Associate Research Director (0378U) Job #76286 - Terner Center/CED

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The Terner Center formulates bold strategies to house families from all walks of life in vibrant, sustainable, and affordable homes and communities. Established in 2015, the Terner Center has quickly become a leading voice in identifying, developing, and advancing innovative public and private sector solutions to achieve broader housing affordability for American communities. The Terner Center is named after Don Terner, a housing pioneer whose ambitious, "no limits" spirit lives on in the ethos and approach to our work.

The Terner Center is focused on identifying ambitious, yet pragmatic solutions to today's most pressing housing challenges, supported by rigorous, action-oriented research. Our success is measured in part by the extent to which our ideas, research, and solutions influence dialogue, decision-making, and practice among policymakers and private sector leaders.

The Terner Center pursues ideas that can help expand the supply of housing and lower the cost of production; increase access to homes and opportunity-rich communities for people across the income spectrum; align housing and climate change priorities; and improve the outcomes of major housing policies and programs through rigorous impact assessment.

The Terner Center for Housing Innovation is seeking a talented Associate Research Director to join our growing research team and help advance the understanding of U.S. housing markets, specifically as it relates to expanding the supply and affordability of housing through land use and zoning policies with a concern for climate and equity implications. The Associate Research Director will collaborate closely with the Terner Center's leadership team, including the Center's Research Director, to identify new research opportunities, develop research design and conceptual frameworks for understanding the links between policies and housing supply, and produce evidence-driven research that can help to inform housing policy debates in California and at the federal level. The Associate Research Director will supervise and review data collection, data analysis, and report production processes among Research Team staff and graduate student researchers, as well as conduct and publish their own research studies. The Associate Director must have an interest in policy-relevant research and the application of research to policy outcomes. The ARD will also be expected to represent the Terner Center at various conferences to present and share research.

The ideal candidate will bring a strong track record of research work in housing policy, land use, or real estate. This individual will be interested in research that supports both affordable and market-rate housing production. The Terner Center seeks candidates whose experience has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and inclusion in our internal management practices and collaborations, and to bring a thoughtful approach to equity issues when shaping our research agenda and methodological approaches. They will also bring an understanding of the history and current realities of racial inequity in housing markets and the skill and dedication to apply this lens to their work.

The First Review Date for this job is: 2/26/25

30% Manages the design and development of major research program components and oversees execution of funded programs.

10% Develops proposals for research design with input from the leadership team, including identifying quantitative and qualitative data sources, statistical methods, and project timelines.

10% Disseminates research findings through the publication of independent or co-authored publications. Collaborates with the communications team to adapt research papers to reach various audiences through summaries, blog posts, and other methods.

10% Supervises and reviews the data collection, data analysis, and report production processes among subordinate staff as needed. Ensures quality of data analysis and statistical programming. Responsible for statistical integrity, adequacy and accuracy of the data.

10% Performs supervisory functions including recruitment of research analysts and graduate student researchers, and is responsible for training and handling disciplinary issues according to UC Berkeley and Center's HR policies.

5% Stewards industry and philanthropic partnerships, helps recruit and support advisory board members and fellows.

5% Identifies, develops and executes strategic plan for fundraising for program activities and ensuring ongoing sustainability of the program.

5% Participates in developing and monitoring operational and budget processes, staff FTE, finance, and human resources.

5% Tracks and monitors relevant current events, policy analysis papers, and government activities.

5% Participates and presents research in relevant conferences, seminars, and meetings.

5% Responds to requests from media, external stakeholders and regional partners for data analysis and research implications.

• Exceptional organizational, project management, communication, interpersonal, oral and writing skills, including the ability to effectively communicate quantitative and qualitative findings to non-academic audiences.
• Research background and recognized expertise in housing and land use policy.
• Leadership experience in research, non-profit, academic and / or government agencies.
• Demonstrated expertise in building collaborations between agencies and sectors, including non-profit, academia, industry and / or governmental agencies.
• Demonstrated expertise with program building within a leading academic institution.
• Expert ability to work with dynamic and diverse groups of faculty, staff and students.
• Managerial experience and proven success in managing complex research or academic program(s).
• Strong fundraising experience.
• Strong negotiation skills and verbal and written communication skills; ability to influence / persuade all levels of staff.
• Skills in organization and customer service to effectively manage multiple important priorities.
• Experience working with an array of data sources such as Census data, PUMS data, HMDA data.
• Familiar with SAS, STATA, Python, and/or R, as well as a working knowledge of GIS.
• Experience in designing and implementing qualitative research methods, including interviews, literature reviews, and case studies.
• Knowledge of federal, state, and municipal housing programs or land use regulations.
• Knowledge and ability to incorporate issues that interact with housing supply in research methods, including racial equity and sustainability.
• Experience overseeing teams, mentoring professional colleagues, and/or directly managing staff or student.
• Ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with an interdisciplinary team.
• Ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects and deadlines.
• Min. 5 years of relevant experience working in urban policy, affordable housing, land use, or real estate, such as research experience in academia, non-profit, government, or a public policy or research organization.
• Advanced degree in a related field (e.g., Planning, Public Policy/Administration, Urban Economics, Law).

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

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $138,000 - $158,000.

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. For more information about your rights as an applicant, please see the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission poster.

The University of California's Affirmative Action policy.

The University of California's Anti-Discrimination policy.