Director of Innovation and Social Impact (4801C) Job #87712 - Blum Center for Developing Economies

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. 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. We actively support professional development by providing all full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours of paid time per year and fostering supportive colleague communities through numerous employee resource groups.

About the Role

The Blum Center leverages the talent, energy, and innovations of the University of California, Berkeley to address challenges in low-resource communities in California and worldwide. Our interdisciplinary approach draws on students and faculty from over 70 disciplines to develop, test, and scale technologies and solutions for economic development and improved lives.

The Director of Innovation & Social Impact oversees the Blum Center’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, anchored by Big Ideas@Berkeley, the campus’ flagship student innovation contest. Since its launch in 2006, Big Ideas has become UC Berkeley’s premier platform for turning bold student vision into real-world impact. For every $1 awarded in Big Ideas seed funding, student teams have secured an additional $385 in follow-on funding and investment, reflecting the program’s rigorous mentorship, hands-on training, and community-building.

Responsibilities

• Manages, plans, and administers the Blum Center’s social innovation programs, including the Big Ideas Contest, the Mastercard Foundation Impact Fund, the Civic Innovation Challenge, and other initiatives. Coordinates with campus partners, researchers, entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders, government officials, and industry to support student success.
• Manages all social impact program operations to build a robust system of competition and post-competition resources. Develops additional student opportunities to enhance an ecosystem that assists students in pursuing their innovations.
• Conceptualizes, coordinates, and continually improves virtual and in-person opportunities, including information sessions, writing and budgeting workshops, practitioner-in-residence engagements, partnership networking, pitch sessions, and celebration events.
• Prepares short- and long-range planning for operations and process improvements. Identifies, directs, and pursues new opportunities to secure sponsorships and funding.
• Represents the Center on innovation issues to the campus and broader university community. Initiates and manages efforts to engage faculty and professionals as mentors, judges, sponsors, and partners. Maintains relationships with alumni, judges, mentors, and other partners.
• Collaborates with Blum Center team members to integrate Big Ideas and related innovation programs with education and research initiatives to maximize student opportunities and resource sharing. Supports professional development for students interested in social impact and entrepreneurial pursuits.
• Ensures administrative operations adhere to the annual budget.
• Provides analysis for highly complex projects. Develops, maintains, and refines operational documentation, program toolkits, and implementation guides to support continuity and long-term program sustainability.
• Oversees social innovation program websites and social media. Leverages Big Ideas’ CoLab facilities in Blum Hall East to support student innovators and Blum Center initiatives.
• Selects, trains, and manages students serving in administrative and outreach roles.
• Applies advanced concepts to perform analysis and determine future directions. Participates in periodic strategic reviews of program goals, structure, offerings, and operations.

Requirements

• Advanced knowledge of University rules, regulations, processes, protocols, and procedures for supporting students and collaborating with external partners.
• Advanced interpersonal skills, including verbal and written communication, active listening, critical thinking, persuasiveness, collaboration, and advising.
• Advanced knowledge of administrative operational activities such as planning, event management, fundraising, risk management, website design, and social media.
• Advanced knowledge of methodologies to foster innovation.
• Advanced experience supporting student entrepreneurs.
• Advanced skills in short- and long-term strategic planning, analysis, problem-solving, and partnership building.
• Advanced knowledge of university, industry, nonprofit, and civil society collaboration strategies.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

Pay

This is a full-time position classified as ADMIN OFCR 4 CX. The anticipated hiring range is $107,490 to $131,042, with a UC Berkeley salary range of $107,490 to $159,732. The final salary offer will consider experience and equity with current UC Berkeley employees in similar roles.

Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, visit the University of California’s Compensation & Benefits website.

This position requires fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. The University reviews conviction histories in the context of job responsibilities and reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

As a condition of employment, the final candidate will be required to disclose any final administrative or judicial decisions determining misconduct within the last seven years, including allegations or investigations involving misconduct, or appeals of such findings.