Assistant Director, UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement

Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide.

To learn more visit, UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.

Founded in 2017, the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement (Center) explores the intersection of expression, engagement and democratic learning and what can be done to restore trust in the value of free speech on college campuses and in society at large. Born at UC Berkeley in the 1960s, the Free Speech Movement changed the way Americans viewed the First Amendment. Today, a renewed wave of activism, controversy and backlash on college campuses is once again forcing institutions of higher learning to grapple with questions of open expression, academic freedom and civic engagement.

Continuing UC's legacy of leading edge influence, the Center has created numerous entry points for nuanced exploration and discovery of today's campus challenges. These include workshops, presentations, webinars, podcasts, an annual conference, convenings, research and fellowship opportunities. Education - for members of the 10 UC campuses and the broader higher education community - is at the core of everything we do.

In 2025, over 2,000 people attended Center workshops, over 4,000 listened to our SpeechMatters podcast and over 140 colleges and universities and 37 civil-society organizations were represented at our annual conference.

The University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement seeks a dynamic, creative and intellectually curious Assistant Director (remote position) to work closely with the Center's Executive Director on creating, overseeing and enhancing the Center's programs, partnerships, educational efforts and resources. We are a small team and the candidate should be willing to dive in wherever needed.

The candidate should have a deep interest in and familiarity with the following: First Amendment and academic freedom principles and why these are foundational to higher education; recent trends around expression, press and assembly rights on college and university campuses; current threats to higher education from state and federal legislators including attempts to ban books, control curriculum and interfere with the autonomous running of a college or university.

The Assistant Director should have experience designing workshops, presenting to groups of varying sizes and facilitating interactive conversations about challenging topics and thorny case studies. The candidate should be skilled at taking complex principles and information, synthesizing them and presenting the material in a way that is accessible to people with little or no familiarity with the subject matter.

Our national fellows program is one of the Center's signature programs. Each year, the Center selects fellows from a broad range of disciplines and backgrounds such as law, journalism, higher education, social science, technology and government. The Assistant Director will work closely with the fellows, including leading monthly virtual meetings and providing feedback and guidance as their projects progress. The ideal candidate would have experience writing or editing academic publications and papers.

The Center regularly collaborates with and serves as a resource to non-profit organizations, higher education groups and individual colleges and universities. The candidate should be comfortable with and have experience conducting outreach and networking with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Required:

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with all levels of staff and influence, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to use discretion and maintain all confidentiality.
• Advanced project management and networking skills.
• Thorough knowledge of organizational or initiative processes, protocols and procedures.
• Ability to multi-task with demanding timeframes.
• Advanced knowledge of applicable policy analysis techniques.
• Advanced analytical / problem-solving skills.
• Broad understanding of higher education in the United States, including the current landscape for liberal education
• Advanced knowledge of common organizational- or research-specific and other computer application programs.
• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training
• Minimum 4-6 years in a professional role with increasing responsibility

Preferred:

• Experience with public speaking and facilitating discussions/workshops/training

Special Conditions:

• Will need to travel to conferences and events to represent the Center, as well as attend approximately two fellows and team meetings per year at or near University of California at Irvine.
• This position is eligible for remote work.

Total Rewards

In addition to the salary range listed below, we offer a wealth of benefits to make working at UCI even more rewarding. These benefits may include medical insurance, sick and vacation time, retirement savings plans, and access to a number of discounts and perks. Please utilize the links listed here to learn more about our compensation practices and benefits.

The expected pay range for this recruitment is $88,000- $124,800 (Annual).

Conditions of Employment:

The University of California, Irvine (UCI) seeks to provide a safe and healthy environment for the entire UCI community. As part of this commitment, all applicants who accept an offer of employment must comply with the following conditions of employment:

• Background Check and Live Scan
• Employment Misconduct*
• Legal Right to work in the United States
• Vaccination Policies
• Smoking and Tobacco Policy
• Drug Free Environment

*Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: 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.

The following additional conditions may apply, some of which are dependent upon business unit or job specific requirements.

• California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act
• E-Verify
• Pre-Placement Health Evaluation

Details of each policy may be reviewed by visiting the following page - https://hr.uci.edu/new-hire/conditions-of-employment.php

Closing Statement:

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 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 Anti-Discrimination Policy.

We are committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce along with honoring unique experiences, perspectives, and identities. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable, and welcoming.

UCI provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities upon request. For more information, please contact Human Resources at (949) 824-0500 or eec@uci.edu.