Executive Director of Cal - Bridge

Location: Irvine, CA (fully onsite)

Position: Full-time

Salary: $149,700 – $297,700 annually

For full consideration, apply by June 30, 2026.

About Cal-Bridge

The Cal-Bridge program ( https://calbridge.org/) is a partnership of all three segments of the California higher education system: 10 University of California (UC), 23 California State Universities (CSU), and 116 California Community College (CCC) campuses. The program consists of four distinct but interconnected programs — the undergraduate program, summer research program, doctoral program, and postdoctoral program — which together create a comprehensive, end-to-end pathway for undergraduate STEM majors from the diverse student population of the three systems through graduate school to a PhD, postdoctoral fellowship, and ultimately membership in the STEM professoriate or tech workforce.

The role

The University of California, Irvine is seeking a dynamic executive director for its Cal-Bridge program. The School of Physical Sciences at UC Irvine is the administrative home of the program. The executive director (ED) provides strategic leadership and creates and implements the vision and direction of Cal-Bridge. The ED is responsible for raising funds for the program through advocacy with the state government, national and private foundation grants, and from corporations and private individuals; Cal-Bridge is primarily supported by funding from the California state legislature, and the ED is fiscally responsible for the program.

The ED manages and oversees the full range of activities and responsibilities, including daily operations and fulfillment of programmatic goals — supervision of staff, financial oversight, communications, outreach, and recruitment. The position manages a large, complex, visible academic program with multiple locations and a large operational budget, recruits and retains participants, mentors, directors, and other leaders across the UC, CSU, and CCC network, oversees subcontracts with program partners, and facilitates several events, conferences, and seminars annually.

Required Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant STEM or STEM-adjacent field.
• Academic background and recognized expertise in one or more relevant discipline(s) of STEM research.
• Demonstrated results in broadening participation in STEM pathways in higher education.
• Demonstrated expertise to build, develop, and implement innovative programs within a leading academic institution while adhering to administrative, budgetary, human resources and financial principles and practices.
• Expert oral and written communication skills with a broad community of other researchers and scientists, funding agencies, media, industrial partners, program managers, and center managers.
• Experience working with dynamic and diverse groups of faculty, staff, and students.
• Demonstrated success in fundraising through grants and/or government appropriations.
• Experience using expert level negotiation skills to work collaboratively with internal and external diverse constituencies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Academic experience working and partnering with departments and schools in a broad range of disciplines.
• Program or executive business management experience in academic and/or government agencies.
• Significant track record in research, especially as related to broadening participation in STEM pathways.
• Experience building and coordinating educational STEM pathway programs.
• Faculty work demonstrating commitment to student, postdoc, and/or faculty development and to faculty and student diversity.
• Experience as an academic leader, e.g., a director, chair, associate dean, dean, or similar position.

Application

For full consideration, apply by June 30, 2026 via the UC Irvine careers portal (Apply Now button). Full position announcement: jobs.uci.edu — Executive Director of Cal-Bridge