Now Hiring: Food & Farm Systems Engagement Fellow

The University of California, Berkeley invites applications for a student fellowship opportunity with the University of California’s 2024–25 Bonnie Reiss Leading on Climate Fellowship. This fellowship will allow a student to serve as the Graduate Student Food & Farm Systems Engagement Fellow.

Compensation and commitment: $20.30/hour, 8-10 hours per week in fall 2024 and spring 2025.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Thursday, June 6, 2024, at 5pm Pacific Time
Applicants must be matriculated graduate student at UC Berkeley. To apply, submit the following items as a single pdf to foodinstitute@berkeley.edu with the subject line “Food Systems Engagement Fellow.”

1. Cover letter stating your reasons for application to this fellowship and a summary of most relevant experiences, skills, and/or education.
2. Resumé (limit 2 pages).
3. Contact information for 2 references. One should be a professor or major advisor.

About the Fellowship

Background on the Bonnie Reiss Leading on Climate Fellowship: The Fellowship merges the prior Bonnie Reiss Climate Action Fellowship and Global Food Initiative Fellowship into a single program to support climate action and sustainable food efforts across the University. The fellowship program is funded by the UC President’s Global Climate Leadership Council (GCLC). The goals of the fellowship program are to actively engage students in conducting projects that support sustainable agricultural practices and help campuses and health systems work toward President Drake’s goal of “defining the actions and resources needed to procure at least 25 percent of our own food supplies from sustainable sources by 2025, five years ahead of the University’s existing goal.”

Graduate Student Fellow: This position will work closely with the Berkeley Food Institute (BFI) staff on improving and expanding food systems student engagement programming as described below.

Responsibilities

Food Systems Minor: Working with BFI’s Educational Programs Coordinator, conduct student outreach for the Food System Minor, with a focus on reaching first-year and transfer students. Develop outreach materials, develop and participate in outreach events, respond to student questions regarding the minor, and act as a liaison with RCNR staff and student advisors. Outreach to identify internship opportunities and develop related materials for capstone students.

Graduate Certificate in Food Systems: Working with BFI’s Educational Programs Coordinator, conduct student outreach for the Graduate Certificate program and support graduate student advising for the certificate. Beginning in the fall semester, develop and implement an evaluation of the Certificate program, surveying and interviewing students, alumni, and affiliated faculty. Write a final evaluation report to be completed by April 2025. Support related events for the Certificate, including the May graduation ceremony.

Administration and Program Evaluation

• Update BFI website as needed
• Other administrative tasks as needed to support BFI staff programs

Fellowship Meetings and Reporting
Student fellows are expected to attend certain system wide events, which will be part of their paid hours, including:

• A virtual orientation in the fall of 2024
• A leadership training in the fall of 2024
• Quarterly Fellow meetings and topical trainings for fellows working on similar projects throughout the year
• A closing symposium and poster presentation in late spring of 2025
• Additional activities such as conference calls, GCLC meetings and trainings or cohort building activities.

Qualifications

• Matriculated graduate student at UC Berkeley.
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills, particularly in regards to interpersonal communications across diverse groups.
• Experience with facilitation, relationship-building, and project coordination among diverse people and programs.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a group setting; ability to manage multiple tasks.
• Demonstrated creativity, innovation, and commitment.
• Ability to foresee, identify, and recommend solutions in the position’s areas of responsibility.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Demonstrated skills in cultural competence.
• Interest and experience in public service and social equity, as core tenets of the UC Berkeley experience and the Berkeley Food Institute mission.
• Work experience and/or public service related to food and/or agriculture in a leadership role.
• Professionalism, courtesy, punctuality, and good humor.
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud, Mailchimp, and Eventbrite.

Please direct any questions to BFI Executive Director Jeanne Merrill at jeannemerrill@berkeley.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity

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, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. For more information about your rights as an applicant, see: http://www.eeoc.gov/employers/upload/poster_screen_reader_optimized.pdf

For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy, see:
http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct