaska (UA) reserves the right to require employees to work on-site at the UA facilities. Hybrid and remote work may be approved for employees based in Alaska at the University's discretion. Remote work for employees based outside the State of Alaska may be approved only in exceptional circumstances or when required by the position's job duties.

📃To view the full list of job responsibilities, please click HERE.

☎️If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Kenna Metivier, Signers' Business Office, at kjmetivier@alaska.edu or 907-474-1847

*To be eligible for this position, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without restriction.  Applicants who now or may in the future require visa sponsorship to work in the United States are not eligible.

The University of Alaska (UA) is responsible for providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the applicant screening process. If you need assistance in completing this application or during any phase of the interview process, please contact the ADA team at ua-ada@alaska.edu.

The University of Alaska (www.alaska.edu) is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Employer and Educational Institution.  The University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination (www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination) against individuals on the basis of any legally protected status.

The successful applicant is required to complete a background check. Any offer of employment is contingent on the background check.

Your application for employment with the University of Alaska is subject to public disclosure under the Alaska Public Records Act.

All employees at the University of Alaska are expected to uphold the highest standards of ethics and professionalism when conducting or engaged in university business.

*Each university within the University of Alaska system publishes an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report which contains information regarding campus safety and security including topics such as: campus law enforcement authority; crime reporting policies; campus alerts (Timely Warnings and Emergency Notifications); fire safety policies and procedures; programs to prevent dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking; the procedures the University will follow when one of these crimes is reported; and other matters of importance related to security on campus. The report also contains information about crime statistics for the three most recent calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus; in On-Campus Student Housing Facilities; in Noncampus buildings or property owned or controlled by the University or a recognized student organization; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus.  The report also contains fire statistics for any fires occurring in an On-Campus Student Housing Facility during the three most recent calendar years.  

Access to the reports is available at:

UAA: (Addresses Anchorage campus, Aviation Technology Complex, JBER - Elmendorf Extension, JBER - Richardson Extension, Kenai Peninsula College - Kachemak Bay campus, Kenai Peninsula College - Kenai River campus, Kodiak College, Kodiak High School Extension, Matanuska-Susitna College, Prince William Sound College, and Prince William Sound College - Cordova Extension) Online: https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/students/safety. Request a paper copy in person: UAA Police Department Office at Room 114 of Eugene Short Hall on the Anchorage campus / UAA Dean of Students Office at Room 122 of Rasmuson Hall on the Anchorage campus. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-786-1120 or police@uaa.alaska.edu / 907-786-1214 or uaa_deanofstudents@alaska.edu. 

UAF: (Addresses Fairbanks Campus, Bristol Bay Campus, Chukchi Campus, Community and Technical College, Kasitsna Bay Campus, Seward Marine Center, Tok Campus, Kuskokwim Campus, and Northwest Campus) Online: https://www.uaf.edu/orca/files/ASFSR.pdf. Request a paper copy in person: UAF Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability on the 3rd Floor of Constitution Hall. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-474-7300 or uaf-orca@alaska.edu.

UAS: (Addresses the Juneau Auke Bay Campus, Juneau Technical Education Center, Sitka Campus, & Ketchikan Campus) Online: https://uas.alaska.edu/equity-and-compliance/docs/clery/UAS_ASFSR.pdf. Request a paper copy in person: Hendrickson Building, Suite 202 on the Juneau campus. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-796-6371 or emailing uas.clery@alaska.edu.