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Graduate Program Manager, MCB (4576U) - 71773

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

Biosciences Divisional Services (BDS) supports the Departments of Integrative Biology (IB) and Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB). The new Neuroscience (NEU) Department launched on July 1, 2024 and will also be administratively housed under BDS.

Currently, the IB and MCB departments form one of the largest academic research units at UC Berkeley. By several measures (including number of faculty and students, budget, and assigned square feet), these departments are larger than many UCB colleges and schools. BDS represents over 186 faculty FTE (including Adjuncts, Professors of the Graduate School, active emeriti and 15 HHMI professors); 77 researchers and specialists; 150 postdoctoral researchers; 375 graduate students; 80 department staff members. Financial resources include approximately $51M in annual extramural funding (which accounts for over half of the total sponsored research awards in the College of Letters & Science) and over $46M other fund sources. The department has 1,800 declared undergraduate majors (the largest majors on the Berkeley campus) and a total annual enrollment in classes of ~20,000. Department personnel are currently housed in eight buildings located in three widely separated parts of the campus.

Position Summary

This position involves a wide range of student services duties and responsibilities for the Graduate Affairs Office (GAO), primarily to the department of Molecular & Cell Biology (MCB). Responsible for providing assistance to the director, faculty, and students in academic advising, recruitment, admissions, student orientation, graduate student events, the evaluation and awarding of University fellowships, diversity recruitment, career counseling, and related programs. Serves as the lead student services advisor in the MCB GAO and has oversight and the sharing of responsibilities with other GAO duties that include rotations, graduate student instructor assignments and hiring, courses, grading, evaluations, qualifying exams, advancement to candidacy, data collection, commencement, and reporting for training grants.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: 08/28/2024.

Responsibilities

Academic and Student Advising

• Applying advanced student services concepts, provides the most complex student services to the organization's management, faculty and students.


• Advises faculty on departmental/college and university policies and procedures; reviews students' progress and advises students and faculty on requirements for degree/program completion; identifies students with progression problems and recommends interventions.


• Leads the coordination, planning and implementation of all first year advising, rotations and coursework, qualifying exams, advancement to candidacy, thesis committees, and dissertation filing.


• Oversees planning and design of workshops and meetings for students, such as regular first- and second-year meetings with students, advisors, and the Head Graduate Advisor.


• Ensures all eligible students obtain residency by the end of their first year.


• Generates three 10-week rotation schedules for first year MCB graduate students. Initiates rotation schedules and coordinates with two graduate groups, two departments, and a training program.


• Leads the planning and implementation of two courses for first year students (FERPs and Ethics), including coordination with instructors and students' schedules and class enrollments.


• Counsels students regarding filing of dissertations and the use of filing fee status. Ensures accurate final degree checks for students filing dissertations. Maintains departmental degree lists for all students, and reconciles differences with Graduate Division statistics. Produces reports and statistics on Ph.D. recipients as necessary.


• Identifies and refers for resolution intricate student issues/grievances such as alleged discrimination, complex grade dispute issues, and students' personal crises; recommends petition exceptions that affect the requirements of multiple departments.


• Responsible for interpreting campus policies and advising students and faculty on student conduct, student grievances, disputes, and issues regarding discrimination and recommends solutions to problems.


• Responsible for coordinating and obtaining divisional and departmental approvals for all courses required for the Ph.D., and posting all graduate courses to the web.

Recruitment and Admissions

• Advises department on outreach strategies, and helps identify targeted institutions to meet organization's recruitment and admissions goals.


• Plans and implements outreach programs with specifically targeted institutions and groups; advises prospective applicants on necessary academic preparation; appropriateness of program as it pertains to the prospective applicant's goals; evaluates domestic and international transcripts for degree eligibility; updates department outreach materials,


• Works with IT staff to refine and improve the online admissions process and coordination with campus student information systems.


• Coordinates outreach efforts throughout the admissions and recruitment process to ensure that the department attracts top candidates from diverse backgrounds; attends major national conferences to recruit applicants, including the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) and the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS).


• Schedules and attends all admissions meetings and, under the authority of the Admissions Chair, sends all admission and fellowship letters.


• Prepares reports of all admissions statistics for training grants and the department.


• Provides assistance with the planning, implementation, and management of recruitment visits of ~120 prospective graduate students to MCB.

Department Policies

• Makes recommendations for the improvement of the MCB graduate program.


• Analyzes current programs and policies and develops and administers new policies and procedures to keep the department current and operating at the highest standards.


• Advises the Head Graduate Advisor and the Director of Student Services on the formulation of department policy by highlighting areas needing clarification and identifying solutions; analyzes the consequences of the department's academic policies and recommends new or changed policies; recommends solutions to departmental problems without precedent.


• Updates language to clarify policies and reflect changes.

Supervision

• Trains, directs, and supervises a full-time staff member (IB & MCB Graduate Program Coordinator) responsible for the coordination of graduate program events such as Recruitment, Commencement, GSI assignments and hiring, student events, and GAO administrative processes such as travel and entertainment reimbursements.


• Supervises work-study students as needed.

Graduate Affairs Office Assistance

• Assists with tracking GAO expenses and ensuring that program support costs are within budget.


• Assists with the graduate instructor assignment and hiring process as needed.


• Assists with gathering of data needed for annual reporting and renewals of federal training grants.


• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of policies, procedures, and degree requirements related to graduate student programs.


• Demonstrated ability to make consistent, sound recommendations and exercise clear judgment in the application of graduate student policies.


• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills, and the ability to work effectively (both independently and as a team member) with students, faculty, and staff, including individuals from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds.


• Strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace and student body with the ability to identify and effectively address the needs of students with diverse backgrounds and experiences.


• Demonstrated discretion and sensitivity in dealing with urgent and/or confidential situations.


• Ability in problem identification, reasoning, ability to develop original ideas to solve problems, persuasion, leadership.


• Ability to be resourceful, creative, innovative, and flexible.


• Strong organizational, problem solving, and project management skills; flexibility and initiative in seeking service improvements and procedural efficiency.


• Demonstrated ability to work with a high degree of autonomy while exercising sound judgment and diplomacy.


• Ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships with students, faculty, and staff, and to partner with other departments in the campus community.


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including demonstrated effectiveness in active listening and interpersonal communication skills.


• Demonstrated proficiency with computerized student information and financial systems, Microsoft Office, and Filemaker Pro.


• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of and/or experience with UC advising policies and procedures.


• Knowledge of and/or can quickly learn University policies, procedures, and systems; including experience with campus student information systems (Campus Solutions, Cal Central, Slate), the travel and entertainment reimbursement system, and academic student employee hiring systems (Filemaker Pro, Smartsheets, Service Now).

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 $80,000.00 - $97,000.00.

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 40% 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.

Mandated Reporter

This position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter required to report the observed or suspected abuse or neglect of children, dependent adults, or elders to designated law enforcement or social service agencies. We reserve the right to make employment contingent upon completion of signed statements acknowledging the responsibilities of a Mandated Reporter.

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 https://apptrkr.com/get_redirect.php?id=5525681&targetURL=U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission poster.

The University of California's Affirmative action policy.

The University of California's Anti-Discrimination policy.


To apply, visit https://careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psc/ucb/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH_FL.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST_FL&JobOpeningId=71773&PostingSeq=1&SiteId=21&languageCd=ENG&FOCUS=Applicant