Thank you for your interest in employment opportunities at the Terner Center for Housing Innovation.
Established in 2015, the Terner Center is a leading voice in the formulation of practical solutions and policies to meet the challenges of developing homes and communities that are affordable, vibrant, and environmentally sustainable.
Our Values
With a small but dynamic core staff, team members at the Terner Center take on a variety of different roles on many projects in a fast-paced, data-driven environment. We hold our work and each other to high standards through constructive feedback and iterative review. Most of all, we are committed to the success and growth of each member of our team. We encourage staff to share their knowledge, time, and perspectives, and to seek out opportunities for professional and educational development.
A key aim of our work is to guide and elevate the scholarship and leadership of students at UC Berkeley on issues in housing policy, development, and design. We regularly hire UC Berkeley graduate and undergraduate students from a variety of programs for semester appointments. Please check below for opportunities for students.
Our Culture
- We strive to foster collaboration and team engagement. Impactful research and policy development are rooted in exchange, both within our team and with external partners and organizations.
- We expect our staff to value research that is independent, based in evidence, and rigorous. We look for team members who are committed to producing high-quality and impactful work that advances the Terner Center’s mission.
- We believe our work is stronger when it engages a broad set of stakeholders. We look for team members who are always thinking about new ways to amplify our work and reach new audiences.
- We are family-friendly. With several working parents on our team, we offer flexibility in scheduling and enjoy when kids of all ages visit our office or pop up on video calls.
- We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace where every team member is welcomed, valued, and supported.
- We are an equal opportunity employer and seek applications from people with diverse backgrounds of all kinds. We encourage people who have lived experience with the challenges of housing affordability to apply.
Benefits
- Comprehensive medical insurance, including health, dental, and vision coverage through UC Berkeley. Click here to learn more.
- Retirement savings or pension opportunities as well as retirement counseling and education through UC Berkeley. Click here to learn more.
- Paid vacation, sick time, and holiday leave.
- Access to the educational and professional development benefits of a world-class academic institution.
CURRENT OPENINGS
Current Openings:
- Terner Center Deputy Director of Policy
- Program Manager, Housing Venture Lab, Terner Labs
Terner Center Deputy Director of Policy
The Terner Center is seeking a talented Deputy Director of Policy to advance housing policy work in California and at the federal level. The Deputy Director elevates Terner research in policy settings, including legislative briefings, conferences, and other policy meetings; solicits input on new and emerging research opportunities that draw on policy opportunities; writes frequent short-form commentaries, blogs, and Op-Eds; and manages ongoing operations of the Terner Center’s overall policy work.
To ensure that the Center’s research informs and shapes relevant legislation, rulemaking, and agency guidance, the Deputy Director is responsible for briefing legislators and policymakers; giving written and verbal testimony; and for building relationships with state and federal legislators, as well as legislative and executive staff. The Deputy Director also serves as Terner’s lead on state and federal task forces, policy working groups, and similar high-priority efforts; coordinating Terner’s external engagement through participating and presenting research in relevant conferences; serving as a primary contact for the media; and assisting with fundraising to support policy work.
The Deputy Director collaborates closely with the Terner Center’s leadership team to identify areas where timely research could inform policy opportunities and to ensure that policy work is coordinated across the Terner Center and Terner Labs and other partner organizations.
The Deputy Director also manages the Center’s policy team, which may include staff policy associates, graduate student researchers, and Fellows.
The ideal candidate will have:
- a minimum of five years of relevant leadership experience working in a policy role in housing, land use, real estate, or urban policy in academia or with a nonprofit, government, advocacy, or a public policy organization;
- demonstrated subject knowledge of housing policy and federal, state, and municipal housing programs or land use regulations;
- the ability to analyze and explain legislative and regulatory language;
- expertise in building collaborations across agencies and sectors;
- the ability to write short pieces on timely housing policy topics and/or connecting existing research to policy opportunities; and
- experience overseeing teams, mentoring professional colleagues, and/or directly managing staff or students.
The Terner Center seeks candidates whose experience has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and inclusion in our internal management practices and collaborations, research agenda, and methodological approaches. They will also bring an understanding of the history and current realities of inequities in housing markets and the skill and dedication to apply this lens to their work.
This position will be located at the Terner Center’s offices in Oakland, California (not main campus). Flexibility may be available to work remotely 1-2 days per week.
Salary will be $140,000 – $170,000, commensurate with experience. The position is open until filled. Review of applications will begin July 14, 2025.
Apply through the UC Berkeley site (Job #79378).
Program Manager, Housing Venture Lab, Terner Labs
Terner Labs seeks a Program Manager for the Housing Venture Lab, the nation’s leading accelerator for mission-driven innovators working to make housing more accessible, equitable, and sustainable. This person will project manage the annual application process, play a crucial role in designing and implementing services for selected ventures, and be a key driver in implementing the program’s evolution.