Practicum Education & Specialized Training Coordinator, Social Welfare (5256C) #89427

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Departmental Overview

Located within the world's finest public university and one of the most diverse regions in the nation, the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare strives to transform the systems that perpetuate poverty and social disadvantage. UC Berkeley Social Welfare develops effective leaders and scholars committed to solving complex social problems; produces, disseminates, and utilizes research to improve social-service delivery and policy through critical thinking and evidence-based knowledge; and prepares the next generation of culturally-competent social workers, researchers, and teachers dedicated to serving the most vulnerable members of our society.

The Practicum Education Program serves over 200 MSW students and has regular interface with over 150 agencies at any given time. MSW students engage in practicums across a range of public settings, including, but not limited to, public schools, hospitals, nonprofit agencies, and mental health clinics. These practicums require student, faculty, and staff awareness of and adherence to university policies and regulations, agency policies and regulations, and social work professional regulations.

Position Summary

The Practicum Education & Specialized Training Coordinator works under the direction of the Senior Director of Admissions, Advising, and Student Experience and collaboratively with the Dean's Office to manage program resources and conduct analytical studies of moderate scope and complexity to address policy and procedural issues. This position maintains secure systems for collecting student health clearances, student placement data, and other programmatic data, while coordinating administration of the Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPSC) in Social Work and workforce programs.

The Practicum Education & Specialized Training Coordinator supports practicum education by managing business partnerships with internship sites, coordinating the online interface for student internship search and matching, and managing learning contracts and student evaluations. This role handles sensitive onboarding data, including Protected Health Information (PHI) and background checks. Additionally, the position manages university-sponsored training and events and ensures data management and quality assurance in accordance with program policy.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is October 29, 2026. For full consideration, please apply by the first review date.

Responsibilities

Data and Systems Maintenance

• Applies professional concepts to perform maintenance and analysis of data and systems pertaining to moderately complex projects, policies, and/or processes and functions.
• Supports practicum education operations by maintaining accurate, confidential, secure, and timely data within multiple data management systems. With guidance from the Associate Dean for Curriculum and the Senior Director of Admissions, Advising, and Student Experience, ensures consistency and quality assurance in accordance with the national accrediting body, the Council on Social Work Education, when engaging with and maintaining policies, projects, and issues that support program operations.
• Provides regular technical support and training for database issues encountered by students, agency partners, and/or school representatives. Resolves procedural and technical issues in the context of department policies and procedures with a customer-service mindset.
• Ensures proper database permissions and access for practicum instructors, faculty, students, advisors, and administrators, and that security roles and data storage align with UC data protection requirements.
• Proactively identifies, proposes, and executes approved business process improvement projects, taking into account business practice and technical considerations.
• Helps establish standards, guidelines, and best practices for database deliverables and program processes.
• Ensures that operations and digital content comply with local and federal policies.

Analytical Reporting

• Gathers and assembles analytical and factual data on assigned problems and issues to prepare reports and/or analyses summarizing information on the assigned issues and commenting on other significance for internal department constituents.
• Prepares student placement, agency contact, student competency, and other reports as requested. In collaboration with the team, identifies trends, forecasts needs, and supports further analysis.
• Performs analytical studies on a variety of policies, research initiatives, programs, and issues.
• Provides recommendations and guidelines involving program initiatives.

Document and Contract Management

• Prepares, edits, modifies, and/or distributes documents, including research reports, manuscripts, presentations, proposals, and contracts.
• Manages the School's affiliation agreements with multiple practicum agencies: tracks agreement expiration dates, communicates with agency contacts and UC Berkeley's Business Contracts Office staff, and identifies and escalates risks to the Dean's Office.
• Negotiates affiliation agreements with partner agencies that clearly outline the respective degrees of liability for UCB and the agency, consistent with UC Berkeley's risk management objectives.
• Coordinates the renewal process for the School of Social Welfare's general and professional liability insurance policies.

Stakeholder and Event Support

• Provides a variety of efficient support for both internal and external stakeholders in their unit to achieve smooth operation of practicum education, including:
• Serves as the first point of email, and /or in-person contact for students, faculty, staff, and the public regarding social work/welfare practicum education and available specialized training programs (e.g., Child Welfare Scholars, Pupil Personnel Services Credential, and others that may arise).
• Coordinates logistical aspects of the placement process for practica, which includes, but is not limited to, collaborating with admissions staff, distributing student and agency forms and communications; maintaining statuses of student placements; attending meetings and consulting with the Practicum Team to secure student placements; and maintaining timely correspondence with all relevant parties.
• Coordinates logistical aspects of and provides live support for practicum and specialized training program-related events (e.g., Practicum Instructor Training, Skills Workshops, Placement Process Events, and Fairs). This includes, but is not limited to, working with relevant staff to secure appropriate venues (including in-person and online events), refreshments, and supplies; coordinating and communicating with event participants before, during, and after the event; and collaborating with other Dean's Office staff and faculty to ensure event goals are met.
• Coordinates logistical aspects of student selection/application processes for specialized training programs (e.g., Child Welfare Scholars, Pupil Personnel Services Credential). This includes the distribution and collection of student service agreements and other required documentation for instructional grant programs. Coordinates the collection of student default payments and communications related to students entering repayment programs and alerts the Dean's Office financial roles. Participates in instructional grant team/funder/stipend program calls and meetings as needed, and other tasks as necessary to support instructional grant program administration.

Career and Professional Development

• Provides a variety of administrative duties in support of identifying appropriate student matches for instructional grant/stipend programs and career and professional development programming.
• Collaborates with Practicum Education and other Dean's Office staff and relevant on-and off-campus resources and centers to provide administrative support in the planning and implementation of career development programming, expanding opportunities for skill-building, mentorship, research, and experiential learning.
• Collaborates on assessments of learning, continuing education, and professional development needs of current students and the social work practice community.

Other Duties

• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Knowledge of and/or can quickly learn computer application programs, major office, database, and internet software packages, such as proficiency with Google Suite (email, calendar, docs, sheets, forms, etc.) and Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word and Excel, and relational databases.
• Excellent communication, service orientation, interpersonal and problem-solving skills, attention to detail, with demonstrated active listening skills and an ability to communicate effectively with all levels of staff, both verbally and in writing.
• Absolute ability to maintain strict confidentiality per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations.
• Skills in judgment and decision-making, problem-solving, identifying measures of system/process performance, and the actions to improve performance through application/process configuration and programming/organizational techniques.
• Demonstrates ability to analyze, research, and synthesize large amounts of data with strong attention to detail.
• Solid ability to use organizational skills to multitask in a high-volume environment and adapt to changing priorities.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively across the organization at all levels; high degree of emotional intelligence; political acumen; ability to build consensus among diverse populations, including faculty, staff, and students.
• Absolute reliability to manage projects and meet and communicate about deadlines.
• Able to travel up to 5% of the time and work occasional evenings/weekends for special events.
• Knowledge of and/or can quickly learn and implement university/higher education and departmental rules and regulations, processes, especially as it relates to risk assessment and evaluating risks as to likelihood and consequences.
• Bachelor's degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience/training

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of applicable policy analysis techniques.

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 hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $31.68 - $43.09.

• This is a non-exempt, bi-weekly paid position.
• This is a full-time (40 hours/week) Career position eligible for UC benefits.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Other Information

• This position is eligible for up to 1 day/week of remote work (within the United States). Exact arrangements are determined in partnership with your supervisor to meet role responsibilities and department needs and are subject to change.
• 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.
• This position is covered by the collective bargaining agreement between the UAW (United Auto Workers) and the University of California Regents for RP. The current bargaining agreement manual can be found at: https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/resources/employment-policies-contracts/bargaining-units/rp-research-and-public-service-professionals/contract/

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

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.