"Director, Master of Legal Studies"

Position Summary

The Director of the Master of Legal Studies (MLS) Program at UCLA School of Law serves in a key leadership role, responsible for the comprehensive oversight of student services and administrative operations within the MLS Program. This position supervises professional staff and collaborates closely with the Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies and Professional Programs to ensure alignment with UCLA Law's academic standards and strategic goals. The Director leads efforts in student advising, outreach and recruitment, admissions, and student support services. Core responsibilities include managing the admissions process, from application review and interviews to admitted student engagement and onboarding, as well as coordinating programmatic events including launch week, admit days, online and on-campus events, and the graduation ceremony. In addition to providing academic advising and counseling, the Director supports students through intervention strategies, financial aid guidance, and program requirement navigation. The role also involves monitoring and evaluating program policies and procedures, analyzing offerings, and developing new initiatives to meet evolving institutional and student needs. This position plays a critical role in the ongoing development and success of the MLS Program and serves as a backup to the Assistant Dean in their absence.

Salary & Compensation

*UCLA provides a full pay range. Actual salary offers consider factors, including budget, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business considerations. Salary offers at the top of the range are not common. Visit UC Benefit package to discover benefits that start on day one, and UC Total Compensation Estimator to calculate the total compensation value with benefits.

Qualifications

• 5 + Years Previous work experience at an institution of higher education. (Preferred)
• Experience in leading and supervising the work of others. (Required)
• Demonstrated supervisory skills and experience in making hiring decisions, training subordinates, evaluating staff, and overseeing disciplinary procedures when required. (Required)
• Advanced knowledge of the operations of student services of an institution of higher education sufficient to accomplish the duties of the position. (Required)
• Skill in counseling students and handling confidential and sensitive situations. (Required)
• Excellent writing skills to draft correspondence, memos, reports, and messages that are clear, logical, and concise. (Required)
• Detailed knowledge of and ability to implement University and Law School admissions standards, policies and procedures. (Preferred)
• Advanced skill in acting diplomatically with students, faculty, staff, and other campus department staff in a high-volume, high-pressure environment. (Required)
• Demonstrated skill in working independently, organizing workflow, establishing a productive work environment, and following through on assignments with minimal supervision. (Required)
• Advanced ability to develop, plan, and execute events and programs. (Required)
• Advanced ability to review and evaluate student services data. (Required)
• Demonstrated ability to use appropriate discretion when dealing with sensitive information and situations. (Required)
• Advanced skill in prioritizing assignments for self and others to complete work in a timely manner when there are changes in workload, pressure of deadlines, and competing requirements. (Required)
• Advanced ability to listen attentively, read carefully, quickly analyze complex processes and accurately interpret material presented. (Required)
• Advanced ability to make one-on-one and group presentations using appropriate grammar and vocabulary to obtain information, provide training, and explain policies and procedures. (Required)

Education, Licenses, Certifications & Personal Affiliations

• Bachelor's Degree in a related area and/or equivalent combination of education and experience/training (Required)
• Master's Degree in related area (Preferred) Or
• Juris Doctor (JD) Degree (Preferred)

Special Conditions for Employment

• Background Check: Continued employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background investigation.
• Age Requirement: Candidate(s) must be 18 years or older to be eligible to be hired.
• Availability to work evenings and weekends when necessary. (Required)
• Ability to work on site at UCLA's Campus a minimum of 2x per week or as operational needs dictate. (Required)
• 10% Domestic Travel

Schedule

Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and occasional nights and weekends including Aug Launch Week

Union/Policy Covered

99-Policy Covered