Program Overview
The UCSF Technology Leadership Development Program (Tech LDP) is a year-long program that combines classroom learning with a one-to-one mentoring relationship to develop our technologist staff. Our goals are to foster a culture of collaboration across IT areas, tie the work we do to UCSF’s mission, support our high performers, and nurture future leaders.
The program is run by a committee of technology leaders with experience in staff development and mentorship. Leaders from across the UCSF technology enterprise own the program so that it represents many areas of organization. The committee selects a cohort of 20 staff through a competitive application process and matches them with technology leaders.
The mentoring pairs agree on their goals and expectations and meet at least once a month. Mentors help their mentees learn about the technology enterprise and our connection to the UCSF mission, explore development and career opportunities, and provide support and encouragement. The mentees also meet once a month to learn from leaders at UCSF and beyond, and to learn valuable professional skills. Finally, mentees will work on a team project, which they present at the end of the program. Most teams spend approximately one hour per week on this project over the last four months of the program.
During the COVID pandemic the Tech LDP has been entirely virtual, and we are committed to welcoming remote participants going forward.
The Tech LDP is excited to welcome our fifth cohort this summer.
Executive Sponsors
Mentee Eligibility
To be eligible for the program, potential mentees must meet the following criteria:
1. Be a career staff member in IT or Clinical Systems, or a career employee in a technology job family in one of the following departments:
- Audit
- Campus Life Services (CLS)
- Center for Digital Health Innovation (CDHI)
- FAS Finance
- Health Informatics (HI)
- Health Information Management Services (HIMS)
- Human Resources (HR) – Campus and Health
- Library
- Pharmacy Informatics
- Police
- Program Management Office (PMO)
- Radiology
- Real Estate
- TeleHealth
2. Have completed their probation period
3. Have at least 1 year of service at the time the program starts
4. Be in a career (type 2) appointment of 50% or more
5. Have a satisfactory or meets rating on their most recent performance evaluation
6. Be in career tracks grade 17-27, or equivalent (this includes all Business Technical Support Analyst and System Administrator positions)
7. Commit to minimum participation of 3 hours per month for 12 months
8. Have supervisor's support to participate
Cost of Participation
The participant costs cover books, printing, mailing, virtual team-building events, and outside speakers. These costs are shared with participating departments. The Tech LDP has the enthusiastic support of each eligible department's leadership, and if you are accepted we will work with your department to cover the cost of your participation.
Mentee Application Process
Eligible staff submit an application explaining why they want to participate in the program, what they can bring to the program, and what they hope to get out of the program. Applicants are encouraged to describe their commitment to UCSF and the mission, citing specific actions and examples where appropriate. Applications are reviewed by the committee, and mentees are selected on the merits of their applications and the balance they bring to the year’s cohort.
Please see the sample questions to prepare for the application. We generally receive three times as many applications as available positions, so we strongly encourage interested staff to join an information session to help them prepare their application.
The mentee application for the 2022-2023 cohort is now closed.
Mentors
Mentors should be respected UCSF technology leaders with a strong interest in staff development and be committed to the UCSF mission. Mentors should be willing to commit a minimum of 2 hours per month for 12 months to their mentoring relationship. We encourage senior technologists, directors, managers, and supervisors to apply to be mentors. We try to recruit at least 50 potential mentors to give the mentees the best possible match.
Applications to mentor in the 2022-2023 cycle are now closed.
Mentor Match
Once the mentee cohort is selected, the committee shares the resumes of the potential mentors with the mentees. Mentees meet potential mentors at the mentee/mentor mixer and interview potential mentors one-on-one. At the end of the interview period, both mentees and mentors rank their top choices. The committee pairs mentees and mentors using the highest mutual match. Mentees are guaranteed a mentor, but not all mentors are guaranteed a mentee. Mentors will not be matched with mentees within their direct reporting.
Once matched, mentees and mentors draft and sign a mentoring agreement. This agreement outlines the mentee’s professional development needs, the pair’s mutual goals and expectations for the mentorship period, the venue and frequency of their meetings, and communications. The pair returns the signed agreement to the committee within 2 weeks of match and checks their progress quarterly.
Monthly Programs
The Tech LDP presents monthly programs focused on professional skills and leadership development. Past professional skills areas have included Lean and A3 thinking, product management, public speaking, problem identification and resolution, effective listening, embracing and leveraging the strengths of a diverse workforce, effectively providing and receiving feedback, creating and leading effective teams, and effective situational communication. Our outstanding leadership speakers challenge our mentees to grow attributes like confidence, courage, self-awareness, flexibility, inclusivity, empathy, resourcefulness, and creativity.
Team Projects
Mentees are grouped into teams of four and select a problem to solve. They work with subject matter experts to propose their solution, which they present at the end of the program. Most teams spend approximately one hour per week on this project over the last four months of the program. Examples of past projects are available on our website.
Accessibility
UCSF welcomes people with disabilities to all of our events and programs. To request a reasonable accommodation, please contact Tech LDP Committee by emailing [email protected] as soon as possible.
Contact
If you have any questions about the program, please reach out to the Tech LDP Committee at [email protected].