UCI Labor Center Executive Director

UC Irvine; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 88,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

UC Irvine in Irvine, CA seeks an Executive Director to lead a center focused on labor studies. You will set strategic direction, oversee research initiatives, and coordinate programming with university partners and labor/community stakeholders.

The role emphasizes fundraising, external relations, and dissemination of findings through reports and public-facing products. A terminal degree and five+ years of leadership experience are required.

Qualifications

• Terminal degree required in labor studies, law, social science, or related field.
• Minimum five years of leadership, research, program development, and administration experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop, evaluate, and monitor a strategic plan for the center.
• Coordinate with university partners and labor/community stakeholders.
• Represent the center at conferences and events.
• Lead research projects and disseminate findings.
• Prepare grant proposals, study designs, and budgets.
• Mentor students and staff in community-engaged research.
• Oversee center projects, programming, and advisory board.
• Oversee contracts, grants, budgets, and financial management.
• Hire, supervise, and develop staff.
• Guide center communications and external relations.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Policy analysis

Project management

Education

Terminal degree in labor studies, law, social science, or related field

Job description

Position Overview

Position: Executive Director

Location: Irvine, CA

Salary Range: $88,000 - $175,000

Open Date: July 1, 2026

Final Date: August 31, 2026

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop, evaluate, and monitor a detailed strategic plan for the center.
• Coordinate with the School of Social Ecology, other UCI faculty, and labor and community partners.
• Represent the center at conferences, labor and community-sponsored events, and working groups.

Research and Scholarship

• Lead research projects, develop research initiatives, and oversee dissemination of findings through reports, publications, conferences, and public-facing products.
• Conceptualize research projects and prepare grant proposals, including study designs and budgets.
• Translate research into policy reports and public-facing materials for labor, community, and government audiences.
• Mentor undergraduate and graduate students and staff in community‑engaged action research.
• Monitor research trends, policy developments, and funding opportunities relevant to labor and employment, and apprise the Faculty Director and affiliated faculty.

Programming and Academic Coordination

• Oversee ongoing center projects and develop new collaborations with labor and community organizations and other research partners.
• Coordinate across academic departments to develop programming in labor studies and workers’ rights.
• Coordinate programs across the Schools of Social Ecology.
• Recruit, support, and manage the center’s Advisory Board of labor and community partners and affiliated faculty.
• Oversee and evaluate the annual Labor Summer Program, which recruits, trains, and places students in paid summer internships.

Fundraising and Resource Development

• Collaborate with the Faculty Director to identify new funding opportunities.
• Develop and implement research projects and proposals with interdisciplinary teams of faculty and research partners, providing content and editorial feedback on drafts.
• Communicate with foundation and public‑sector program officers about projects, collaborations, and funding opportunities.
• Represent the center’s mission and accomplishments to external stakeholders, including major donors, and leverage those relationships to create new opportunities.

Communications

• Develop and oversee communication of the center’s research to the public, press, foundations, government, and the UCI community.
• Provide content and editorial feedback on policy reports and research translation reports published by the center.
• Work with School of Social Ecology communications staff on broad strategy and on specific materials.
• Communicate with community partners about center activities.
• Oversee the center’s website and supervise its social media outreach and messaging.

Event Development and Coordination

• Oversee all center-organized and affiliated events, from conception through evaluation.
• Engage external scholars, public intellectuals, and labor and community leaders for proposed and planned events.
• Coordinate event planning with the School of Social Ecology, UCI events staff, and other partners.
• Prepare publicity materials related to center events.

Research Administration and Financial Management

• Oversee contract and grant management in coordination with divisional research accountants.
• Ensure effective management of programs supported by contracts and grants, working closely with faculty and research staff.
• Maintain budget generation, management, and reporting for the center’s portfolio.

Center Management

• Supervise and mentor existing staff.
• Hire, supervise, and mentor additional staff and contractors as funding allows, and ensure that HR needs are met.
• Implement the strategic initiatives and policy decisions of the center, oversee project management, and recommend the timelines and resources needed to achieve strategic goals.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications (required at time of application)

• A terminal degree (e.g., MA, JD, PhD) in labor studies, law, a social science, or a closely related field.
• Minimum of five years of experience, with increasing levels of responsibility, in research, program development, and administration.

Preferred Qualifications

• Broad knowledge of U.S. and international labor movements.
• Knowledge of racial and economic justice organizations and campaigns.
• Knowledge of popular education, training methodologies, and curriculum development.
• Knowledge of the California policy process.
• Experience designing and managing public programming.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with internal and external partners.
• Strong presentation, communication, quantitative, and computing skills.

Application Requirements

Document Requirements

• Curriculum Vitae: most recent update.
• Cover Letter: summary of qualifications and interest in the position; not to exceed 2 pages.
• Statement of Research Experience and/or Areas of Interest as it relates to labor, labor movement, etc.; not to exceed 2 pages.

Reference Requirements

• Names and contact information for three professional references.

Apply link: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF10298

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California, Irvine 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 categories covered by the UC anti‑discrimination policy.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct. "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 or discrimination, as defined by the employer.

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.

Job location: Irvine, CA