Research Associate Jobs in Riverside, CA (NOW HIRING)

Job Description
Position Summary:
The Small Farms Extension and Research Associate will assist UC ANR Small Farms Advisors in the delivery of technical assistance, training, outreach, and applied research activities to increase extension support for small-scale, diversified, and historically underserved farmers. Areas of focus include on-farm production challenges such as irrigation, nutrient management, and pest management; regulatory compliance; marketing and business support; and incentive program and grant application technical support.
Working under the general direction of a county-based Small Farms Advisor, the Associate assists UC ANR academics, staff, and collaborating growers with collection and analysis of data needed for grower surveys, applied research projects, program development and evaluation, and policy communications. The Associate will also provide expert, technical assistance in English, as well as Korean, Chinese, or Spanish to small-scale farmers to enhance on-farm productivity, compliance with local, state, and federal regulatory programs, and access to resources such as grants, incentives programs, and emergency relief programs. The Associate will assist UC ANR academics in the extension of applied research results and the development, delivery, and evaluation of bilingual, culturally appropriate, research-based educational materials and extension programming to support small-scale, diversified, and historically underserved farmers. The Associate will develop and conduct effective methods to increase outreach and participate in program evaluation, needs assessments, and strategic planning for outreach and extension efforts in the assigned county or counties. Applied research duties include assisting with survey development and translation, recruitment of farmer participants, setup of field experiments, data collection and management, basic data analysis for outreach, educational programming, and research projects. Research, outreach, and extension efforts will also be coordinated with a statewide network of Small Farms Advisors and program staff in multiple counties. The Small Farms Network will work closely with partner agencies and non-profit organizations to coordinate and leverage statewide technical assistance efforts.
The position requires regular travel to farms within assigned counties, including remote and rural areas, a minimum of two days per week as needed, and occasional travel outside the assigned counties.
This position will cover Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.
This position is a career appointment that is 100% fixed.
Pay Scale: $31.23 /hour to $39.60/hour
Job Posting Close Date:
This job is open until filled. The first application review date will be 04/22/2026.
Key Responsibilities:
75%
• Provide growers with direct, one-on-one, bilingual technical assistance and extension support. Travel to farms, conduct farm visits and meet with farmers individually to assist with production challenges, marketing, regulatory compliance, and access to grants, incentives, and economic relief programs. Assist farmers with online applications and collect data to identify barriers to access to programs.
• Assist with survey development and data collection for county-level and statewide needs assessments to inform strategic planning of outreach, training, and applied research efforts. Assist with translation and review of survey questions. Assist with recruitment of survey participants.
• Collect and organize evaluation data from participants at workshops and individual farm visits. Gather input from farmers and conduct basic analyses of data to inform program improvements.
• Organize and maintain electronic records such as farmer contact lists and coordinate bilingual outreach through radio, social media, newsletters, farm visits, and networking. Organize, promote, and assist with extension workshops on a range of research, extension, and technical assistance topics.
• Gather data to inform policy discussions, including feedback from partner organizations, and summarize results for policy communications. Develop and deliver presentations at meetings with nonprofit partner organizations, regulatory agencies, and policy makers to provide research-based information on the needs and challenges of small-scale farms and to develop new collaborations.
• Develop and design bilingual educational materials and deliver educational programming to assist small-scale farmers in accessing markets and assistance programs, complying with regulations in areas such as food safety, labor, groundwater use, fertilizer use, pesticide use, and organic certification, and addressing crop production challenges through improved irrigation, nutrient management, pest management, and other production practices.
• Serve as a lead worker on multi-county outreach and technical assistance efforts where background and expertise are sufficient to serve as a subject matter expert for specific project topics.
• Collect soil, plant, insect, water, and other types of samples to assist with research and technical support activities.
15%
• Assist the Small Farms Advisor with research activities and data management, including data collection for field research trials. Travel to field research sites to complete activities.
• Keep accurate and timely records and develop systems to organize reporting data. Manage database and Excel records, assist with tracking of activities, farmer contacts, and expenses, organize information for program evaluation, and prepare data summaries.
• Conduct basic data analysis on demographic, survey, and field trial data.
• Provide oral and written reports on a regular basis on data collection and results.
• Assist in development of reports as required by funding agencies and internal reporting procedures.
10%
• Provide coordination and bilingual support for outreach projects with growers, such as on-farm demonstrations and tailgate meetings.
• Order supplies for research and extension projects.
• Prepare equipment and supplies necessary for field work and data collection.
• Recruit farmers to participate in on-farm research trials and assist with translation and communication to facilitate research activities.
• Coordinate logistics necessary for data collection with county office staff and other research assistants.
• Keep academics, staff, and other project collaborators informed of data collection status, pertinent results, and issues affecting research projects.
• Travel to farms to conduct outreach, training, and research activities.
Requirements:

• A minimum of a Bachelor's degree with coursework in the agricultural or social sciences relevant to agricultural extension, applied research, and community engagement and/or equivalent experience or training.
• Excellent organizational skills to collect data and maintain integrity of data.
• Ability to pay attention to details and produce accurate results.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Excellent time management skills and the ability to manage multiple project tasks to ensure successful completion.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills to communicate complex agronomic, business, and regulatory topics to in a manner understandable to growers.
• Ability to analyze, evaluate and synthesize information relevant to grower needs and challenges, applications of research results, and policy communications.
• Experience working in an agricultural setting or directly working with farmers.
• Proficient bilingual communication skills including the ability to read, write, translate, and effectively communicate technical agricultural information in a language relevant to growers within the county region served by the position, such as Spanish, Hmong, Chinese, or Korean. This position requires bilingual communication skills in English and Korean, Chinese, or Spanish.

Preferred Skills:

• General knowledge of the biological and natural sciences, including fields such as soils, entomology, and plant physiology and pathology, and/or general knowledge of the social and economic sciences.
• Working knowledge of basic agricultural research methods and/or experience in applied research.
• Experience conducting surveys, focus groups, analysis of demographic data, or other social science research methods.
• Experience in extension, adult education, project coordination, public speaking, community development, or community outreach.
• Demonstrated skills and experience communicating research results to diverse audiences.
• Experience working with disadvantaged, marginalized, or historically underserved communities.

Special Conditions of Employment:

• Must possess valid California Driver's License to drive a County or University vehicle. Ability and means to travel on a flexible schedule as needed, proof of liability damage insurance on vehicle used is required. Reimbursement of job-related travel will be reimbursed according to University policies.
• Ability and means to travel to farms within assigned counties, including remote and rural areas, a minimum of two days per week as needed, and occasional travel outside the assigned counties.
• Travel including travel outside normal business hours may be requested.
• Overtime and occasional weekend work as needed, usually on short notice to meet operational needs may be requested.
• The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check. This is a designated position requiring a background check and may require fingerprinting due to the nature of the job responsibilities. UC ANR does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities.
• As of January 1, 2014, ANR is a smoke- and tobacco-free environment in which smoking, the use of smokeless tobacco products, and the use of unregulated nicotine products (e-cigarettes), is strictly prohibited.
• As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs , as may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.
• Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer.

a. "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies governing employee conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, or discrimination, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
• Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

About Us
The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) brings the power of University of California research and education to all 58 California counties. Through research and extension in agriculture, natural resources, economic growth, nutrition, and youth development, we work to improve the life of every Californian.
Collaborating to solve problems.
Connecting to serve communities.
For over 100 years, our advisors, specialists, faculty and staff have been committed to connecting Californians to their land grant university. We are highly collaborative and mission-driven to promote the health and well-being of people and places across the state. We are also trusted partners with hundreds of community organizations in addressing California's most pressing challenges.
It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.
How to Apply
Internal Candidates*: To apply as an internal UC ANR employee, please go to:
https://ucphrprdpub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psp/ucphrprd/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM_EMP_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH_FL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST_FL&Action=U&FOCUS=Employee&SiteId=18&JobOpeningId=85196&PostingSeq=1
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*Employment applications must be submitted online through our careers site. Please note, we do not accept resumes or applications by email or on paper.