Program Director
University of California Irvine
United States

Application Window

The UCI Labor Center invites applications for the Labor Center Program Director. The center is administratively housed within the School of Social Ecology in partnership with the UCI School of Law.

The UCI Labor Center is dedicated to the study of working people, the labor movement, and the challenges of the rapidly-changing economy as it impacts the communities of California and beyond. Our goals are to connect students, faculty, policymakers, and labor and community stakeholders, and to collaboratively pursue research, policy analysis, and educational and public programs that support workers and their families, particularly those in low-income communities, immigrant communities, and communities of color in Orange County.

With new funding through the University of California Worker Rights Policy Initiative (WRPI), the center aims, in the next three years, to: expand academic planning and development on campus in the areas of labor studies, labor law, employment law, and immigrant rights; expand capacity for research, policy analysis and public-facing programming, particularly in collaboration with labor and community organizations; support unions and community organizations to conduct their work more strategically by developing curricula, training staff and rank-and-file members, 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 community and labor organizations, and training and involving them in community-engaged action research and experiential education.

The center works closely with the 90 labor unions that are members of the Orange County Central Labor Council, representing over 200,000 workers, as well as community organizations working for economic and social justice. In Summer 2023, the center will launch its inaugural Labor Summer Program, which will train and place UCI undergraduate and graduate students in paid summer internships with labor unions and community organizations.

We expect the center to continue to grow in size and complexity in the coming years and are hiring a program director to help lead academic programming, research, and community and labor collaborations.

The program director is the senior, full-time person working closely with the faculty director in leading the center and managing its dynamic and growing portfolio of research, 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 director and our Advisory Board, the program director provides strategic leadership in planning and implementing all academic programming, research, and public programs at the center. This may include the following areas of responsibility:
• Collaboratively develop, evaluate, and monitor a detailed strategic plan for the center.
• Coordinate with the School of Social Ecology, School of Law, other UCI faculty, and labor and community partners.
• Represent the center at annual conferences, labor- and community-sponsored events, and working groups.

Research and Programming Support- Working closely with the faculty director and the center’s Advisory Board, the program director will help develop and guide the center’s academic programming (e.g., curriculum coordination with academic departments), research, policy analysis, and public-facing programming. This may include the following areas of responsibility:
• Oversee ongoing center projects and develop new collaborations with labor and community organizations, and other research partnerships that support the mission of the center.
• Coordinate across academic departments to develop academic programming in labor studies and workers’ rights.
• Coordinate programs across the Schools of Social Ecology and Law, including relevant law clinics.
• Support ongoing research and, if qualified, develop new research, which may be in areas of the program director’s research interests where they align with the center’s research mission.
• Help recruit, communicate with, and manage the center’s Advisory Board, which is made up of strategic labor and community partners, as well as affiliated faculty.
• Oversee and evaluate the annual Labor Summer Program that recruits, trains, and places undergraduate and graduate students in paid summer internships with local labor and community organizations.

Fundraising- Working with the faculty director, faculty supervising the law clinic, and staff researchers, develop, and initiate strategies for generating resources and/or revenues. This may include the following areas of responsibility:
• Work with the Office of Research to identify new funding opportunities.
• Work with diverse interdisciplinary collaborations of faculty and research partners, to develop and implement new research projects and proposals, which will include providing content and editorial feedback on draft proposals.
• Communicating with program officers of foundations and public sector funding agencies about research projects and collaborations, and exploring potential funding opportunities.
• Represent the center’s mission and research accomplishments to external stakeholders, including potential major donors, and leveraging external relationships to create new opportunities.

Communications- The program director oversees and directs all aspects of the center's communications, from web presence to external relations. This may include the following areas of responsibility:
• Develop and oversee communication of the center’s research accomplishments to the public, press, foundations, government, and the UCI community.
• Provide content and editorial feedback on draft policy reports and research translation reports published by the center.
• Work with the School of Social Ecology and School of Law marketing and communications staff on both broad communication strategies and developing specific communication and marketing materials.
• Communicate with community partners about center activities.
• Develop websites and supervise social media outreach and messaging.

Event development and coordination- The program director oversees all center organized and affiliated events. This may include the following areas of responsibility:
• Work with the faculty director and other UCI scholars on all aspects of center events, from conceptualization and planning to implementation and evaluation.
• Reach out to external scholars, public intellectuals, and labor and community leaders about proposed and planned events.
• Coordinate communication and event planning, working closely with the School of Social Ecology, School of Law, and UCI events staff.
• Write publicity materials related to center events.

Research administration and financial management- The program director oversees and further develops the organizational structure for the center’s financial and business operations, including the generation, management and reporting of center budgets. This may include the following areas of responsibility:
• Oversee contract and grant management and work closely with divisional research accountants.
• Ensure effective management of programs supported by contracts and grants affiliated with the center, working closely with faculty and other research staff.

Center Management- The program director is responsible for personnel and program management at the center. This may include the following areas of responsibility:
• Implement strategic initiatives and policy decisions of the center, oversee project management, recommend timelines and resources needed to achieve strategic goals.
• Supervise and mentor existing staff.
• Hire, supervise, and mentor additional staff and contractors as needed and funding allows, ensure HR needs are met.

We strongly encourage candidates with any of the following qualifications to apply:
• Broad knowledge of the U.S. and international labor movements.
• Knowledge of racial and economic justice organizations and campaigns.
• Knowledge of popular education and training methodologies and curriculum development.
• Knowledge of California policy process.
• Experience with design and management of public programming.
• Ability to work effectively with internal and external partners.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills.
• Strong quantitative skills.
• Strong computer skills.

The hiring unit will not sponsor employment-eligible immigration statuses for this position.

Minimum of five years' experience, with increasing levels of responsibility, in research, program development, and/or administration.

The hiring committee will request letters from references for candidates in the final pool.

The University of California, Irvine 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, protected 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 Policy on Vaccination Programs – With Updated Interim Amendments. All Covered Individuals under the policy must provide proof of receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine Primary Series or, if applicable, submit a request for Exception (based on Medical Exemption, Disability, Religious Objection, and/or Deferral based on pregnancy or recent COVID-19 diagnosis and/or treatment) no later than the applicable deadline. All Covered Individuals must also provide proof of receiving the most recent CDC-recommended COVID-19 booster or properly decline such booster no later than the applicable deadline. New University of California employees should refer to Exhibit 2, Section II.C. of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program Attachment for applicable deadlines. All Covered Individuals must also provide proof of being up-to-date on seasonal influenza vaccination or properly decline such vaccination no later than the applicable deadline. Please refer to the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Program Attachment. (Capitalized terms in this paragraph are defined in the policy.) Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.