Operations Manager (4800) Job #87542 - BIDS

University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 98,000 - 108,000; Full time

Job summary

Berkeley Institute for Data Science (BIDS) in Berkeley, CA, seeks an Operations Manager to oversee administrative services, HR, facilities, and IT, enabling cross‑disciplinary data science work. You will supervise staff, manage contracts, and support strategic initiatives with campus partners.

Ideal candidates will have a Bachelor's degree or equivalent, strong budget/payroll knowledge, and excellent communication skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related area or equivalent experience/training.
• Thorough knowledge of budget, accounting and fund management.
• Strong communication, interpersonal and advisory skills.
• Knowledge of HR/payroll policies and procedures for staff and academic employees.

Responsibilities

• Manage administrative operations: PO setup, travel bookings, reimbursements, vendor payments.
• Coordinate HR activities including onboarding/offboarding and interviews; manage contract status.
• Contribute to design of website content; draft newsletters and correspondence to BIDS community.
• Administer facilities and space logistics; manage equipment and access; coordinate conference setups.
• Supervise staff and interns; set tasks, monitor progress, provide feedback.

Skills

Budget & fund management

HR & payroll processes

Interpersonal skills

Open science & open source awareness

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

GitHub

Job description

Operations Manager (4800) Job #87542 - BIDS

About Berkeley

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging makes it a special place for students, faculty, and staff, who are among the most talented and accomplished anywhere, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and MacArthur Fellows. Since our founding in 1868, we have been an engine for innovation - driving intellectual, economic, and social progress that benefits California, the U.S., and beyond. Together, we change the world.

At Berkeley, the best careers are built on a foundation of continuous learning and growth. We actively support professional development by providing all full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours of paid time per year and providing space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups.

We invite applicants who are inspired by our Principles of Community and who are eager to be part of our exciting Strategic Plan, which charts Berkeley's next era of excellence.

Learn more about some of our accomplishments at Points of Pride.

Departmental Overview

Since its launch in 2013, BIDS has been dedicated to accelerating data-driven discovery by fostering an environment of open inquiry and cross-disciplinary collaboration. We have successfully broken down traditional academic silos, uniting domain experts from the life, physical, and social sciences, as well as the arts and humanities, with methodological leaders in computer science, statistics, and applied mathematics.

BIDS is expertly positioned as the central hub for advancing interdisciplinary data science research, academic training, and software development within the UC Berkeley College of Computing, Data Science, and Society. BIDS houses UC Berkeley's Open Source Program Office and champions open science, open source software, and open scholarship. We serve as a discipline-agnostic space to rally Berkeley's unique ecosystem, driving forward innovative collaborations that explore the profound impacts of Artificial Intelligence on both science and society.

This Operations Manager role involves managing the comprehensive administrative services and general operations that form the foundation of collaboration at the Berkeley Institute for Data Science (BIDS). Administrative services include activities in finance, human resources, facilities, and IT. General management activities include short- and long-range strategic planning to advance the BIDS mission, managing student interns, removing barriers to open

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: July 30, 2026 - Open until filled

Responsibilities

• 20% Manages, plans, and administers a range of administrative operations in the Berkeley Institute for Data Science. Administrative operations include setting up purchase orders, overseeing travel and entertainment bookings and reimbursements, facilitating reimbursements for BIDS researchers and staff, managing BIDS affiliate requests and processing, and managing contract processing and vendor payments.


• 15% Coordinates and participates in a variety of human resources activities including employment, training, classification, and ensuring the completion of forms and documents related to HR and Payroll for the research institute. Works with the Executive Director and other staff on drafting position descriptions for classification and tracking progress; assists with reviewing resumes, scheduling interviews, completing all end-of-search reports and forms, and leads onboarding/offboarding efforts. Manages and tracks contract and renewal status for contract employees.


• 15% Assists in the design and drafting of organizational website content; drafts newsletters and correspondence to BIDS community members.


• 15% Administers facilities and space logistics, including managing equipment needs, reporting facilities issues, coordinating ergonomic evaluations and ergonomic tools purchasing, managing card key access to BIDS spaces, maintaining office equipment, and assisting with conference room set-up.


• 15% Supervise a small staff of support employees and/or students. Meet with them regularly, set clear tasks, and review their work. Track progress and provide feedback where necessary.


• 5% Support the BIDS leadership team in developing strategic initiatives and building connections with partner organizations across campus, the UC system, and beyond.


• 5% Serve on committees, representing BIDS within the College of Computing, Data Science and Society or across campus.


• 5% Acts as safety coordinator.


• 5% Continues professional development to advance their skills and knowledge.

Required Qualifications

• Thorough knowledge of University rules and regulations, processes, protocols and procedures for budget, accounting and fund management, and/or personnel management.


• Interpersonal skills including verbal and written communication, active listening, critical thinking, persuasiveness, advising and counseling skills.


• Knowledge of a variety of administrative operational activities such as event planning, basic fundraising processes, risk management planning, website design, accounting and payroll, and contracts and grants regulations and guidelines.


• Solid knowledge of common University-specific computer application programs.


• Ability to use discretion and maintain confidentiality.


• Strong skills in short-term planning, analysis, problem-solving, and customer service.


• Thorough knowledge of financial analysis and reporting techniques, and/or human resources policies and procedures for staff and academic employees.


• Bachelor's degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of project management and tracking on GitHub or a similar platform.


• Understanding of the purpose of open science, open source software development, and interdisciplinary collaboration, including an understanding of the specific challenges associated with these initiatives.

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

Classification: ADMIN OFCR 3 CX

Anticipated hiring range: $97,572 - $107,719

UCB salary range: $97,572 - $147,872

The salary offer to the final candidate will take into consideration their experience and salary equity with current UC Berkeley employees working in similar roles.

Conviction History Background

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

Misconduct Disclosure

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional 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; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, 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

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 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 status under state or federal law.