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
This role is shared between two centers.
Launched in 2022 the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center for Data Science and Environment (DSE) at Berkeley is a partnership between UC Berkeley's Rausser College of Natural Resources (RCNR) and the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS), with the financial support of Eric and Wendy Schmidt. The Center combines the power of computing and environmental science with open science principles and a commitment to inclusivity - all towards the purpose of building tangible, replicable, and accessible solutions to problems compromising the health of our environment. Team members in the Center co-create these solutions in direct partnership with those who hold the knowledge and expertise of their local needs and environmental context.
Berkeley’s forthcoming James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center for Large Landscape Conservation (Stone Center) is a new program that will catalyze new forms of university engagement to increase the pace, scale, equity and durability of large-scale conservation. Team members in the Stone Center will pursue this mission through community-engaged research, stakeholder workshops, training initiatives, policy guidance, and through public communications. The Center will place special emphasis on ensuring that research is effectively communicated and leveraged beyond the university to help stakeholders make informed decisions, to create effective policy and management interventions with bi- partisan support, and to bring awareness to the cause of large-landscape conservation. The Center will leverage a number of communication channels to promote the work of the Center and our partners.
Position Summary
We aim to contribute to the global community who are similarly working to take on these challenges in four key areas:
- Generating ground-breaking computational/data science discoveries motivated by pressing environmental questions;
- Producing scalable solutions to critical threats facing the environment, powered by open-source tools;
- Deploying these solutions widely, taking advantage of modern cloud infrastructure and open data/open software, and maintaining a design philosophy of vendor neutrality to ensure that community needs are prioritized;
- Creating an enhanced pipeline of young environmental leaders connected to local communities and organizations to meet their needs and translate our research findings and technological developments into practical impacts.
The Communications Manager will play a critical role in helping to clearly and effectively share our work with a variety of audiences including stakeholders, funders, researchers, students, and the wider community. The incumbent will be a seasoned contributing communicator with interest and experience amplifying the findings of teams that address environmental challenges with data science methods and tools.
Application Review Date
The First Review Date for this job is 07/05/2024.
Responsibilities
Develops and publishes compelling written, visual, digital, and social media pieces This includes working with our collaborative teams to develop and publish:
- Materials related to core DSE projects that accessibly convey complex topics to stakeholders and wider audiences.
- Project descriptions and blog posts on the DSE website.
- Important information and findings via LinkedIn, X, and additional social channels.
- Regular quarterly and annual reporting summarizing our work in progress and future opportunities.
- Communications related to topical convenings that we host.
Works with center directors to create, develop, and implement comprehensive long and short-term strategic communications plans.
Provides advice and counsel to center directors and staff on all aspects of communications, including strategic planning, effective messaging, and problem resolution.
Ensures production of high-quality products that effectively deliver the desired message within budget and time constraints.
Identifies specific communications needs and develops the content and process for organizational improvements.
Required Qualifications
- Advanced knowledge and understanding of all aspects of communications, including strategic planning for various media venues, technical aspects and requirements of various venues, and most appropriate and effective applications.
- Advanced knowledge, understanding and ability to directly contribute to the communications needs of the centers including written and visual design elements for reporting, web applications, data visualizations, and social media.
- Advanced knowledge of and/or can quickly learn the organization, including its mission, vision, goals, policies, and infrastructure.
- Strong knowledge of current affairs and issues in environmental science and/or data science.
- Advanced skills to create, develop, and implement long and short-term strategic communication plans.
- Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal communications, active listening and political acumen skills.
- Excellent analytical, critical thinking, project management, and problem recognition, avoidance, and resolution skills.
- Thorough knowledge of location protocols and channels for communication internally and externally.
- Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.
- Able to work onsite for in-person events.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience, interest, and connectivity to science journalism.
Salary & Benefits
This is a 100% full-time (40 hrs a week) exempt career position, which is paid monthly and eligible for UC 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 $77,600.00 - $115,000.00.
How to Apply
- To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.
Other Information
- This is not a visa opportunity.
- The position is primarily onsite, with the ability for a hybrid schedule.
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.
