Executive Director

UCI Labor Center

Executive Director

Based in Irvine, CA

Job #JPF10298
Urban Planning and Public Policy / School of Social Ecology / UC Irvine

Position overview
Salary range: $88,000 – $175,000

Application Window
Open date: July 1, 2026

Next review date: Thursday, Jul 16, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Monday, Aug 31, 2026 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 UCI Labor Center invites applications for the position of Executive Director . The center is administratively housed within the School of Social Ecology.

The UCI Labor Center is dedicated to the study of working people, the labor movement, and the challenges of a rapidly changing economy as they affect the communities of California and beyond. The center connects students, faculty, policymakers, and labor and community stakeholders, and it pursues 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 funding through the University of California Worker Rights Policy Initiative (WRPI), the center aims over the next three years to expand academic planning and development on campus in labor studies, labor law, employment law, and immigrant rights; to expand its capacity for research, policy analysis, and public-facing programming in collaboration with labor and community organizations; to support unions and community organizations in working more strategically by developing curricula, training staff and rank-and-file members, and providing technical assistance; and to develop the next generation of labor and community organizers, researchers, and leaders by connecting undergraduate and graduate students with community and labor organizations and involving them in community-engaged action research and experiential education.

The center works closely with the ninety labor unions that make up the Orange County Central Labor Council, representing more than 200,000 workers, as well as with community organizations advancing economic and social justice. The center also runs the Labor Summer Program, which trains and places UC Irvine undergraduate and graduate students in paid summer internships with labor unions and community organizations.

As the center grows in size and complexity, it seeks an Executive Director to lead its academic programming, research, and community and labor collaborations. The Executive Director is the senior, full-time appointee, working closely with the Faculty Director to lead the center and manage its growing portfolio of research, programming, and community partnership. The Executive Director is responsible for the independent development and coordination of all aspects of center operations, organized around the core areas set out below.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic leadership
Working with the Faculty Director and the Center's Advisory Board, the Executive Director provides strategic leadership in planning and implementing the center's academic programming, research, and public programs.

• 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, at labor- and community-sponsored events, and in working groups.

Research and scholarship
The Executive Director conducts and leads research that advances the center's mission by leading research projects, developing research initiatives and partnerships, and overseeing the dissemination of research findings through reports, publications, conferences, and public-facing products; and translates research into programs and resources that benefit academic, governmental, labor, community, and industry audiences.

• Develop and lead research and policy analysis on working people, labor markets, immigrant rights, and the changing economy, in areas that align with the center's mission.
• 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
Working closely with the Faculty Director and the Advisory Board, the Executive Director collaboratively develops and guides the center's academic programming, research, policy analysis, and public-facing programming.

• 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
Collaborating with the Faculty Director, and researchers, the Executive Director develops and initiates strategies for generating resources and revenue.

• Work with the Office of Research to identify new funding opportunities.
• Develop and implement research projects and proposals with interdisciplinary teams of faculty and research partners, including 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
The Executive Director oversees and directs the center's communications, from its web presence to its external relations.

• Develop and oversee communication of the center's research to the public, the 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
The Executive Director oversees all center-organized and affiliated events.

• Work with the Faculty Director and other UCI scholars on all aspects of center events, from conception through evaluation.
• Engage external scholars, public intellectuals, and labor and community leaders about proposed and planned events.
• Coordinate event planning with the School of Social Ecology, and UCI events staff.
• Prepare publicity materials related to center events.

Research administration and financial management
The Executive 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.

• 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
The Executive Director is responsible for personnel and program management at the center.

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

QUALIFICATIONS
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

• A terminal degree, such as an MA, JD, or PhD, in labor studies, law, a social science, or a closely related field.
• A minimum of five years of experience, with increasing levels of responsibility, in research, program development, and administration.

Preferred qualifications
The center strongly encourages 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, 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.

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

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae: your most recently updated CV.
• Cover Letter: a letter of application summarizing your 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
Applicants must provide the names and contact information for three professional references. Letters of recommendation may be requested from candidates who are selected for further consideration.

Qualifications
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

• A terminal degree, such as an MA, JD, or PhD, in labor studies, law, a social science, or a closely related field.
• A minimum of five years of experience, with increasing levels of responsibility, in research, program development, and administration.

Application Requirements
Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter - A letter of application summarizing your qualifications and interest in the position, not to exceed 2 pages.
• Statement of Research - Statement of Research Experience and/or Areas of Interest as it relates to Labor, Labor movement, etc., not to exceed 2 pages

Reference requirements

• 3 required (contact information only)

Apply link:

About UC Irvine
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

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