Southern California HERC

The Natural Reserve System at the University of California, Riverside invites applications for the full-time Academic Coordinator II/Associate Director of the UC Riverside Natural Reserve System. This role will act as and fulfill the duties of the Campus Associate Director of UCR's Natural Reserve System (NRS). Responsibilities include: essential administrative & logistical support to site staff and their operations, facilitation of programmatic activities for UCR's NRS with some management responsibility for administrative and budgetary activities, working within an administrative unit and reporting to UCR's Campus Faculty Director. Depending on the qualifications of the applicant, additional responsibilities may include supervising Reserve Directors. This is initially a one-year appointment with the possibility of converting to a career position following a second reappointment. The decision for the reappointment will be based on an evaluation of the candidate's demonstrated performance and competence. As part of the assessment, feedback from administrative staff and key constituents will be taken into consideration.

The current base pay range for this position is $84,246 to $164,103.

The successful candidate will work to support personnel of the UCR NRS in a variety of ways to include grant writing to bolster research, teaching and outreach, fund raising, strategic planning in support of long-range goals for UCR NRS and implementing programmatic initiatives, both directly and in a supporting role, to increase visibility of UCR NRS sites. In addition to working closely with Reserve Staff and the Faculty Director, the successful candidate will also interact with students and researchers on the Reserve sites along with a broad audience of stakeholders to include UC NRS Systemwide office, all staff of the UCR NRS, the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) Dean, the Financial & Administrative Officer within the administrative unit and campus affiliates providing services to UCR NRS. The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to develop and teach training workshops about the Reserves, Wildland Safety on the Reserves and other related topics. This recruitment is for a career position. Interviews are expected to be scheduled during June of 2026.

Basic qualifications for this position that must be met by the date of application include:
* Excellent organizational skills and the ability to work concurrently on a variety of tasks
* Experience working with, or at, a field station
* Experience in program organization
* Ph.D. in Life Sciences (or a related field) at time of hire

Preferred qualifications for this position include:
* Experience facilitating university level research and supporting University classes at a field station
* Experience with day-to-day management of operations at a field station
* Experience in land stewardship and management
* Experience facilitating infrastructure and facilities maintenance and improvement projects
* Experience facilitating K-12 and adult public outreach and education programs
* Experience and success in grant writing
* Demonstrated experience in project management
* Experience in administration, budget management, and report writing
* Demonstrated ability to work within various levels of the internal organization including taking general direction and working effectively with other units on campus and in allied public and private agencies

Although a Ph.D. is expected, the Committee will consider applicants with a Master's Degree in exceptional cases.

Advancement through the Academic Coordinator ranks at the University of California is through a series of structured, merit-based evaluations, occurring every 2 years, each of which includes substantial peer input.

To apply: submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and contact information to the Academic Coordinator II/Associate Director of UC Riverside Natural Reserve System recruitment. Review of applications will commence on June 8, 2026, and proceed until position is filled. For full consideration, applicants should submit their complete applications prior to the above date.

For more information about this position, please contact Dr. Tim Higham, Chair of the Search Committee and Director, Natural Reserve System, at thigham@ucr.edu. For questions on application procedures and requirements, please contact Mrs. Rebecca Nistor, Academic Personnel, at rebeccan@ucr.edu.