The Chief Diversity Officer leads the development and implementation of proactive diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice initiatives in support of our commitment to nurturing a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive learning and working environment. The Chief Diversity Officer is a senior-level management position reporting to the President or a VP and serving as a member of the President’s Advisory Committee. The individual in this role incorporates diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice into all facets of the work we do including strategic planning, transformation, teaching and learning, research, community engagement, faculty and staff hiring, professional development, and student recruitment and engagement.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Plan, guide, and advise the President and executive officers on diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and affirmative action matters.
- Collaborate with University management to create, implement, and monitor programs designed to ensure inclusive and equitable treatment of students, faculty, and staff, which are in compliance with applicable regulations, including Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunity, Title VII, and Title IX.
- Collaborate with University stakeholders to assess potential barriers and develop strategies to recruit and retain a diverse student body and workforce.
- Collaborate with University stakeholders to identify opportunities for personal growth to increase faculty, staff, and students’ understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice related topics so that they can then apply that information to their lives, their community engagements, and their careers.
- Promote and foster a better understanding of the complexity of issues involved in creating and maintaining a more inclusive and diverse campus based on contemporary research and successful practices within higher education.
- Provide faculty, staff, and students access to training and learning about how their knowledge of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice topics impact their professional and educational work.
- Collaborate with and provide strategies for University management to incorporate principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and affirmative action in collective bargaining and contract administration with the University’s unionized workforce.
- Represent the University to external community, organizations, and agencies.
- Coordinate with the Office of Student Success on student-focused initiatives.
- Coordinate with the Chief Human Resource Officer on the hiring and retention of a diverse workforce.
- Develop and maintain relevant data gathering and maintenance practices so that considerations regarding how policies and practices may positively or negatively impact different populations are based on valid and reliable data sets.
- Establish and maintain an internal audit and reporting system to allow for effective measurement of University programs. Assess and monitor program effectiveness and keep management informed of equal opportunity progress and issues through periodic reports.
- Create a culture of continuous improvement through planning and assessment for diversity, inclusion, and social justice initiatives and leverage existing employee and student engagement surveys to assess the climate of diversity and inclusion.
- Other relevant duties as assigned.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED
General supervision and direction are received from the President or a VP.
SUPERVISION EXERCISED
Administrative and functional supervision of 1-3 professional staff as well as some student workers.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- A Bachelor’s degree in social justice, post-secondary education, sociology, social anthropology, public administration, human resource management, or other related field.
- Five or more years of experience advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in a complex organization.
- Demonstrated progressive leadership in higher education.
- Ability to work with confidential information.
- Willingness to travel, primarily within the state of Vermont.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience working in an affirmative action and EEO compliance function.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES
Knowledge:
- Knowledge of trends, issues, and best practices relevant to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.
- Expertise in using data to identify opportunities to develop systemic changes and programs that engrain diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice into our work.
- Proven experience and on-going commitment to developing own professional knowledge and the professional knowledge of team members regarding diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice and how it informs their practices within their area of expertise.
- Strategy development and management principles and practices.
Skills:
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
- Strong organizational and conceptualization skills.
- Strategic leadership skills.
- Cultural competency skills.
- Excellent strategic planning skills.
- Successful record of interacting with professionals across organizational levels and disciplines.
- Proven record of accountability and follow-through.
- Good planning, administrative, organizational, and leadership competencies with proven effectiveness in allocating and managing resources.
Abilities:
- Proven experience using data-informed decision making to plan, implement, improve, and evaluate programs, policies, and procedures.
- Ability to analyze and make sound recommendations on complex management and administrative issues, including identifying alternative solutions, projecting consequences of proposed actions, and making recommendations in support of goals.
- Ability to work effectively with diverse academic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds of University students, faculty, and staff.
- Demonstrated ability to support a diverse community and promote diverse perspectives, cultures, and an inclusive environment.
- Ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of individuals and constituencies in a diverse community.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate and build consensus.
- Ability to manage change and sensitive topics and offer viable solutions for problem-solving.
- Ability to think and act creatively within the confines of regulatory rules and regulations.
Location: This position may be based out of one of the following campuses: Castleton, Johnson, Lyndon, or Randolph with travel between campuses as necessary. This position is hybrid remote.
This general outline illustrates the type of work which characterizes the job classification. It is not an all-encompassing statement of the specific duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of individual positions assigned to the classification.
VTSU values individual differences that can be engaged in the service of learning. Diverse experiences from people of varied backgrounds inform and enrich our community. VTSU strongly encourages applications from historically marginalized and underrepresented populations. VTSU is an Equal Opportunity Employer, in compliance with ADA requirements, and will make reasonable accommodations for the known disability of an otherwise qualified applicant. Please contact Human Resources for assistance with accommodations at humanresources@vermontstate.edu
NOTE: This job is subject to a fingerprint-supported criminal background check. Any offer of employment is contingent upon the satisfactory results of this check.
Benefits Package
- Medical Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Retirement Plan
- Tuition Waiver to Vermont State Colleges
- Tuition Waiver to UVM* for dependent children
- Employee Assistance Program
- Long Term Disability
- 14 Paid Holidays
- Medical, Personal, and Vacation Leave
*Certain Conditions Apply
Vermont State University and The Vermont State College System are committed to nurturing a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive learning and working environment. We condemn racism and welcome all persons, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or ability, and want everyone to be safe and welcome in our community.
As a system of higher education, we formally condemn discrimination in all its forms, commit to fair and equitable treatment of everyone in our community, and strive to ensure all our actions, policies, and operating procedures reflect this commitment. We also acknowledge that education is both destabilizing and exhilarating and that learning necessarily involves hard conversations and moments of disagreement.
Our commitment is based on three pillars of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice (DEISJ):
Personal Knowledge of DEISJ: We are committed to providing faculty, staff, and students opportunity for personal growth to increase their understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice related topics so that they can then apply that information to their lives, their community engagements, and their career.
Professional Knowledge of DEISJ: We are committed to providing faculty, staff and students access to training and learning about how their knowledge of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice topics impact their professional and educational work.
Data informed Practices: We make decisions and examine our policies and practices based on valid and reliable data sets and how those decisions, policies and practices may positively or negatively impact different populations.
We recognize our diverse community members do not hold a single identity that may impact their belonging, or access to educational or professional opportunities. Each person holds multiple and intersecting personal and social identities that must be recognized as they engage in learning and professional development.
https://www.vsc.edu/vscs-diversity-statement/