Administrative Program Assistant

Oregon State University

Ontario, Oregon

Job Type: Part-Time

Salary: $20.98 - $31.63

Start / End Dates: 04/30/2026 to 04/29/2027

This recruitment will be used to fill two part-time (approximately 20 hours per week), limited duration, Administrative Program Assistant positions for the Oregon State University’s Extension Service in Malheur County. These positions are located in Ontario, OR.

The Administrative Program Assistant (APA) position is based at the Oregon State University (OSU) Division of Extension and Engagement’s Extension Service Malheur County Office and aligns under the Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Program. A hybrid working arrangement may be possible (refer to the working conditions section). These are limited duration appointments and are dependent upon funding. The initial appointment period is one year with the possibility of extending to a total of 18 months, dependent upon availability of funding.

The APA supports the OSU Extension supervising faculty with the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board subaward with the Owyhee Watershed Council for the Bonita Road, Cow Valley, and Durkee Wildfire Recovery Planning Project. The APA implements applied educational and technical components of post-wildfire recovery planning by assisting with the development of spatial Emergency Stabilization and Recovery (ESR) assessments and site-specific restoration plans for private rangelands.

Working with moderate independence under the direction of the supervising faculty, the APA coordinates landowner outreach and scheduling, organizes engagement materials, maintains communication logs, assists with draft geospatial information system (GIS) map preparation, participates in field verification and vegetation assessments, compiles draft ESR classifications, and drafts portions of restoration plans for the review of the supervising faculty. The APA contributes directly to project objectives by supporting landowner education, facilitating science-based recovery planning, and advancing timely completion of approximately fifteen pasture-level ESR assessments and associated restoration plans.

This individual is responsible for assisting the supervising faculty with ensuring non-credit educational programming and outreach activities serve broad and diverse populations in an accessible, inclusive, equitable, and socially just manner. This includes complying with Civil Rights and Language/Visual Access regulations.

About Malheur:
Malheur County is one of 36 counties in Oregon and is located in Eastern Oregon. Malheur County is also one of 10 Oregon counties to be identified as frontier. The Extension Service in Malheur County offers research-based information to strengthen communities, improve lives and manage resources with programs in 4-H Youth Development, Family & Community Health, Field & Forage Crops, and Livestock & Rangeland Management.

About Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Program:
The Division of Extension and Engagement’s Extension ANR program aims to promote improvements in the economic, environmental and social well-being of Oregon residents. The ANR program serves broad and diverse audiences in Oregon communities having specialized interests by delivering information through faculty who have a presence in 36 county offices, 11 branch agricultural experiment stations at 14 locations, and who represent 11 academic departments at Oregon State University.

About the Division of Extension and Engagement (division):
The Division of Extension and Engagement (division) is core to Oregon State University’s mission. The division helps create real solutions and positive impact across Oregon and beyond. The division is aligned under the leadership of the Vice Provost for Extension and Engagement. To learn more about our division and its core units and initiatives, visit the division’s website.

The division has built the capacity and expectation for employees to use digital communications and technologies in the modern-day workplace. This reflects our demonstrable commitment to using digital communications tools and changing technologies as a primary way to raise Oregonian’s awareness of and engagement with our organization, programs and resources.

Oregon State University strives to ensure that all educational programs, services, activities, and materials we offer to the public are identified, developed, delivered, and evaluated in an accessible, inclusive, equitable, and socially just manner. OSU division’s educational programs, services, activities, and materials are available to all people. OSU division prohibits discrimination in all its programs, services, activities, and materials. All employees are responsible for and expected to comply with Civil Rights obligations and actively work to expand access to all eligible populations.

Key Responsibilities 

45% – Educational program support
    • Supports implementation of Extension’s ESR assessment and restoration planning program by assisting with landowner engagement, preparing educational and outreach materials, supporting field-based assessments, and sharing pre-approved technical information related to post-fire recovery planning.
    • Creates accessible and inclusive environments and provides reasonable accommodations.
    • Assists with preparing draft maps, summaries, and planning documents for faculty review; and supports on-site non-credit educational interactions with landowners and partners under the guidance of faculty/program leads. Travel/driving required.

 

25% – Program coordination and logistics
  • Coordinates scheduling of landowner meetings, field visits, and partner communications according to established project plans; maintains contact logs; organizes project timelines; and tracks deliverables for reporting to faculty to ensure alignment with grant requirements.
  • Assists with development and distribution of engagement materials and supports day-to-day workflow management by following established procedures, timelines, and guidelines within established program parameters.
15% – Outreach and stakeholder engagement
  • Support outreach efforts by maintaining contact lists, distributing educational materials, and assisting with presentations, exhibits, or public communications to support effective stakeholder engagement across the identified population(s).
10% – Data collection, reporting, and documentation
  • Compiles and organizes spatial and field data, maintains project records, prepares draft reports, and assists faculty with documentation required for grant reporting and compliance.
  • Ensures data accuracy and proper record retention by following established data management and retention guidelines in accordance with the guidelines of the division and project.
5% – Team collaboration and professional development
  • Participates in project meetings.
  • Collaborates and coordinates with OSU faculty and partner organizations.
  • Engages in relevant training to maintain technical skills in GIS, ESR protocols, and Extension program delivery.
  • Completes the division’s civil rights training session(s).
  • Assists the supervising faculty with reporting appropriate civil rights data from non-credit educational programming and outreach activities into the division’s reporting system for the internal civil rights review.

Qualifications / Experience Level Required:

Required Qualifications
  • Three years of office experience which included two years at full performance level and experience generating documents; and Lead work responsibility or coordination of office procedures.
  • General knowledge and ability to use computers, including proficiency with information technology and professional office software such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills, with ability to communicate with a broad and diverse audience in a culturally responsible manner.
  • Ability to work independently with minimum supervision.
  • A commitment to collaborative and respectful learning and working environments that are safe, inclusive, and welcoming.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences, agribusiness, ecology, animal science, or a closely related field.
  • Direct experience with wildfire rehabilitation and/or ecological restoration.
  • Experience using geospatial information system (GIS) tools to generate maps for private landowners.
  • Experience working on efforts to mitigate invasive annual grasses in the sagebrush steppe.
  • Experience working directly with private landowners.
  • Knowledge of the grass-wildfire cycle on sagebrush rangelands.

Working Conditions
  • Work performed during the 20-hour work week may be outdoors in rough and rugged high desert environments.
  • An occasional overnight stay for trips related to the operations and/or professional development opportunities may be necessary.
  • The primary work location for this position is the OSU Extension Malheur County Office in Ontario, Oregon. However, a hybrid working arrangement may be established via OSU’s Flexible Work Arrangement Agreement Form, with pre-determined periodic reviews of on-going work for continuation of the agreement. The individual will be required to attend training sessions and meetings in person at the Extension Malheur County office and be able to travel/drive throughout Malheur County during the work week to complete the responsibilities of the position.
  • Driving/traveling is required to meet with landowners and conduct field visits throughout remote areas of Malheur County. An OSU Motor Pool driver’s authorization form must be completed prior to driving on behalf of OSU.

Housing: No

Contact:

Dustin Johnson

Application Closes: 04/07/26

Visit our Resources page for resume help, additional job boards, and housing contacts for Southeast Oregon.

© High Desert Partnership. This site is managed by High Desert Partnership. High Desert Partnership strives to promote collaboration across communities of Eastern Oregon and is actively engaged in protecting diversity, enacting equity, and fostering inclusion. Our ambition is to contribute to building a sustainable and inclusive community in which ethnic, religious, gender, political and ideological differences are heard and respected.