Deputy Director of IT (0499U), Space Sciences Laboratory - #83911

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty and staff.

As a world-leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice. Since our founding in 1868, we have driven innovation, creating global intellectual, economic and social value.

We are looking for applicants who reflect California's diversity and want to be part of an inclusive, equity-focused community that views education as a matter of social justice. Please consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles, Principles of Community, and Strategic Plan.

At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups (staff organizations). Our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. Find out more about how you can grow your career at UC Berkeley.

Departmental Overview

As our deputy IT manager, you will collaborate with our IT manager to balance high-level strategy with hands-on execution. You'll balance systems maintenance with design as you devise a network to meet our future needs. You'll manage project team relationships, oversee security protocols, lead a small support team and ensure that our tech stack empowers the lab's space scientists and engineers. If you have leadership experience/potential and combine a can-do attitude with broad experience of hardware and software solutions, we would love to hear from you. A critical aspect of the role will involve succession planning. This is the perfect role for someone that is looking to be the future leader of an IT group embedded within a unique research lab environment.

Position Summary

Through direct work and supervision of professional IT staff, this position manages departmental computing infrastructure and applications supporting web, email, networking, identity management, and security for SSL faculty, staff, students, research projects, the Mission Operations Center (MOC), and the Business Office. Services include systems administration, application support, backups, and server colocation.

The position leads department-wide network and systems administration, technology integration, and application development, and evaluates and implements new technologies to support SSL's research mission.

As the primary technical authority for SSL's internally managed network, this position is responsible for network health, reliability, and security. Serving as SSL's IT Security Officer, the position manages the departmental firewall; assesses and mitigates security risks; develops and delivers security policies and training; protects restricted data; oversees NASA IT security compliance for the MOC and BGS; and acts as the primary liaison with campus units, vendors, and external agencies.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: 02/11/2026.

Responsibilities

Supervisory Duties

• Performs employee staff selection, salary actions, disciplinary actions, terminations, and performance evaluations;
• Interacts regularly with members of staff: reviewing, assisting, coaching, training and advising as needed;
• Delegates work, monitors work and ensures objectives associated with timelines and deliverables are being achieved;
• Has regular meetings with subordinate staff to determine if implementation and management of existing and future projects will need further engineering or course changes;
• Participates in developing and monitoring operational and budget processes, staff FTE, finance, human resources and space planning.

Network and Systems/Infrastructure Administration

• Applies advanced network concepts to define, design, implement and operate the department's complex internal data network communications systems and solutions, including wired and wireless LANs and the physical infrastructure;
• Supervises and leads a team of IT professional staff to ensure the health and productivity of Departmental systems and IT resources.
• This team: Deploys, monitors and maintains both physical and virtual computing infrastructure and services;
• Manages centralized computer servers and makes recommendations for purchase or upgrade of new computer hardware;
• Analyzes, acquires, installs, modifies and supports operating systems, databases, utilities and Internet/intranet-related tools;
• Troubleshoots hardware and software network problems and issues;
• Maintains security systems for routers and switches;
• Documents systems, infrastructure and network implementation and client usage, both hard-copy and web-based;
• Develops user documentation and/or user training for departmental computing and network services.

IT Services and Applications Development

• Develop and manage appropriate new network, computer and information technologies that will continue to advance the department's pre-eminence in its research goals:
• Develop and maintain computing services and applications providing web, email, network, identity management and security services to the department's faculty, staff and students;
• Applies advanced IT concepts to perform highly complex technical functions from multiple IT areas of specialization;
• Conducts complex systems programming and systems support activities;
• Interacts with senior internal and external personnel;
• Develops user documentation and/or user training for departmental services.

Technology Service Integration

• Initiate and conduct product research and implement solutions that improve the effectiveness and efficiency of department business processes.
• Provide local expertise for campus bConnected systems such as Google Suite (email, calendar, storage, mailing lists), Box (storage), Docusign, and Zoom.
• Manage department-level Google SPA (role) accounts, Google calendars, Google Drive shared drives, and department email lists.
• Manage department usage of campus IT services such as Google Drive and Box storage, virtual servers, and campus data network.
• Act as SSL point of contact with campus IT business services group.
• Lead department internal web portal, and coordinate department staff to provide core website content updates.

Strategic planning for evolving IT needs. This will include reporting to the IT steering group to alert lab leadership of changing IT infrastructure, regulatory and technological change.

Other duties as required.

Required Qualifications

• Possesses strong interpersonal skills with proven management capability.
• Demonstrated ability in critical thinking, problem solving, persuasion and negotiation, mentoring, and leadership, with working knowledge of human resource policies and procedures applicable to management roles.
• Requires the ability to communicate complex technical information clearly and concisely to both technical and nontechnical audiences across all organizational levels.
• Strong experience designing and managing a layer 2/3 network, including wired and wireless systems. Experience includes TCP/IP networking; physical cabling; understanding of NFS, DNS, DHCP, LDAP.
• Strong MacOS, and Windows workstation and server system administration experience.
• Ability to write technical documentation in a clear and concise manner.
• Due to federal export control and national security regulations applicable to this position, candidates must qualify as a U.S. Person, as defined under applicable law. A U.S. Person includes a lawful permanent resident as defined in 8 U.S.C. *1101(a)(20) or a protected individual as defined in 8 U.S.C. *1324b(a)(3). It also means any corporation, business association, partnership, society, trust, or any other entity, organization, or group that is incorporated to do business in the U.S., as well as any governmental (federal, state, or local) entity.
• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven web design experience, including use of photo and graphics design applications (e.g., Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator), and video post-production and editing.
• Experience supervising represented employees in a unionized environment.

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted annual salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $112,400.00 - $170,000.00. The full salary range for this classification is $112,400.00 - $214,000.00.

• This is a full-time (40 hours/week), career position that is eligible for UC Benefits.
• This is an exempt monthly-paid position.

How to Apply

• To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Other Information

• This is not a visa opportunity. This position does not include sponsorship of a new consular H-1B visa petition that would require payment of the $100,000 supplemental fee.

Conviction History Background

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

Misconduct

SB 791 and AB 810 Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy

UC Anti-Discrimination Policy

Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.