The UCSB Central Coast Community Labor Project invites applications for the position of Executive Director. The project is administratively housed in the UCSB Blum Center on Poverty, Inequality, and Democracy, which aims to foster interdisciplinary, socially engaged research and learning about poverty and inequality, and to contribute to collective action that advances intersectional economic and environmental justice regionally, in the United States, and abroad.

The UCSB Central Coast Community Labor Project is dedicated to the study of working people, the labor movement, and the challenges of the rapidly changing economy as it impacts the communities of California and beyond. Our goals are to connect students, faculty, policymakers, and labor and community stakeholders, and to collaboratively pursue 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 on the Central Coast (Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties).

With new funding through the University of California Worker Rights Policy Initiative (WRPI), the project seeks, in the next three years, to expand our capacity for research, policy analysis and public-facing programming, particularly in collaboration with community and labor organizations; support unions and community organizations to conduct their work more strategically by developing curricula, training staff and rank-and-file members, and providing technical assistance; and develop the next generation of labor and community organizers, researchers, and leaders among undergraduate and graduate students by connecting them with community and labor organizations, and training and involving them in community-engaged action research.

The UCSB Central Coast Community Labor Project works closely with 70 labor unions and organizations that are members of the Central Coast Labor Council, as well as community organizations working for economic and social justice, such as the Central Coast Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) and the Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP). In Summer 2023, the project launched its inaugural Labor Summer Program https://www.blumcenter.ucsb.edu/labor-summer, to train and place UCSB undergraduate students in paid summer internships with Central Coast labor unions.

We expect the project to continue to grow in size, scope, and reach in the coming years and eventually to be established as an independent Center on the UCSB campus. We are hiring a executive director to help establish and lead overall project operations, building the administrative and programmatic infrastructure for ongoing research, policy analysis, community and labor collaborations, curriculum development, and trainings (both on and off campus).

The executive director is the senior, full-time person working closely with the faculty director in leading the project and managing its dynamic and growing portfolio of research, training, programming, and community collaboration. The executive director is responsible for independent development and coordination of all aspects of project operations, which include the following core areas:

Strategic leadership: Working with the project's faculty director and our Advisory Board, the executive director provides strategic leadership in planning and implementing all academic programming, research, and public programs. This may include the following areas of responsibility:

* Collaboratively develop, evaluate, and monitor a detailed strategic plan for the project.

* Coordinate with the Blum Center, other UCSB faculty, and labor and community partners.

* Represent the project at annual conferences, labor and community-sponsored events, and working groups.

Research and Programming Support: Working closely with the faculty director and the Project's Advisory Board, the executive director will help develop and guide the project's research, policy analysis and public-facing programming. This may include the following areas of responsibility:

* Oversee ongoing initiatives and develop new collaborations with labor and community organizations, other research partnerships that support the mission of the project.

* Support ongoing research, and, if qualified, develop new research, which may be in areas of the executive director's research interests where they overlap with the project's mission.

* Help recruit, communicate with, and manage the project's Advisory Board, which is made up of strategic labor and community partners, as well as affiliated faculty.

* Coordinate across academic departments to develop academic programming in labor studies and workers' rights.

* Oversee and evaluate the annual Labor Summer Program that recruits, trains, and places undergraduate and graduate students in paid summer internships with local labor and community organizations.

* Support programming and training for labor and community leaders, as well as rank-and-file union members, in collaboration with the Central Coast Labor Council.

Fundraising: Working with the faculty director, staff researchers, and other affiliated faculty members, develop and initiate strategies for generating resources and/or revenues. This may include the following areas of responsibility:

* Work with the Office of Research and the Office of Development to identify new funding opportunities.

* Work with diverse interdisciplinary collaborations of faculty and public sector funding agencies to develop potential research projects and collaborations, exploring potential funding opportunities.

* Represent the project's mission and research accomplishments to external stakeholders, including potential major donors, and leveraging external relationships to create new opportunities.

Communications: The executive director oversees and directs all aspects of the project's communications, from web/social media presence to external relations. This may include the following areas of responsibility:

* Develop and oversee communication of the project's research accomplishments, to the public, press, foundations, government, and UCSB campus community.

* Provide content and editorial feedback on draft policy reports and research translation reports published by the project.

* Work with the Social Science and Humanities and Fine Arts Divisions marketing and communications staff on both broad communication strategies and developing specific communication and marketing materials.

* Communicate with community partners about project activities.

* Oversee website development and supervise social media outreach and messaging.

Event Development and Coordination: The executive director oversees all project organized and affiliated events. This may include the following areas of responsibility:

* Work with the faculty director and other UCSB faculty on all aspects of project events, from conceptualization to planning to implementation and evaluation.

* Reach out to external scholars, public intellectuals, and labor and community leaders about proposed and planned events.

* Coordinate communication and event planning, working closely with the Blum Center, the Social Sciences and Humanities and Fine Arts Divisions, and UCSB events staff.

* Write publicity materials related to project events.

Research Administration and Financial Management: The executive director oversees and further develops the organizational structure for the project's financial and business operations, including the generation, management and reporting of project budgets. This may include the following areas of responsibility:

* Oversee contract and grant management and work closely with divisional research accountants and staff members.

* Ensure effective management of programs supported by contracts and grants affiliated with the project, working closely with affiliated faculty and other research staff.

Staff and Program Management: The executive director is responsible for personnel and program management at the center. This may include the following areas of responsibility:

* Implement strategic initiatives and policy decisions, recommend timelines and resources needed to achieve strategic goals.

* Supervise and mentor existing staff.

* Hire, supervise, and mentor additional staff and contractors as needed and funding allows, ensure HR needs are met.

The University is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching, and service as appropriate to the position