Dairy Economist

Job Category:

Academic Staff

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Profile:

Scientist III

Job Summary:

The Dairy Economist is a full-time staff member of the Dairy Innovation Hub, housed within the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This position operates on behalf of the Hub as an integrated member of its statewide team – actively contributing to the Hub’s mission, priorities, and collaborative model.

The Hub is a forward-looking, statewide initiative, that advances science, technology, and economic sustainability for Wisconsin’s dairy community. While the Hub spans UW–Madison, UW–Platteville, and UW–River Falls, this position is primarily focused on supporting dairy economics research, analysis, and outreach at UW–Madison. At the same time, there will be opportunities for the Dairy Economist to collaborate with Extension partners and faculty and staff across all three campuses to strengthen statewide impact and advance shared priorities.

Successful candidates will bring expertise in dairy markets and agribusiness to conduct applied research and deliver outreach relevant to stakeholders across the dairy supply chain. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated technical and institutional knowledge in milk pricing, dairy marketing orders, dairy supply chains, financial analysis, risk management, or international trade. The Dairy Economist will contribute directly to the Hub’s research, outreach, and stakeholder engagement efforts, working with a growing team of economists at UW–Madison and collaborating with faculty and staff in CALS, the Division of Extension, and the Center for Dairy Research.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and support applied research and analysis on dairy markets and businesses in the dairy value chain to produce academic and outreach materials that are timely and responsive to stakeholder needs.
• Serve as a subject-matter expert on dairy markets and dairy-related businesses for stakeholders both within and beyond the university.
• Engage with stakeholders, including industry leaders, policymakers, farmers, media, and community groups, to translate research findings into actionable insights and solutions.
• Work with interdisciplinary teams within CALS, the Division of Extension, UW–Madison, and across the Hub’s campuses to advance integrated approaches to solving real-world challenges in the dairy value chain.
• Contribute to the mission of the Hub by leading efforts to determine the economic and social impact of the Dairy Innovation Hub and report findings to stakeholders and policymakers.
• Contribute to the Hub’s annual reporting efforts by infusing economic impact data.
• Provide presentations, posters, and engagement to support the Hub’s signature events (Dairy Summit, Dairy Symposium, posters at the State Capitol, etc.), as well as at industry conferences, and public events; contribute to on-site event execution and attendee engagement as part of a collaborative team.
• Contribute to a supportive and inclusive academic environment.

About the Dairy Innovation Hub:

The Dairy Innovation Hub’s mission is to position Wisconsin’s dairy community for economic, environmental, and social success by advancing science, developing talent, and strengthening collaboration. Supported by $7.8 million annually from the state of Wisconsin, the Hub drives research and development across UW-Madison, UW-Platteville, and UW-River Falls to keep Wisconsin’s $52.8 billion dairy community at the global forefront of producing nutritious dairy products in a sustainable way.

The Hub’s vision is to be the world’s leading source of new discoveries and talent development in dairy. Its work focuses on four priority areas: stewardship of land and water resources, enriching human health and nutrition, ensuring animal health and welfare, and growing farm businesses and communities. Learn more at: dairyinnovationhub.wisc.edu

About UW–Madison:

Since its founding in 1848, this campus has been a catalyst for the extraordinary. As a public land-grant university and major research institution, our students, staff, and faculty engage in a world-class education while solving real-world problems. With public service — or as we call it, the Wisconsin Idea — as our guiding principle, Badgers are creating a better future for everyone.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Identifies, writes, or assists in developing grant opportunities, grant applications, and proposals to secure research funding
• Attends and assists with the facilitation of scholarly events and presentations in support of continued professional development and the dissemination of research information
• Conducts literature reviews, prepares reports and materials and, disseminates information to appropriate entities
• Serves as an institutional subject matter expert and liaison with key internal and external stakeholders providing expert level information and representing the interests of a specialized research area
• Identifies research problems and develops highly complex research methodologies and procedures. Publishes and presents results to help advance research
• Collects and analyzes highly complex research data, conducts experiments and interviews, and documents results according to established policies and procedures

Department:

Dairy Innovation Hub

Compensation:The minimum starting salary for this position is $85,000. However, final salary will depend on experience and qualifications. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. Additional benefits information can be found at: https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/fasl.pdf

Required Qualifications:

• Three or more years of relevant professional experience in dairy markets and dairy-related businesses on topics such as milk pricing, dairy marketing orders, dairy supply chains, financial analysis, risk management, or international trade.
• Experience conducting original applied research or analysis on dairy markets and businesses in the dairy value chain, including the development of academic publications, industry reports, or related presentations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience engaging in outreach to dairy market stakeholders such as dairy farmers, dairy processors, dairy agribusiness, policymakers, and/or consumers. Examples of outreach may include invited talks, media interviews, popular press articles, reports, event attendance, etc.
• Demonstrated experience working within a team to conduct research, analysis and/or outreach on dairy or related markets, pricing, trade, and supply chain, including internal and external team members.
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate and engage a robust network of industry and academic partners.

Education:

Required: Master’s degree in economics, agricultural economics, business, agribusiness, or a related field

Preferred: PhD in economics, agricultural economics, business, agribusiness, or a related field

How to Apply:

To apply for this position, please click on the "I am a current employee" button or "I am not a current employee" button under Apply Now. You will be prompted to upload the following documents.

• Cover Letter
• Resume

Please note, there is only one attachment field. You must upload all your documents into the one attachment field.

Finalists will be asked to provide contact information (phone and email) for three references, one of which must be a current or former supervisor. References will not be contacted without prior notice.

It’s important that your cover letter and resume reflect your experience for this position related to the Qualifications section. Your application materials will be used during our evaluation to determine your qualifications as they relate to the job. The most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process.

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of the appointment. University sponsorship is not available for this position.

Additional Information:

• Criminal Background Check may be required
• Evaluation Period may be required
• Some travel will be required for this position
• Candidate will need to have the ability to reliably travel when required - driver’s license is preferred

Work Schedule:

Normal hours are 9:00am – 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. Occasional nights and weekends may be required for this position.

Contact Information:

Sonia Parker, CALS HR Generalist

sonia.parker@wisc.edu

608-890-2547