Berkeley Food Institute Policy Assistant

Berkeley Food Institute Policy Assistant

(Title Code 4920, Student Assistant III)

Appointment: September 4, 2018 – May 17, 2019, 10 hours per week
Preferred working days are Monday through Thursday

Compensation: $16.50 per hour

Application Deadline: Monday, August 20, 2018 at 5pm Pacific Time
Applicants must be matriculated undergraduate students at UC Berkeley. Priority will be given to work-study students. To apply, submit the following items by email as a single pdf to foodinstitute@berkeley.edu with the subject line “Policy Assistant.”

  1. Cover letter
  2. Résumé
  3. Contact information for 2 professional and/or academic references

About the Berkeley Food Institute:

The Berkeley Food Institute (BFI) at the University of California, Berkeley seeks to transform food systems to expand access to healthy, affordable food and promote sustainable and equitable food production. We empower new leaders with capacities to cultivate diverse, just, resilient, and healthy food systems. We pursue our mission through interdisciplinary programs in education, research, policy, communications, and community engagement.

Position:
The role of the Policy Assistant is to support the Berkeley Food Institute’s policy program. This position works closely with the BFI Policy Director, with additional interaction with other BFI staff.

Responsibilities:

  • Website: Assist in making improvements to policy sections of BFI website
  • Research: Execute small research projects and write short memos as needed for policy program
  • Database: Read peer-reviewed articles and write policy synopses that are readable and accurate. Help promote database of Berkeley research with policy implications
  • Communications: Communicate with policy partners, faculty, and external contacts in a professional and clear way
  • Salesforce: Input contacts and run campaigns to keep partners informed of our work
  • Events: Assist in preparation for various on-site or off-site policy-related events hosted by BFI
  • Other projects as needed

Required Qualifications:

  • Outstanding oral and written communication skills, particularly in regards to communications across diverse groups
  • Passion for policy, either at the local, state, federal, or international level(s)
  • Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team
  • Ability to work independently and to foresee, identify, and recommend solutions in the position’s areas of responsibility
  • Strong attention to details, both written and visual
  • Experience with Salesforce, WordPress, and Microsoft Office software suite
  • Comfort with creativity, innovation, and hard work
  • Professionalism, courtesy, discretion and good humor
  • Coursework and/or experience in agri-food systems and policy
  • Interest and experience in public service and social equity, as core tenets of the UC Berkeley experience and the Berkeley Food Institute mission
  • The occasional ability to travel, in accordance with academic schedules and with expenses covered by BFI

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