Director, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment

The Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) is seeking a new Director, effective July 1, 2020. We invite nominations of tenured Berkeley faculty who are highly qualified and willing to serve. The candidate should have a well-established research and professional reputation as well as leadership and administrative abilities.

The Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) is an Organized Research Unit at the University of California at Berkeley that promotes better understanding of the conditions, policies, and institutions that affect the well-being of workers and their families and communities. IRLE informs public debate with evidence about inequality, the economy, and the nature of work, serving as a bridge between world-class research within the university and policymakers outside. IRLE is home to several nationally-recognized centers and programs that conduct research, education, and outreach on labor a nd employment issues, including:

  • The Center for Labor Research and Education (CLRE, also known as the Labor Center);
  • The Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics (CWED);
  • The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE);
  • The California Policy Lab (CPL); and
  • California Public Employee Relations (CPER).

In addition, IRLE has served as a productive incubation space for such initiatives as The Shift Project and Opportunity Lab. IRLE also supports faculty and students throughout the university working in the areas of labor and employment.

IRLE has an annual budget of approximately $13M and employs approximately 70 academic and administrative staff, as well as many graduate and undergraduate students. It works with and supports over 100 affiliated faculty from a variety of disciplinary departments and professional schools at UC Berkeley. The unit is unique in the significant support it receives for its research from the California state government.

Acknowledging the considerable commitment required to direct this complex and lively institute, the Vice Chancellor for Research Office will work with the selected candidate’s Department or School to negotiate support for 50% relief from teaching responsibilities, and where possible, service obligations. The Di rector will also receive an administrative stipend and some summer salary.

The Director should have:

  1. A distinguished record of scholarship in issues related to labor and employment, broadly conceived, 
  2. The leadership qualities to provide a forward-looking vision and the commitment to learn to manage this complex research unit,
  3. A commitment to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion while fostering a positive climate of collaboration (see the Berkeley Principles of Community) 
  4. The capacity to foster interdisciplinary research and learning among faculty and students at all levels,
  5. The ability for outreach to the campus, policy-makers, other stakeholders, and the public, 
  6. An interest in creating partnerships with stakeholders such as employers, unions and other employee representatives, and policymakers, and 
  7. The capacity to expand the Institute’s financial resources. 

Please submit nominations by completing the online nomination form as soon as possible and no later than TUESDAY, February 4. Self-nominations are welcome. Upon receipt of nominations, the appointed search advisory committee will request that the selected nominees submit a letter of interest by WEDNESDAY, February 26.