Policy & Strategy Director, UCR Inland Empire Labor & Community Center
Position overview
Position title: Policy & Strategy DirectorApplication Window
Open date: January 25, 2024
Most recent review date: Monday, Mar 18, 2024 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications received after this date will be reviewed by the search committee if the position has not yet been filled.
Final date: Monday, Jul 1, 2024 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
Position description
The UCR Inland Empire Labor & Community Center, or IELCC (https://ielcc.ucr.edu/) invites applications for a Director of Policy and Strategy. The initial appointment will be for a period of 1.5 years, with a possibility for reappointment. The center is administratively housed within the UCR College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (https://chass.ucr.edu/). The UCR IELCC strengthens and expands the labor movement and serves working people and their communities through advanced research, education, and strategic partnerships with workers, labor and community organizations, policymakers, tribal organizations, and the broader Inland Empire region. We place the empowerment and well-being 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 Inland Empire region, including large immigrant communities and Indigenous nations in the region. Our research offers innovative policy perspectives that support workers and their communities while our worker-centered approach advances the goals of fair working conditions, living wages, and climate, gender, and racial justice.
We seek a Director of Policy and Strategy to develop, oversee, and carry out internal and external policies and strategies for advancing workers’ rights and social/environmental justice for this center and improving the leadership and organizing capacities of community and labor organizations and students in the IE region. With funding through the University of California Worker Rights Policy Initiative (WRPI), the James Irvine Foundation, and other grants, the center aims, in the next three years, to: build our capacity for research, policy analysis, and grant development that supports the work of unions and community organizations, and do so in ways that help to develop the next generation of leaders and expand the strategic and policy-making capacity of unions and community organizations. We work closely with the Inland Empire Labor Council and its member organizations as well as other labor and community organizations working for economic, social, and environmental justice.
The Director of Policy and Strategy will report to the IELCC Program Director and is the senior full-time person building and leading the center’s initiatives related to policy and strategy in collaboration with community partners, the IELCC Program Director and staff, IELCC faculty co-directors and faculty affiliates, as well as graduate and undergraduate student research assistants, and managing and developing related grants supporting these activities. The Director of Policy and Strategy is responsible for independent development and coordination of the following core areas:
Policy and Strategy Research
Working with the IELCC Program Director(s), Staff, Faculty Co-Directors, Community Advisory Committee, and other IELCC affiliated faculty, the Director of Policy and Strategy will help develop and guide the center’s research related to policies and strategies often in collaboration with community partners.
Policy and Strategy Fundraising
Planning, developing, and initiating strategies for generating resources and/or revenues to support the IELCC’s policy and strategy initiatives, including fundraising, donor relations, and grant and contract proposals.
The Director of Policy and Strategy is responsible for assisting and collaborating with the IELCC Program Director, faculty co-directors, and other relevant IELCC staff in the following areas:
Public Relations Related to Policy and Strategy
Oversight and implementation of all aspects of the center's communications related to policy and strategy initiatives, including presentations, and related web presence, social media presence, report releases, and external relations.
Event Development and Coordination Related to Policy and Strategy
Oversight and implementation of events and programs, including capacity-building and leadership-building community engagement activities related to the design, implementation, and/or dissemination of the IELCC’s policy and strategy initiatives and/or related contracts and grants.
Policy and Strategy Administration and Financial Management
Assisting as needed in the management and reporting of the IELCC’s budgets, contracts, and grants related to policy and strategy initiatives as well as the development and implementation of the IELCC’s internal and external organizational policies and strategies.
Policy and Strategy Center Management
Responsible for supervising and mentoring relevant staff involved in policy and strategy initiatives and/or related fundraising, and ensuring HR needs are met.
A reasonable salary range estimate for this position is $85,000 - $103,000. The posted UC academic salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and/or step at appointment. See the salary scale titled, Academic Coordinator Series - Fiscal Year for the salary range https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2023-24/july-2023-acad-salary-scales/t36-i.pdf, https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2023-24/july-2023-acad-salary-scales/t36-ii.pdf.
Qualified applicants must possess a Bachelor’s degree or higher (or an equivalent foreign degree) in social science, humanities, public administration, public policy, urban planning, labor studies, or related fields. Applications should demonstrate at least five years of relevant professional experience, with increasing levels of responsibility, in research, program development, organizing, and/or administration. Written and verbal fluency in Spanish and experience in English/Spanish translation is preferred.
Complete applications must include: a cover letter of interest, an updated CV, a statement of contribution to diversity, and three to five professional letters of reference.
Review of applications will begin on March 15, 2024, and may continue until the position is filled. Applications received by March 15 will receive full consideration.
Unit: https://ielcc.ucr.edu/
Department: https://ielcc.ucr.edu/
Qualifications
Minimum of five years of relevant professional experience, with increasing levels of responsibility, in research and/or strategy development in an academic, union, non-profit, or community-based setting.
BA or BS degree required or higher (or an equivalent foreign degree) in social science, humanities, public administration, public policy, urban planning, labor studies, or related fields.
Written and verbal fluency in Spanish and experience in English/Spanish translation is preferred.
UCR is a world-class research university with an exceptionally diverse undergraduate student body. Its mission is explicitly linked to providing routes to educational success for underrepresented and first-generation college students. A commitment to this mission is a preferred qualification.
Application Requirements
Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
Cover Letter - Please address any of the following qualifications:
-Commitment to the labor movement, social justice, and/or community organizing, including previous experience and relationships to organized labor and youth or student organizations
-Broad knowledge of policy-making processes and/or organizational strategy
-Leadership-building and capacity-building skills and experience, especially among communities, workers, and/or youth or students
-Ability to work effectively with internal and external partners
-Experience with design and management of public programming
-Experience in public media relations skills
-Ability to create and execute fundraising strategies and/or grant development
-Knowledge of the issues affecting workers and communities in California and/or the Inland Empire (preferred)
-Broad knowledge of the U.S. and international labor movements and workers’ rights
-Knowledge of racial, gender, environmental justice, and economic justice organizations and campaigns in California, the Southwest, the Inland Empire, and other regions
-Knowledge of and good working relations with Black, Brown, and Tribal organizations
-Experience with community-engaged, participatory action, or other research strategies related to policy and/or strategy development
-Written and verbal fluency in Spanish and experience in English/Spanish translation if any.Statement of Research (Optional)
Statement of Teaching (Optional)
Statement of Past and/or Planned Future Contributions to Advancing Diversity and Inclusive Excellence - In a “Statement of Past and/or Planned Future Contributions to Advancing Diversity and Inclusive Excellence”, we ask applicants to describe their past and/or potential future contributions to promoting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, which is a key requirement of the role of every faculty member and administrator at UCR. There are numerous ways to contribute, and a commitment to this part of our mission can be reflected through research, teaching, supervision, mentoring, community engagement, service, and any of the other varied activities that are a part of an academic career.
Misc / Additional (Optional)
Misc / Additional (Optional)
Misc / Additional (Optional)
- 3-5 letters of reference required
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.
Help contact: ellenr@ucr.edu
About UC Riverside
The University of California, Riverside is a world-class research university with an exceptionally diverse undergraduate student body. UCR is a member institution of the American Association of Universities (AAU) as well as the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities (HSRU). Its mission is explicitly linked to providing routes to educational success for underrepresented and first-generation college students. A commitment to this mission is a preferred qualification.
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.