Executive Director of External Relations and Engagement , School of Social Welfare

Executive Director of External Relations and Engagement (0457U), School of Social Welfare #88417

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, who are among the most talented and accomplished anywhere, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and Mac Arthur Fellows. Since our founding in 1868, we have been an engine for innovation - driving intellectual, economic, and social progress that benefits California, the U.S., and beyond.

Together, we change the world.

At Berkeley, the best careers are built on a foundation of continuous learning and growth . We actively support professional development by providing all full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours of paid time per year and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups.

Berkeley Social Welfare is one of the nation's leading social work graduate programs. As part of the world's top ranked public university, the School of Social Welfare is producing new knowledge for the common good and training the next generation of social work thought leaders dedicated to serving society's most vulnerable members. Known for combining rigorous scholarship with outstanding education, the School of Social Welfare offers MSW and PhD programs as well as an undergraduate major.

Since 1944, the School has prepared nearly 12,000 social work professionals for leadership positions in the public and nonprofit human service sectors. Berkeley Social Welfare graduates are dedicated to meeting the growing needs of marginalized, underserved and other vulnerable populations.

This position will assist the Dean in developing new strategic initiatives in education and scholarship. It is modeled after those held by academic program managers in federally sponsored research centers, and in some academic departments, but encompasses the additional complexity of being required to develop a significantly broader network of sponsors from agencies and other external organizations, in addition to academic institutions.

Another element of this position will be connecting and translating between both external partners and faculty research priorities and/or student learning opportunities. This position supports the development of a range of scholarly and educational initiatives, including undergraduate and graduate courses, certificate programs, a range of professional education options including executive education as well as new domains for inter-professional knowledge building.

The Executive Director of External Relations and Engagement is a senior leadership role responsible for building and leading the School's external engagement strategy and operations. This hands-on position combines strategic vision with direct execution: the Executive Director will personally drive key initiatives while managing and developing a small team across communications, development, alumni relations, and instructional design.

The Executive Director works closely with the Dean/Associate Dean, a faculty committee focused on revenue generation, and other administrative leaders and is responsible for ensuring goals are on track and met, and may propose high-level recommendations for improvements and/or changes to enhance the School’s external engagement and revenue.

The First Review Date for this job is September 28, 2026. For full consideration, please apply on or before the first review date.

Acts as key thought partner to the Dean and Senate Faculty on the conception, implementation, management, and scaling of innovative initiatives that involve senior management, faculty, and external stakeholders to extend and enhance the School’s reputation and impact.

• Leads initiatives with high autonomy upon approval from the Dean and Senate Faculty, ensuring alignment with School and University goals and policies.
• Develops business plans, budgets, and KPIs; assesses…