About Berkeley

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are committed to creating a community that fosters equity of experience and opportunity, and ensures that students, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds feel safe, welcome and included. Our culture of openness, freedom and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty and staff.

The University of California, Berkeley, is one of the world's leading institutions of higher education, distinguished by its combination of internationally recognized academic and research excellence; the transformative opportunity it provides to a large and diverse student body; its public mission and commitment to equity and social justice; and its roots in the California experience, animated by such values as innovation, questioning the status quo, and respect for the environment and nature. Since its founding in 1868, Berkeley has fueled a perpetual renaissance, generating unparalleled intellectual, economic and social value in California, the United States and the world.

We are looking for equity-minded applicants who represent the full diversity of California and who demonstrate a sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnic backgrounds present in our community. When you join the team at Berkeley, you can expect to be part of an inclusive, innovative and equity-focused community that approaches higher education as a matter of social justice that requires broad collaboration among faculty, staff, students and community partners. In deciding whether to apply for a position at Berkeley, you are strongly encouraged to consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles, our Principles of Community, and our Strategic Plan.

At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. To find out more about how you can grow your career at UC Berkeley, visit grow.berkeley.edu.

Departmental Overview

The College of Engineering at UC Berkeley is recognized for its educational and research excellence, consistently ranking among the top three Engineering colleges in the United States. With more than 220 regular faculty members, 1600 graduate students and 2,700 undergraduate students located in seven academic departments, Engineering is the second largest college on the Berkeley campus. Operating expenditures for the College as a whole are close to $200 million annually.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is a large academic department within the College of Engineering with 38 faculty, 7 Professors of the Graduate School, one professor-in-residence, four adjunct faculty, 25 career staff, 85 visiting researchers, four post-doctoral scholars, six (0% FTE) joint appointments from other departments who collaborate on teaching and research. ME has approximately 1,210 students of which: 750 are undergraduates, 200 PhD, 180 Masters, and 80 Aerospace Engineering program students. The Department is actively engaged in teaching and research in the disciplines of Biomechanical Engineering, Controls, Design, Dynamics, Energy Science and Technology, Fluids, Manufacturing, Materials, Mechanics, MEMS and Nano, Ocean Engineering, Robotics, and Aerospace Engineering with research and instructional laboratories in Etcheverry Hall, Hesse Hall, and the Richmond Field Station. Mechanical Engineering's Technical & Instructional Support Group consists of 10 career technical staff and forms the primary support to research and instructional laboratories, and the student access machine shop.

The Academic HR Manager is responsible for recommending, developing, implementing, administering, coordinating, and/or evaluating Academic Personnel policies, labor contracts, statutes, programs, and procedures covering one or more of the following: academic recruitment, appointment, and advancement and promotion through the ranks; compensation and salary administration; faculty welfare programs; visa procurement; benefits; payroll; training and development; faculty misconduct; faculty equity issues; and faculty awards programs.

Drawing on detailed and extensive knowledge of Academic Personnel policies, labor contracts, statutes, programs, and procedures, the Academic HR Manager oversees activities in academic recruitment, appointment and advancement/promotion; compensation and salary administration; faculty welfare programs; visa procurement; benefits; payroll; training and development; faculty misconduct; and faculty equity in a unique academic environment.

Supports the Department Chair, the Department Manager, Academic-Senate faculty and non-Senate appointees, and specializes in academic personnel policy, procedure, academic advancement/promotion, work-related issues governed by UC Academic Personnel policy and collective bargaining units. Provides analytical support for the full range of high-level complex academic personnel matters including the development of faculty recruiting (senate and non-senate faculty searches) priorities and strategic plans. Advises the Chair on campus programs aimed at averting loss of faculty members to outside institutions, faculty recruitment strategies and practices, and oversees permanent and temporary academic salary accounts. Monitors teaching and service, and leave activities and analyzes faculty workload.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: March 27, 2024 - Open Until Filled

Responsibilities

Academic Personnel Management

Manages academic personnel administration which is essential to the success of faculty advancement cases and salary increases, faculty retention and recruitment, with attention to fairness and equity across large, multi-faceted faculty having an international reputation to maintain. Independently determines when required academic personnel actions for Mechanical Engineering faculty must take place, including identifying candidates for early promotion or acceleration. Initiates such actions, analyzes and synthesizes both qualitative and quantitative data relevant to such actions, and makes initial assessment of cases' strength and weakness. Advises faculty members on preparing self-evaluations. For the Chair, independently drafts merit andpromotion recommendation letters, applying broad knowledge of multiple disciplinary areas. Investigates problems or complaints involving academic appointees, provides feedback to management, makes strategic recommendations. Counsels Senate and non-Senate faculty and other academic employees concerning complex and/or sensitive work-related or career-related issues.
Analyzes faculty appointment, merit, and promotion cases. Independently, prepares full-scale drafts of departmental Chair recommendation letters for all faculty appointments and advancements by applying advanced knowledge of UC Academic Personnel policy and departmental precedents and principles. Analyzes case documents prior to submission, reviewing for accuracy completeness, and adherence to policies and procedures of the Standing Orders of the Regents, the Academic Personnel Manual (APM), the Berkeley Campus, College of Engineering, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Anticipates, identifies and resolves any potential problems that might arise in later stages of the review process.
Analyzes leave eligibility, accrual, or usage and informs faculty of accumulated sabbatical leave credit balances. Determines and anticipates need for credit deferral requests and exemptions to accrue above the maximum credits and submits those on the Chair's behalf. Advises faculty of implications of various types of leaves including partial sabbatical leaves, ASMD, medical leaves, industrial leaves, and providing guidance on the required reporting procedures, salary levels, and lengths of leave available. Facilitating the process of sabbatical leave-In-Lieu of credits from outside universities to Berkeley, as well as for Sr. Lecturers with Security of Employment. Monitors compliance with University policies. Tracks fiscal impact and advises Chair and Department Manager on the impact to department budget.
Oversees the Academic HR Analyst 3 that processes Unit-18 NSF lecturers (Pre-six, Continuing, and Sr. Lecturer appointments for the academic-year and summer for Mechanical Engineering and Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation. Ensures that the analyst, advises senate faculty and non-Senate Unit-18 NSF lecturers on UC employment related matters. Notifies academic appointees of policy changes related to benefits and retirement and responds to inquiries. Initiates actions regarding notification of appropriate authorities in cases of emergency, injury or death.
Oversees coordination of the Chair and Vice Chair Summer Schedule including processing their summer salary, coordinates vice chair appointments, and related stipends. Oversees the assignment of acting chairs.
Advises on matters related to housing, spousal placement, and benefits of employment; devises language and drafts letters of commitment. Advises chair on complex appointments involving partner placement and the coordination of multiple funding sources among campus units. Processes or oversees time-sensitive requests for exceptional permissions to recruit and visa and permanent resident issues. Secures exceptional approvals as necessary.
Conducts investigations into complaints involving academic appointees; provides feedback to management and makes strategic recommendations.
Interprets APM and University and Senate directives for faculty and advises faculty of their rights and responsibilities. Serves as custodian of faculty files and records, ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of the department's review procedures and its academic personnel files as required by Senate by laws.
Coordinates hiring and payroll actions for multi-location appointments. Initiates actions for reviews and compensation for submission through the college, organized research units, Academic Personnel Office (APO), campus payroll and accounting units.
Oversees hiring and payroll functions for departmental and affiliated departments and units. Oversees the trajectory of actions through the college, organized research units, and campus offices. Oversees expenditures for accuracy and timeliness.
Oversees award process for Miller Institute programs.
Assists Department Manager with data for Temporary Academic Staffing (TAS) budget: faculty on leaves or administrative assignments, and retirements.
Serves as expert consult and resource on academic personnel issues for the Department of Mechanical Engineering and provides guidance on development and implementation of policy and procedures.
Serves as a resource and technical expert to staff in other COE departments and units on the application of academic personnel policy.
Oversees employment actions related to international faculty with the Berkeley International Office (BIO)/Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) and coordinates J1 visas, H-1B, and Permanent Residency processing with ERSO HR OPS.
Oversees labor certification, visa status, and renewals and extensions for foreign appointees.
Represents campus in informal and formal complaint resolution processes.

Strategic Planning and Analysis

Recommends and develops procedures to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of academic personnel administration within the Mechanical Engineering Department.
Develops rationales and data for, and composes, letters and communications regarding off-cycle faculty FTE requests for Search waivers.
Ensures federal and campus hiring/affirmative action policies are met. Analyzes data from peer institutions.
Identifies and utilizes precedent-setting situations to recommend new organizational procedures and practices. Recommends and develops procedures to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of academic personnel administration within the complex ME department.
Directs and shapes the implementation of interactive web-based tracking systems to manage information pertaining to faculty research, teaching, and service contributions.
Develops departmental policies outlining governance structure and workload. Monitors salary, administrative faculty appointments, and awards and ensures that the College of Engineering (COE) database is updated.
Assists department committees, the chair and manager in formulating short-and long-range plans involving the academic personnel needs. Keeps abreast of continuing and new directives from the Academic Senate and appropriate campus administrators. Recommends and/or implements changes as appropriate.
Makes policy recommendations on faculty recruitment strategies. Ensures compliance with federal and campus hiring policies and affirmative action. Performs analysis of peer institutions.
Provides advice to Chair and management and recommends strategies for addressing sensitive situations involving academic appointees and/or requesting exceptions to policy. Advises chair on campus policy and departmental precedents to avoid inequitable situations among faculty and potentially litigious circumstances.

Faculty Recruitment and Management

Oversees the conducts all ME faculty recruitment activities.
Devises recruitment strategies including ad language and placement as well as outreach efforts aimed at women and underrepresented minority groups. Works with the campus' Office of Faculty Equity and Welfare and department diversity officers or committees to implement strategies to improve outreach.
Provides policy guidance to faculty search committees and oversees conduct of interviews.
Coordinates joint appointment activities with related units and initiatives (i.e. LNBL, ERSO, EECS, BIOE, MSE, NE, ERG, Haas, and Davis)
Makes recommendations with respect to rank and step for new faculty appointments, using judgment to maintain salary equity. Advises chair on candidate negotiations.
Oversees preparation of cases for new appointments, as well utilization of campus AP Recruit and AP Bears processes.
Reviews and approves outside activities for faculty ME faculty in our Outside Activity Tracking system (OATS). Provides guidance to the Chair and faculty on reporting. On occasions provides one-on-one assistance with the portal and explains the policy.

Academic Personnel Liaison and Staff Supervision

Serves as departmental Academic HR lead and liaison with COE Dean's Office (COE), campus departments, Academic Personnel Office (APO), UCPath-Academic Personnel specialist, ERSO HR OPS, Office of Faculty Equity & Welfare (OFEW), Campus Budget Office, or EVC&P, or other units appropriate to resolve difficult Academic HR problems/grievances. Makes critical decisions and directs staff in compliance with departmental policy. Serves as consultant for manager and chairs regarding precedents and/or changes to policy; provides guidance on development and implementation of policy and procedures.
Provides interpretation of complex academic HR policies and procedures with risk management exposure for the campus, such as final appraisal and security of employment reviews, leaves w/o Pay, Leave-in-Lieu of-sabbatical.
Identifies unusual and special needs of faculty (i.e. immigration issues, personal finance problems), engages department and college leadership, and proposes remedies which may require exceptional approval from the Chancellor or UC President.
Advises the chair on campus programs aimed at averting loss of faculty members to outside institutions and approaches to tailoring retention packages to given faculty situations.
Consults with units such as the Title IX compliance office, the Committee on Faculty Welfare and/or committees of the Academic Senate.
Acts as unit's Labor Relations officer with respect to academic complaints or grievances. Mentors/provides guidance to the Chair, who may encounter a range of situations involving faculty members' requests which may involve Academic Personnel Issues.
Liaison with ERSO staff to coordinate correct payment of ME Faculty Research Leaves and proper preparation of faculty materials with which they may be asked to assist.
Contribute to the processing of career staff or faculty awards to campus and/or outside entities.
Supervise Academic HR Analyst 3 who is responsible for general Academic HR, Unit-18 NSF Lecturer processing for ME & Jacobs, and various duties pertaining to academic personnel: appointments, reviews, and leaves. Oversees and directs with responsibility for quality and quantity of work. Provide guidance and training in all areas and create an effective teamwork environment. Provides guidance on performance standards, develops performance plans, and evaluates performance, including providing feedback coaching. Makes recommendations for employee incentive awards and salary increases including merits and reclassifications. Conducts quarterly Achieve Together performance reviews.
Carries out special projects as needed by the Department Director of Administration.
Oversees career support staff involved in the processing and maintenance of both Staff and Academic HR actions and records. Oversees the Departmental benefits coordination, including worker's compensation issues/claims.
Participates in the selection of new employees and is responsible for staff training as it pertains to Academic & Staff Human Resources.
Provides input on relevant staff development performance evaluations.
Keeps abreast of Visiting Scholars and provides guidance to faculty on who to contact for information regarding Postdoctoral policies and procedures.
Oversees departmental benefits coordination for faculty, including worker's comp issues/claims.
Advises Department Manager on Staff Personnel policies and procedures.

Faculty Awards

Collect information, organize materials and manage submissions for faculty awards. Assist faculty with preparation of documentation in support of nominations for campus, professional society, and other distinguished awards. Monitor award announcements and analyze eligibility of department faculty. Recommend actions to faculty awards committee.
Maintain a list of faculty awards for FTE calls and makes the appropriate updates to the COE Database.
Assist the Student Services Director with Distinguished Teaching Award Nominations.

Required Qualifications

Bachelors degree in related area or at least five years of progressively responsible experience in an academic business environment and/or equivalent experience/training.
Advanced knowledge of and ability to apply/interpret system wide, campus and college policies and procedures which govern academic HR, including in-depth knowledge of campus and system Academic HR policies, guidelines and procedures
Complete understanding of the academic review process.
Advanced knowledge of campus and college goals, priorities and values and the legal and human implications of decisions.
Ability to analyze complex management issues; develop project scope and solutions, give professional advice to senior officials and make critical decisions regarding personnel.
Knowledge of trends in academia, especially in areas of academic planning, human resource management and administration.
Able to provide guidance and coaching of process and policies to individual academics, unit management and various committee groups.
Demonstrated initiative, tact and planning skills. as well as political acumen for assessing strategic options.
Ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences.
Able to interpret complex academic HR policies and procedures with risk management exposure to the campus.
Sound judgment/good decision making, analytical, problem solving, critical thinking and resource management skills.
Extraordinary discretion, tack, and ability to maintain confidentiality.
Excellent analytical and communications skills for developing and presenting compelling oral and written arguments for case materials and policy documents.
Attention to detail and ability to prioritize multiple tasks and meet competing and strict deadlines.

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 salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $95,300 to $136,700 annually. This is a 100% FTE career position eligible for full benefits.

Other Information

This position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule with 3 days on campus and 2 days remote. The hybrid work schedule agreement renews every year depending on the needs of the department.

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.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. For more information about your rights as an applicant, please see the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission poster.

For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy, please see the University of California Discrimination, Harassment, and Affirmative Action in the Workplace policy.