Senior Program Manager and Staff Attorney, Edley Center on Law & Democracy (5219C), Berkeley Law #87449

About the role

The Edley Center’s mission is to defend and strengthen democratic institutions in the United States through actionable research and public leadership. The Senior Program Manager and Staff Attorney in the Edley Center on Law & Democracy designs and directs innovative new national programming to build in the 50 states new infrastructure and capacity to combat public corruption and to promote, investigate, and enforce civil rights protections to all state residents.

Responsibilities

• Designs and develops programs and initiatives to engage students, practitioners, policy-makers, and members of the public on issues of relevance to the Edley Center’s work and mission.
• Led the development and coordination of the Center’s work with internal partners, including the pro bono program, and works closely with key stakeholders such as the Assistant Dean of Academic Planning to explore and advance initiatives such as the development of practicums and other experiential learning opportunities.
• Directs development of conferences and other public forums, companion publications and training materials, online resources, and other tools and materials.
• Leverages legal training, professional experience, and research expertise to propose and develop litigation and advocacy strategies, both independently and in collaboration with partner organizations, in support of Center initiatives.
• Applies excellent political acumen and substantive knowledge of the issues that the Edley Center is focused on to build capacity, partnerships, critical relationships in order to build, expand, and iterate programs.
• Directs and leads the administration of programs and initiatives designed to strengthen state and local capacity to respond to, challenge, and protect against unlawful government actions.
• Oversees student employees, student organization partners, and administrative support staff to ensure timely completion of program goals and high-quality results.
• Identifies and facilitates opportunities for students to engage in directed research with faculty and other partners to enhance experiential learning and program impact.
• Collaborates with faculty and academic personnel, as well as staff within Berkeley Law and external institutions, to design and implement high-quality programs, projects, and initiatives.
• Develops and implements systems and processes to effectively manage multiple programs serving diverse audiences, ensuring coordination, consistency, and operational efficiency.
• Directs a portion of the administrative work performed by staff as necessary to meet the program’s needs and deliverables.
• Leads the drafting and filing of amicus briefs, motions and other materials, inclusive of policy materials, to advance the state and local capacity the program conceives.
• Makes court appearances as needed.
• Designs programs that integrate learning opportunities for students in support of this work.
• Buils coalitions and partnerships through MOUs and other vehicles in order to accomplish goals.
• Performs research and directs research performed by students and others engaged with specific programs.
• Delivers public presentations; facilitates virtual and in-person trainings; leads convenings, workshops, and related events; and develops communication and outreach strategies to effectively engage external audiences and stakeholders.
• Assesses program’s effectiveness and recommends changes to program content, policies, and procedures accordingly.
• Uses a variety of tools and techniques to solicit feedback from program participants and identify other key performance measures that have been identified in partnership with the Executive Director of the Edley Center for Law and Democracy.
• Participates in advanced program budgeting and accounting processes to support a self-supporting and sustaining financial infrastructure of the program.
• Authors reports, summarizes data, and responds to requests for information from the Executive Director about project status and progress toward goals.
• Identifies opportunities to reduce operational expenses, enhance revenue generation, and develop recommendations to support the Center’s financial sustainability and strategic growth.
• Collaborates directly with Business Services and Finance to monitor program budgets, support financial planning, and ensure compliance with University policies, procedures, and fiscal guidelines.
• Identifies and pursues funding opportunities and revenue streams to support and expand the programs, services, and resources that the Edley Center provides.
• Represents the Center in collaboration with external partners and stakeholders to advance knowledge of state powers, strengthen democratic governance, and expand state capacity initiatives.
• Applies advanced knowledge of program design, administration, evaluation, and applied impact work to develop proposals for new and innovative initiatives, programs, and strategic opportunities.
• Responsible for hiring, training, and supervising student employees.
• Supports strategic workforce planning, organizational restructuring, and staffing initiatives.
• Makes recommendation for other actions such as procurement of independent contractors.
• Provides direction and guidance for the research and related work of students, affiliates, and Center partners in support of programmatic and strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge in federal and state constitutional and administrative law and practice.
• Expertise in legal research, analysis, and advocacy strategy development.
• Strong understanding of program design, development, and evaluation.
• Strong interpersonal skills to establish and maintain effective working relationships with faculty, students, staff, external partners, and stakeholders across diverse institutional and professional environments.
• Familiarity with law student development and legal education frameworks.
• Ability to exercise sound judgement, use discretion and maintain all confidentiality.
• Computer and technical skills, including proficiency in using standard productivity, communication, and video conferencing platforms (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, Zoom); ability to learn and effectively use new software systems and digital tools as required to meet evolving program needs.
• Strong project and program management skills, including the ability to oversee multiple concurrent initiatives, manage timelines, and ensure high-quality deliverables.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience developing reports, publications, policy materials, and delivering public presentations, trainings, and convenings.
• Significant litigation and/or administrative enforcement and policy experience.
• Significant experience leading sensitive intergovernmental and/or coalition policy building.
• Demonstrated experience developing and administering multi-source budgets for centers, programs, or departments, including grant, operational, and restricted funds.
• Advanced problem-solving skills, with the ability to develop creative and strategic solutions.
• Strategic planning skills, including the ability to help design long-term initiatives that influence legal and policy outcomes.
• Thorough understanding of complex legal issues.
• Exceptional legal research, analytical, and persuasive writing skills, particularly in drafting legal documents, such as pleadings, legal responses, affidavits, position statements and briefs.
• Demonstrated commitment to the highest ethical standards.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Experience supervising and/or directing others to achieve shared institutional goals.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate and work effectively with individuals and groups from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment that promotes collaboration and mutual respect among all members of the UC Berkeley community and its stakeholders.

Benefits

The University of California offers a comprehensive benefits package. Please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website for more details.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $120,000 - $150,000 annually, depending on experience and qualifications.

Schedule

The position is full-time and is expected to work a standard 40-hour workweek.