The UC San Diego Labor Center (https://laborcenter.ucsd.edu/) invites applications for a Program Director. The center is administratively housed within the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (https://usp.ucsd.edu/). The UC San Diego Labor Center strengthens and expands the labor movement through advanced research, education, and strategic partnerships with workers, labor organizations, policymakers, tribal organizations, and the broader San Diego region. We place the wellbeing of workers, their families, and their communities at the forefront of our curricula, community engagement, public programs and publications. We focus attention on the unique socio-economic circumstances of the border region, including large binational and refugee communities and Indigenous nations in the region. Our research offers innovative policy perspectives on work and workers while our worker-centered approach advances the goals of fair working conditions, living wages, and climate, gender, and racial justice.
We seek a program director to lead the founding and growth of the center. With funding through the University of California Worker Rights Policy Initiative (WRPI), the center aims, in the next three years, to: build our capacity for research, policy analysis, education, and public-facing programming; support unions and community organizations to conduct their work more strategically by developing curricula and providing technical assistance; and develop the next generation of labor and community organizers, researchers, and leaders among undergraduate and graduate students by connecting them with labor and community organizations, and training and involving them in community-engaged action research. We work closely with the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council.
The program director is the senior, full-time person building and leading the center in collaboration with a faculty director and managing its dynamic and growing portfolio of research, training, programing, and community collaboration. The program director is responsible for independent development and coordination of all aspects of center operations, which includes the following core areas.
Strategic Leadership
Working with the center’s Faculty Leadership Council and the Labor and Community Advisory Board, the program director provides strategic leadership in planning and implementing all research and programming at the center. Represent the center at annual conferences, community-sponsored events and working groups.
Research and Education Programming
Working with the Faculty Director, as well as the Labor and Community Advisory Board, the program director will help develop and guide the center’s research, policy analysis, graduate and undergraduate instruction, and public-facing programming. This includes overseeing and initiating, if qualified, research projects in collaboration with community partners, as well as teaching courses and workshops related to labor studies and community-based methods.
Fundraising
Planning, developing, and initiating strategies for generating resources and/or revenues, including through fundraising, donor relations, and grant and contract proposals.
Public Relations
Interfacing with the broader community (including the California Labor Federation, San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council, unions, worker centers, and community organizations), local and state government officials, foundations, and other community partners. Overseeing all aspects of the center's communications, including web presence, report review, and external relations.
Event Development and Coordination
Overseeing all center organized and affiliated events.
Research Administration and Financial Management
Overseeing and further developing the organizational structure for the center’s financial and business operations, including the generation, management and reporting of center budgets and oversight of contracts and grants.
Center Management
Responsible for personnel and program management at the center, including planning and implementing strategic initiatives, supervising and mentoring staff, and ensuring HR needs are met.
Unit: https://laborcenter.ucsd.edu/
1) Bachelor’s degree or higher (or an equivalent foreign degree) in social science, humanities, public administration, or related fields; AND 2) minimum of ten years' experience, with increasing levels of responsibility, in research, program development, organizing, and/or administration.
Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
Cover Letter - Letter of application summarizing your qualifications and interest in the position.
Please address any of the following qualifications:
-Ability to work effectively with internal and external partners.
-Ability to create and execute fundraising strategies
-Experience with design and management of public programming.
-Experience in public media relations skills.
-Broad knowledge of the U.S. and international labor movements.
-Knowledge of racial, gender, and economic justice organizations and campaigns in California, the Southwest, and other regions.
-Knowledge of and good working relations with Black, Brown, and Tribal organizations.
-Knowledge of community-based participatory research strategies.
-Knowledge of popular education and training methodologies and curriculum development.
Statement of Contributions to Diversity - Statement addressing your understanding of the barriers facing traditionally underrepresented groups and your past and/or future contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Candidates are urged to review guidelines on statements (see https://facultydiversity.ucsd.edu/recruitment/contributions-to-diversity.html) before preparing their application.
Note that your references, or dossier service, will submit their confidential letters directly to the UC Recruit System.
All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. For any reference letter provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service, career center), direct the author to UCSD’s confidentiality statement at https://aps.ucsd.edu/_files/forms/templates/templateconfidstate.pdf.
Help contact: dakerr@ucsd.edu
The University of California, San Diego is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, covered veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.
As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program Policy. All Covered Individuals under the policy must provide proof of Full Vaccination or, if applicable, submit a request for Exception (based on Medical Exemption, Disability, and/or Religious Objection) or Deferral (based on pregnancy) no later than the applicable deadline. For new University of California employees, the applicable deadline is eight weeks after their first date of employment.
The University of California prohibits smoking and tobacco use at all University controlled properties.
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Published: 05/02/2023