Director of Research & Strategic Initiatives, Berkeley Air & Space Center

About Berkeley

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 makes it a special place for students, faculty and staff. As a world‑leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice.

Since our founding in 1868, we have driven innovation, creating global intellectual, economic and social value. 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, 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.

Berkeley Air & Space Center is a proposed groundbreaking 36-acre innovation campus at NASA Research Park in Silicon Valley, where academia, government mission agencies, global industry leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and international partners come together to accelerate breakthroughs in air and space systems.

The Center connects and leverages the combined capabilities of academic research, government mission needs, and private sector innovation to advance technologies across aerospace systems, autonomy, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, quantum computing, life in extreme environments, and other deep technology domains.

The Center is designed to serve as a national hub for innovation, integrating research, workforce development, and technology transition at scale.

The Director serves as the senior research program leader, responsible for the architecture, funding, governance, and execution of the Center’s research and strategic initiatives portfolio, as well as for the development and operation of the Center’s research enterprise.

• The Chief Technical Officer (technical direction and mission alignment)
• The Deputy Faculty Director (academic leadership and faculty engagement)

Translate technical priorities (CTO) and academic priorities (faculty leadership) into structured research programs. Design multi‑year research initiatives with defined goals, success metrics, evaluation frameworks, and transition pathways. Identify emerging opportunities and capability gaps across aerospace, autonomy, space systems, and dual‑use technologies. Develop scalable and repeatable program architectures integrating research, testing, and transition.

Provide senior leadership for the execution of sponsored research and strategic initiatives. Ensure alignment across technical, academic, financial, and sponsor requirements. Oversee program performance, milestones, deliverables, and reporting. Conduct program reviews and implement course corrections as needed.

Design, build, and operate the Center’s research enterprise, including:

• Organizational structures (research staff, fellows, program leads)
• Operating processes (program lifecycle, governance, reporting)
• Systems (program tracking, sponsor engagement, knowledge management)

Establish best practices for research governance, performance management, and portfolio scaling. Develop repeatable models for launching and managing multiple concurrent research programs. Build and sustain a diversified ecosystem of research sponsors across government, industry, and philanthropy.

Design…