Director, Local News Fellowship (0563U) - #75796

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 make it a special place for students, faculty and staff.

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We are looking for applicants who reflect California's diversity and want to be part of an inclusive, equity-focused community that views education as a matter of social justice. Please consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles, Principles of Community, and Strategic Plan.

At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups (staff organizations). 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 full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. Find out more about how you can grow your career at UC Berkeley.

Departmental Overview

Berkeley Journalism is home to the groundbreaking California Local News Fellowship program, the largest publicly funded journalism program in the country.

We have roughly 80 fellows reporting in more than 70 newsrooms across the state of California.

This program is made possible through a $25 million grant from the state of California. It launched in Fall 2023 and has guaranteed funding through September 2027.

Position Summary

The position will utilize a State of California $25M grant to Berkeley Journalism to support early career journalists working at local news organizations throughout California. Responsible for managing the fellowship program, in coordination with the fellowship advisory board, State, local news agencies, other California colleges and universities, and UCB stakeholders. The person in this role will need to be a recognized expert in the field of journalism with specialized knowledge of the California news scene, and the expectation is that this person will develop the future for this program, will handle all logistics and administration of the program, and will be able to negotiate the political landscape with discretion and aplomb. The project director works closely with the Berkeley Journalism advancement and communication teams to raise awareness about and to secure ongoing funding for the program.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: 05/21/2025.

Responsibilities

• Manages the operations of the fellowship program including the staff, policies and guidelines, and marketing plan.
• Designs program staffing structure; recruit, manage and evaluate project staff.
• Functions as a key public representative for the program and Berkeley Journalism through participation in conferences, engagement/oversight of social media and other communications, and publication of stories about the program in relevant periodicals.
• Represents the program and Berkeley Journalism, with support from the Dean and Assistant Dean, Advancement, to the California journalism profession as well as national media entities; institutional philanthropy and individual donors; and to community leaders - especially those underrepresented in journalism - interested in improving their community's access to quality journalism.
• Creates, leads, and convenes a volunteer advisory board to assist in design of the program, and to participate in selection of fellows and newsrooms.
• Works with Berkeley Journalism leadership, staff, and faculty to represent the program on campus with other interested units and individuals.
• Ensures that interested State of California parties are kept informed of the program, with an eye towards possible renewal of state support.
• Exercises wide judgment in selecting and developing methods, techniques and evaluation criteria for obtaining appropriate results and resolution of organizational effectiveness issues.
• Develops unique solutions, works with clients, usually senior leadership or their staff to address issues and implement solutions in alignment with strategic goals.
• Provides collaborative leadership and consultation, strategic planning, design and facilitation, and high-level project management on complex, multi-faceted problems to achieve strategically aligned solutions.
• Maintains accountable and clear relationships with the receiving journalism organizations and ensures that the fellows are successfully deployed and overseen by organizational staff.
• Other duties as assigned and appropriate.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrates superior analytical, problem-solving, project planning and implementation skills.
• Knowledge of the organizational environment of higher education and large research universities to understand client priorities, issues, motivations and constraints.
• Have superior written, verbal and presentation skills for influencing and facilitating sustained change.
• Possesses superior consulting, relationship building, and strategic thinking skills.
• Demonstrates superior strategic-thinking and consulting skills in guiding the organization toward workable strategies and solutions.
• Ability to facilitate and influence people at all levels.
• Ability to persuade through both logic and appeal to positive motivations.
• Ability to handle multiple constituencies, agendas, engagements and tasks, and to deal productively with ambiguity and conflict.
• Demonstrates ability to learn quickly, reason, synthesize and generalize based on information obtained; sound judgment; ability to draw unbiased conclusions.
• Ability to focus on priorities, strategies, and vision.
• Knowledge of the consulting process to effectively lead highly significant engagements from inception to conclusion.
• Incorporates excellent skills in change management programs on a regular basis.
• Highly-skilled in navigating organizational complexity.
• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

Preferred Qualifications

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

Salary & Benefits

This is a full-time (40 hours/week), approximately 2-year contract appointment, eligible for UC benefits with the possibility of extension. This is an exempt position, which is paid monthly at an annual rate.

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 salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $150,000.00 - $180,000.00. The full range for this classification is $134,200.00 - $263,400.00.

How to Apply

• To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Other Information

• This is not a visa opportunity.
• This position is eligible for up to 20% remote work. Exact arrangements are determined in partnership with your supervisor to meet role responsibilities and department needs, and are subject to change.

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

SB 791 and AB 810 Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: 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/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.

The University of California's Affirmative action policy.

The University of California's Anti-Discrimination policy.