Assistant Director for Curricular Initiatives (5258C) #89618

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Departmental Overview

The College of Letters & Science (L&S) is the largest college on the Berkeley campus. It houses half of Berkeley's senate faculty and is home to nearly 24,000 students, including over 60% of all undergraduates on campus. L&S has five divisions (Arts & Humanities, Biological Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Undergraduate Studies Division), 38 academic departments, 57 undergraduate majors, 66 undergraduate minors, 8 master's degree programs, and 42 PhD programs.

Situated within the Undergraduate Division, the Curricular Initiatives Office, together with the Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarships, forms the College of Letters & Science's Academic Engagement Unit. Renowned for flagship programs, such as Big Ideas courses, Freshmen & Sophomore Seminars, and On the Same Page, the Curricular Initiatives Office develops programming that responds to evolving campus needs for both high-impact learning experiences and multidisciplinary connections across the college. Crucial to this work is a deep understanding of UC Berkeley's intellectual landscape and its administrative structures, including faculty governance, academic policy, course management, breadth requirements, and major pathways. The central purpose of the office is to find flexible solutions to challenges that cannot be solved solely through divisional or departmental initiatives, and it therefore strives to maintain active partnerships with faculty and units across L&S to identify gaps, break down silos, and develop innovative solutions.

Position Summary

The Assistant Director for Curricular Initiatives provides day-to-day operational leadership and analytical support for an array of important programs, including First-Year Pathways, Big Ideas Courses, Freshmen & Sophomore Seminars, and On The Same Page. This position leverages expert knowledge of curriculum design, program assessment, high-impact practices, mentorship, and academic policy to expand and improve student and faculty experience across this portfolio.

The Assistant Director plays a consultative role in the administration and evaluation of the College of Letters & Science's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF L&S), the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP), and Rose Hills Summer Scholarships. This position advances strategic initiatives emerging from decanal mandates, coordinating with communications experts and policy and data analysts to undertake outreach, convene advisory committees, and collect data. The Assistant Director for Curricular Initiatives works closely with colleagues in the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarships to ensure the integration of scaffolding learning, pedagogical best practices, and design assessments to demonstrate impact. Additionally, this position serves as an ambassador for the ideals of a liberal arts education and an advocate for embedding experiential learning in curricular enrichment initiatives.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is November 4, 2026. For full consideration, please apply by the first review date.

Responsibilities

Programmatic Oversight and Leadership

• Provides leadership and programmatic oversight in the domain of curricular and cocurricular engagement, affecting undergraduates campus-wide. With six large-scale curricular and research programs (Freshman and Sophomore Seminars, First-Year Pathways, Big Ideas Courses, On the Same Page, Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program) and two co-curricular research programs (SURF L&S and Rose Hills Summer Scholarships) already established, a majority of this time is spent in activities necessary to administering and improving them, including but not limited to annual planning, recruiting students and faculty participants, guiding faculty in course development, developing and overseeing budgets, event planning, overseeing selection processes, and assessing and improving each program.
• Exercises independent decision-making, complex problem-solving, strategic oversight, and savviness in escalating matters to higher leadership.
• Collaborates with departments to build and maintain course clusters, organizing recruitment events, program assessments, providing guidance and support to staff who handle program promotion and enrollment processes.

Policy and Analytical Support

• Sets policies and supports communications planning for the academic engagement programs under the position's portfolio, including selection criteria and criteria for participation, eligibility for funding, class size, and learning outcomes driving the assessment parameters.
• Leads efforts to conduct highly complex analyses across these diverse programs to ensure each program fulfills its stated educational and enrichment outcomes, producing compelling reports with varied data.
• Advocates solutions to organizational or research program issues, including developing and administering new systems, policies, processes, or programs as needed.
• Provides operational and analytical support, researching established major requirements, pre-professional track programs, and general educational requirements.
• Develops proposals and recommendations to guide and support a broader strategic direction for the program, initiative, or organizational goal.

Operational Coordination and Research

• Works in coordination with Project Policy Analyst 3 to meet program goals and ensure operations (scheduling, grant funds, faculty correspondence) are running smoothly.
• Supports executive decision-making and problem-solving around complex or unusual situations in these areas, ensuring that procedures fulfill departmental and divisional goals and align with campus policy.
• Undertakes higher-level research about specific breadth and major requirements, curriculum and pedagogy, as well as established and emerging high-impact practices.
• Researches and summarizes best practices in the field.
• Oversees COCI approval processes for newly proposed courses.

Strategic Initiative Development

• Translates decanal ideas for the enrichment of undergraduate education into fully operational programs, in consultation with supervisors, securing all necessary approvals, developing procedures and timelines.
• Provides ad hoc support for policy-related initiatives related to undergraduate experience and expert guidance on academic policy development.
• Helps the director lead monthly staff meetings and supports coordination around communications strategy across units and programs within purview, including monitoring SPA accounts and updating websites.

Required Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of curriculum development and design.
• Fluency with the core values and history of liberal arts education.
• Broad knowledge of advanced research and pedagogy across multiple domains.
• Expert project management skills, particularly in support of undergraduate educational initiatives.
• Thorough knowledge of high-impact practices and experiential learning.
• Skills in designing and administering surveys and assessments.
• Advanced knowledge of general education requirements, major pathways, and academic policy.
• Advanced analytical skills and ability to iteratively develop administrative processes, protocols, and procedures.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with all levels of staff both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to use discretion and maintain confidentiality.
• Capacity to engage scholarly stakeholders on an array of advanced interdisciplinary initiatives.
• Bachelor's degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience.

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.

The budgeted annual range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $115,000 - $135,000.

• This is an exempt, monthly-paid position.
• This is a full-time, career position eligible for UC benefits.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Other Information

• This position is eligible for up to 2 days/week of remote work within the United States. Exact arrangements are determined in partnership with your supervisor to meet role responsibilities and department needs and are subject to change.
• This is not a visa opportunity. This position does not include sponsorship of a new consular H-1B visa petition that would require payment of the $100,000 supplemental fee.
• This position is covered by the collective bargaining agreement between the UAW (United Auto Workers) and the University of California Regents for RP. The current bargaining agreement manual can be found at: https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/resources/employment-policies-contracts/bargaining-units/rp-research-and-public-service-professionals/contract/

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.

Mandated Reporter

This position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter required to report the observed or suspected abuse or neglect of children, dependent adults, or elders to designated law enforcement or social service agencies. We reserve the right to make employment contingent upon completion of signed statements acknowledging the responsibilities of a Mandated Reporter.

Misconduct

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.