Careers

Description:

The Center for Community and Citizen Science seeks a highly organized and motivated project manager to join our team. Our ideal candidate is a compassionate, open-minded and a people-first collaborator, who can think and work across multiple domains of responsibility (including research, education programming, and administration). This position is listed as “half time variable,” and has the potential to grow to a full time role as appropriate to the fit and availability of grant resources.

Job Summary:

Under the supervision of the Executive Director of the Center for Community and Citizen Science (the Center), based at the UC Davis School of Education, the Project Manager manages partnership-based research projects that support community and citizen science (CCS) capacity-building and program development with our partners. The Project Manager also supports dissemination and communication on behalf of the project, and efforts to sustain and expand work through new grant opportunities.

This role involves collaboration between the Center and Land Together, a non-profit organization that, among other things, builds and maintains gardens in state prisons, and carries out rehabilitation programming. The current phase of this collaboration is a research-practice initiative piloting the California Naturalist certification program in the prison context. The Project Manager will develop a deep understanding of the logistical and administrative realities of working in prisons, and may conduct occasional (though infrequent) visits to prison sites.

Essential Responsibilities:

80% PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Manage research-practice projects at the Center. 
• Help with delegation of tasks, and supervise undergraduate students working with the project team. 
• Coordinate with project leadership to help collaborators follow timelines, maintain focus on project priorities, and adapt to needs that arise;
• Plan and facilitate team meetings, and track and follow up on decisions and action items; 
• Manage the project Advisory Board, including support of meetings, and facilitation of in-person activities planned in collaboration with the project team;
• Coordinate field research and education programming activities;
• Manage project data and other resources (e.g., curriculum) to serve project needs and comply with applicable policies and procedures;
• Carry out procurement, contracting, and reimbursement processes; 
• Track and manage information needed for grant reporting, and facilitate grant reporting processes;
• Contribute ideas and feedback on education program and curriculum development; research analysis and reporting; and iterative improvement to the collaborative processes consistent with our team’s values.

10% EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION

• collaborate with the project team to disseminate research findings and, and communicate about project outcomes and products to diverse audiences;
• Draft or manage production of website and/or social media content about the project;
• Coordinate and contribute to development of presentations for conferences or other events/venues;
• Manage and oversee the use of communication resources such as branding and design guides;
• Coordinate graphic design and other communications services provided by external contractors.

10% PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

• Support the Center’s efforts to sustain and expand our work. 
• Evaluate potential of federal, state and private foundation grant opportunities identified by the project team; 
• Coordinate writing of grant proposals; 
• Draft interim and final reports for existing funders in collaboration with Center faculty and staff.

Skills/Eligibility:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and professional experience in a field relevant to the challenges of conducting environmental education and collaborative research in carceral settings (e.g. environmental science, education, community development, law).
• Experience with software tools, concepts, and processes central to interdisciplinary project management. 
• Experience managing community outreach and other forms of strategic communication, and strong writing skills.
• Ability to be compassionate, open-minded and a people-first collaborator.
• Experience working collaboratively with a diverse spectrum of individuals in a professional office environment.
• Ability to be highly organized, forward-thinking, flexible, and patient with bureaucratic systems, to effectively manage multiple projects, and balance diverse interests in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge and experience in environmental education pedagogy and practices, including experience with instruction focused on place-based and/or outdoor learning in formal or informal settings.
• Direct work or life experience with the carceral system, or other systems-impacted experiences.
• Advanced degree or equivalent experience in a field with relevance to the goal of teaching natural history in a carceral setting.
• Experience with grant development and preparation, and editing and publication of academic articles.
• Experience with the challenges and opportunities of carrying out university-based social science research and education programming with non-academic collaborators (e.g. research design, data management, research compliance, collaborative writing). 
• Professional presentation skills to write for and speak to multiple audiences
• Experience as an educator in formal (i.e., classroom) or informal settings (e.g., summer camp or science museum)
• Passion for dismantling systems of oppression through accessible education, and the ability to celebrate the dignity of all life as a foundation for providing meaningful and empowering experiences to incarcerated people.

How to Apply:

To Learn More and Apply:
Click here (link should take you to Job ID 82619) to learn more and apply. You will need to log in to your account, or select the New User link to create one.

If you are a current employee of the University of California please click here.

Contact ccs@ucdavis.edu with subject line “Project Manager” with any questions about the process.