Adjunct Instructor of Public Policy and Management

The USC Sol Price School of Public Policy is seeking a working professional or academic with expertise in public policy and public management. The successful candidate should possess a strong background in public policy, nonprofit organizations, and social impact, with a Ph.D. in public policy, public management, nonprofit organizations, or a related field; a master’s degree may be acceptable with appropriate experience.

The candidate will be able to teach the undergraduate course PPD 478 Social Innovation (“Strategies and processes of social innovation and change; examination of social change in the market, government, and within the nonprofit sector; dynamics; civic action and activism”) in the Spring 2027 semester. Preference will be given to candidates with prior teaching experience and excellent teaching evaluations.

Adjunct instructor responsibilities include delivery of course content, scheduling office hours, being accessible to students as appropriate, and grading. Each instructor is expected to provide students with a syllabus outlining the course goals, schedule, and all requirements for the course under the direction of the Department Chair.

This course provides an overview of social innovation and its use to address complex social problems and promote social change. We will examine social innovation strategies and processes within government and the nonprofit and business sectors of society. Careful attention is given to public-private collaboration, social entrepreneurship, and new financial models for addressing public problems. Case studies and guest speakers examine examples of social innovation across organizational forms and policy areas.

The hourly rate range for this position is $29.06/hr.

- $38.89/hr when extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Ranked among the foremost schools of public policy in the nation, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy generates uncommon knowledge for the common good. The school is composed of overlapping disciplines that generate innovative approaches to critical issues ranging from health-care policy to homelessness, and sustainability to congestion – to name a few. A wide-ranging curriculum, including extensive experiential learning, prepares our graduates to navigate problems that demand multi-layered solutions driven by critical, informed thinking.

The Price School, founded in 1929, is anchored by four departments:
Public Policy and Management, Health Policy and Management, Wilbur H. Smith III Department of Real Estate Development, and Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis. The School’s rigorous academic programs provide students with the knowledge and distinctive opportunities to make meaningful contributions to their professions. Integrating classroom instruction with real-world experience and led by some of the world’s most renowned faculty in their fields, our students establish a clear pathway to successful careers.

Our academic programs are augmented by numerous research centers, institutes and initiatives that provide additional research expertise and experiences, notable among them are:

• The Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public
• The Center for…