Research Associate - Blueprint for Belonging

Departmental Overview

The Othering and Belonging Institute (“the Institute”) at UC Berkeley brings together researchers, stakeholders, policymakers, and communicators to identify and challenge the barriers to an inclusive, just, and sustainable society and to create transformative change. The Institute is a vibrant hub of researchers, community leaders, policymakers, artists, and communicators that advances research, policy, and work related to marginalized communities. We engage in innovative narrative, communications, and cultural strategies that attempt to re-frame the public discourse around marginality and inclusion and respond to issues that require immediate and long-term action. Our work is informed by understanding how structures and systems work to create or exacerbate othering and exclusion.

The Network for Transformative Change comprises multiple projects that aim to leverage the expertise and power of a cross-sector network to bring about innovations, knowledge, and strategies towards a society based on belonging. The Network looks both inward at the ways our social justice movements operate to help shape their work and outward at the population level to develop empirically grounded knowledge that can be translated into actionable interventions. Both domains strive to shape capacity, strategy, and innovations that will ultimately impact the infrastructure that sustains progress along the lines of our vision and values.

Responsibilities

● Carries out qualitative research and analysis; coordinates research activities with partners or vendors; and supports project management from scope setting to dissemination.

● Develops and carries out case studies and trainings informed by OBI research and

analysis.

● Prepares, edits and modifies documents including slides, memorandums, reports, and

social media posts.

● Support partnership development through speaking engagements or carrying out field

scans; and maintains communications to coordinate B4B team and partners.

● Maintains Network database, administrative duties, and/or OBI–wide initiatives and

meetings.

Required Qualifications

● Three years social change movement building experience in civic engagement or community organizing fields within the social justice sector.

● Solid communication and interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with all levels of staff, both verbally and in writing for events, reports, presentations, and social media.

● Ability to carry out appropriate mixed methods research methodologies including facilitating focus groups, conducting interviews, conducting literature reviews, and synthesizing quantitative and qualitative data.

● Project planning and management skills to support multiple projects at once.

● Ability to multi-task with demanding timeframes while remaining flexible to rapidly changing priorities.

● Excellent writing skills and ability to develop communications for academic and popular audiences including reports, briefs, concept papers, curriculum, or presentation slides.

● Strong degree of political acumen, tact and follow-through when working with staff and community partners, including within projects designed to cross geographic, political, social, or economic divides.

● Understanding of the social justice movement sector including prevailing analyses shaping the field.

● Ability to travel across California and nationally.

● Experience with digital dissemination and production strategies preferred.

● Digital strategy development and content creation preferred.

● Bilingual in Spanish/English preferred.

Education/Training:

● Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.