Director, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Center

Faculty-mentored research is an integral component of undergraduate education and provides numerous benefits to students, regardless of their future career choices. Students develop skills in critical analysis, problem-solving, communication, and in understanding and applying research methods.

Engaging students, particularly first-generation and underrepresented groups, in undergraduate research both increase degree completion rates and graduate school pathways.

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC) was established at UC Merced in 2014 to provide undergraduate scholars opportunities to engage in research and develop mentor connections with faculty, staff, and graduate students. UROC focuses on three key areas of the student experience by aiming to:

1. Be a resource center for students interested or involved in undergraduate research;
2. Provide support for faculty members interested or involved in undergraduate research mentoring; and
3. Collect and report data related to undergraduate research participation

The Director develops and implement short- and long-term plans for growth and improvement of UROC and its programs and services with the goal of encouraging and facilitating faculty-mentored undergraduate research and creative activities.

* Ensuring the quality and consistency of all academic and support services provided by UROC to undergraduate students and faculty, and developing and implementing strategies (i.e., ongoing comprehensive program evaluation and outcomes assessment) for continual improvement.

* Collaborating with staff in UROC, Division of Undergraduate Education, Sponsored Programs, and faculty partners to manage UROC and grant-related budgets.

* Maintaining strong partnerships with campus partners (e.g., faculty members, staff in the schools, student affairs staff), the UROC Faculty Advisory Board, and program sponsors (e.g., National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Mellon Foundation, Department of Education, U.S. Department of Agriculture).

* Preparing annual progress reports and other reports as required for internal and external accountability.

* Working with UROC staff to design and coordinate marketing, recruitment, and selection for UROC programs.

* Supervising program staff and student interns.

* Collaborating with campus partners (e.g., faculty members, Sponsored Programs, Development and Alumni Relations) to seek external funding to support undergraduate research.

* Engagement in system, state and national activities related to undergraduate research as both a scholarly activity and a high-impact practice promoting student success.

* Serve as Instructor of Record, as needed, for curricular support courses for undergraduate research scholars.

* Provide campus-level leadership regarding the development and implementation of undergraduate research programs.

* Provide expert, data and research informed advice to Divisional and Campus leadership related to the growth of programs and initiatives supporting undergraduate research.

* Participate in system-level committees and serve as the campus contact for cross-campus programs (e.g. UC Leads).

* Represent the Provost and/or the Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education in campus and system-level committees as appropriate.

Program: https://uroc.ucmerced.edu/

Division: https://ue.ucmerced.edu/

-Earned Doctorate

-Experience in facilitating undergraduate research opportunities, or other high-impact educational practices in higher education.

-Knowledge of common financial principles and experience working with budgets.

-Demonstrated supervisory, leadership, and personnel management skills to hire, manage, and evaluate others effectively.

-Communication and interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with all levels of staff and faculty verbally and in writing. Ability to use sound judgment in responding to issues and concerns.

-Written communication skills to prepare a variety of correspondence, reports, policies and procedures, and training documents. Proficient in Microsoft Office.

-Organizational skills and ability to multi-task with demanding timeframes. Ability to prioritize workload and handle multiple tasks with attention to detail.

-Ability to use discretion and maintain confidentiality. Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information and use professional judgment.

Experience with generating extramural funding, research, and grant proposal development.

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

The University of California, Merced, is the newest of the University of California system's 10 campuses. With over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students (https://cie.ucmerced.edu/analytics-hub/student-statistics), UC Merced is committed to interdisciplinary excellence in research and teaching as well as to diversity, equity and inclusion. Ranked as one of the best public universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, UC Merced provides outstanding educational opportunities to highly qualified students from the heart of California, the nation, and abroad. The campus has special connections to nearby Yosemite National Park; is on the cutting edge of sustainability in construction and design; and supports the economic development of Central California. The Merced 2020 Project doubled the physical capacity of the campus, and enhanced academic distinction, student success, and research excellence (https://merced2020.ucmerced.edu/).

The University of California, Merced is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

Please refer to the University of California's Affirmative Action Policy and the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements. This includes the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/5000695/VaccinationProgramsPolicy.