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CHIEF DIVERSITY & INCLUSION OFFICER

Employer
New Jersey City University
Location
New Jersey, United States
Salary
Salary Not specified
Date posted
Nov 20, 2020

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Position Type
Executive, Other Executive
Employment Level
Executive
Employment Type
Full Time

NJCU proudly boasts one of the most diverse student populations in the nation. With more than 60 different ethnicities represented, and more than 30 languages spoken on campus, every day is a cultural experience at NJCU, and the University hosts a broad range of activities and events designed to foster cultural sensitivity and understanding—one of the most important lessons we can impart on today's students and tomorrow's leaders.

 

NJCU is a place where students explore fundamental questions of meaning, pursue innovative achievement, and launch successful careers. NJCU joins in common service toward the betterment of society, and I personally welcome you to explore all that NJCU has to offer.

 

The University is committed to the improvement of the educational, intellectual, cultural, socioeconomic, and physical environment of the surrounding urban region and beyond. Established in 1927 as a training school for teachers, today NJCU is among the most comprehensive universities in the state.  Located in Jersey City, NJ, one of the most diverse cities in the nation, and just minutes from New York City, NJCU's College of Arts and Sciences, Education, Professional Studies, and School of Business offer 47 undergraduate degree programs and 30 graduate programs, including emerging and interdisciplinary fields.

 

NJCU students engage in rigorous applied-learning experiences that include opportunities to study abroad, and cooperative education internships.  NJCU operates two additional campus sites—NJCU School of Business at Harborside Plaza 2 in Jersey City’s financial district and NJCU at Brookdale in Wall Township in Monmouth County.  In addition, NJCU is preparing to open a campus location in Fort Monmouth, NJ in July 2021.

 

The University seeks a strategic leader with a proven track record of successfully creating and implementing diversity initiatives. This new senior staff member will have the opportunity to define priorities and directions in a time when the University is pushing forward ambitiously on many fronts. The Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer will serve as an advisor, advocate, institutional resource, and change agent collaborating with a broad range of constituencies within a complex and dynamic domestic and global environment.

 

THE CHIEF DIVERSITY & INCLUSION OFFICER

The Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer (CDIO) will be part of the President’s senior leadership team. The CDIO will participate fully in the senior leadership of the University, and as a transformational leader will head University-wide efforts to develop a strategic vision and implement an operational plan that systemically advances equity, diversity, and inclusion as part of NJCU’s core mission. The CDIO will also work with the Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs/Provost and Vice Presidents across the university to identify opportunities that enhance elements of equity, diversity, and inclusion within each division, and advance a campus climate based on principles of social investment in which students, faculty, administrators, and staff are welcomed, respected, valued, and supported.

 

OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES

Provide strategic leadership on equity, diversity, and inclusion

The CDIO will provide leadership, vision, and a collaborative approach, and as a member of the President’s senior leadership team, will guide the strategies and policies of the institution in this crucial area. Within the context of NJCU’s culture, the CDIO will stimulate important institutional discussions, posing challenging questions and insightful solutions on difficult topics that will guide nuanced thinking by NJCU’s leadership. The CDIO will work as a connector and across all constituencies to collaboratively define equity, diversity and inclusion in a way that is responsive to NJCU’s distinctive academic and global mission, while taking into account the challenges it faces around the world. The CDIO will ensure that there are clear and well understood goals and objectives for NJCU’s strategies to improve institutional performance in the areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion. The CDIO will influence, educate, inform, and coordinate with all constituencies to strategically promote institutional equity and diversity and to foster an inclusive culture in the fullest sense.

 

Act as University thought leader

It is critical to the success of the position that key stakeholders across the University and surrounding community view the CDIO as a knowledgeable partner and supportive colleague. The CDIO will guide the formation of strategic coalitions and serve as a connector, building and distributing social capital across and external to the University to advance and advocate for diversity and inclusion efforts. As the University’s leading voice on matters of equity, diversity, and inclusion, the CDIO will be a trusted collaborative partner working to engage and educate constituents within and beyond the campuses. The CDIO will be expected to develop and implement processes and strategies to effectively communicate NJCU’s plans and policies on diversity and the importance and advantages of a culture that welcomes, values, supports, and affirms each member of its community. Additionally, the CDIO will collaborate with key stakeholders to develop and administer learning sessions and develop programs (to include academic programs) to enhance responsiveness to issues of intellectual, racial, and cultural diversity in the workplace, the classroom, housing, and in the University community more broadly. The CDIO will also collaborate with students, faculty, administrators, staff, and other campus partners to strengthen external facing opportunities for community outreach, relationship building with vendors/suppliers and local economic development to create more vibrant, inclusive, and supportive campus climates.

 

Enhance strategic initiatives designed to address the recruiting challenges impacting campus diversity

The CDIO will help identify policies and practices that support the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, administrators, staff, and students. Working with senior leadership, the CDIO will develop and promote opportunities to support the career development and retention of underrepresented faculty. The CDIO will identify strategies to build a training and development framework for faculty, staff and students in cultural competence, strengthen effective mentoring practices, to facilitate networking, to foster recruitment of diverse talent, and to provide career guidance to ensure an inclusive environment that supports faculty, administrator, and staff development and career progression. The CDIO will have an opportunity to work with the Office of Admissions and Enrollment Management as well as school deans to develop strategies to enhance the recruitment, retention, and success of students as part of an overall diversity initiative.

 

Create a culture of assessment and evaluation of diversity initiatives

The CDIO will establish systems of accountability and promote the evaluation and continuous improvement of institutional diversity and inclusion goals using data-driven metrics to measure success and disseminate information. Working in collaboration with the leadership team, the CDIO will review diversity objectives and ensure, on an ongoing basis, that they are directly and meaningfully aligned with NJCU’s mission statement and policies. This person will be responsible for establishing effective systems to survey and measure the success of inclusion and diversity efforts. In addition to reporting results across the internal and external campus communities, the CDIO will use these results as progress indicators to support future strategic planning.

 

Specific Responsibilities Include:

  • Provides vision, leadership, management, and strategic planning for diversity and inclusion initiatives across the University. 
  • Aligns objectives and strategic plans with the mission of the University and organizational goals. Ensures that initiatives enhance the University's reputation as an employer of choice.
  • Informs university program and policy development work by bringing knowledge of best practices in diversity and inclusion. 
  • Guides the President’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Council, as well as the overall Council, which will include representation from each school and division.
  • Manages defined central programmatic initiatives (potentially including graduate, undergraduate and faculty diversity recruitment and retention).
  • Develops new diversity-related programs and communications, aligning the new with existing initiatives, by leading these efforts directly as well as engaging outside expertise.

 

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will be a recognized diversity and inclusion leader with administrative and program-building experience. The most successful candidates will possess organizational and political savvy, strategic diversity experience, have an understanding of the opportunities and challenges for diversity and inclusion within the higher education landscape, a proven track record of successfully advancing diversity initiatives, and the energy, enthusiasm, drive, and gravitas necessary to achieve ambitious University goals. NJCU seeks candidates whose education, perspectives, and experiences enable them to: promote a culture of equity and inclusion; and support the University’s programs to diversify the faculty, staff, and student bodies.

 

While no single candidate will likely have all the ideal qualifications, candidates should possess many of the following qualifications and characteristics:

  • Ability to provide visionary strategic leadership; experience guiding the implementation of a strategic plan, establishing metrics, measuring progress, and adapting as necessary.
  • A track record of leadership in advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion (including race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship status, physical and psychological disability, socio-economic background, etc.).  Minimum of 5 years is expected.
  • A general appreciation for the globalization of education and its opportunities; experience with international organizations is desirable.
  • Excellent interpersonal and public communication skills, including effective messaging to multiple and diverse audiences, through multiple media formats (including oral presentation, written communication, and/or digital communications).
  • Strong track record in effectively developing and managing budgets, as well as some experience soliciting and securing external funding to advance strategic initiatives.
  • Strong track record of effectively managing teams of both direct reports and ad hoc working groups (which could include student government and identity-based groups.)
  • Ability to be a collaborator and a convener, to work with judiciousness and diplomacy; and the capacity to build bridges and consensus.
  • Possess a high level of knowledge of the legal landscape of equal opportunity, affirmative action, and other applicable laws and federal legislation concerning equity in employment and education.
  • Master’s degree required. 

 

Core Competencies

Ethics and Values: Honors the core values and beliefs of the organization in their choice of behaviors; consistently embodies appropriate behavioral choices in both stressful and non-stressful situations; practices behaviors they advocate to others.

Influencing Others: Encourages others to cooperate, participate, provide resources or make decisions, in service to the work at hand; uses verbal and non-verbal skills to communicate respect for others, and to generate energy, passion, and commitment to an idea; creates an environment that others want to participate in.

Integrity and Trust: Is seen as trustworthy by others; practices direct, hones, and transparent communication; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; doesn’t operate with hidden agendas, responds to situations with consistency and reliability.

Interpersonal Skills: Establishes good working relationships with all others who are relevant to the completion of work; works well with people at all levels of the campus community; builds appropriate rapport; uses diplomacy and tact; avoids communication triangles.

Conflict Management: Understands the dynamics of negotiation among conflicting interest groups and how to achieve mutual agreement; reads situations quickly; can find common ground and get cooperation with minimal anxiety.

Team Building: Blends people into teams when appropriate; leads the team successfully through difficulties and challenges; creates strong morale and spirit in their team; shares wins and successes; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging and pride in the team.

 

More about NJCU

New Jersey City University is an institution of higher learning with an audacious goal: the development of our students, our city, our communities, our state, and the world beyond.

 

We are a game-changing force for our students and their families. Whether our students are enrolled in one of our 47 undergraduate programs or 30 graduate programs, NJCU provides an affordable, diverse environment, and an exceptionally supportive faculty. As a place that brings together people of all ages, places, and experiences, our students learn firsthand from classmates in an intercultural exchange that prepares them to be critical thinkers in a global landscape. We enable students to thrive as scholars and professionals.

 

We’re also changing the game for our city, our communities, and our state. A few short years ago we opened a state-of-the-art business school on the Hudson Waterfront. In addition, NJCU effectively provided leadership in executing a number of public private partnerships, which redeveloped a previously underserved portion of Jersey City, becoming reimagined as a modern urban village to include housing, retail, restaurants, and green public spaces. A contemporary academic and performance space will serve as the new home to the internationally known Joffrey Ballet School and will bring a wide variety of music, dance, and theatre to the residents of North Jersey.

 

And building on our 10-year-plus relationship with Brookdale Community College, we’ve become an educational partner in the revitalization of Fort Monmouth to expand our bachelor’s and master’s degree offerings along the Jersey Shore.

And we’re just getting started. At NJCU, we’re not just educating minds, we’re nourishing souls and lifting communities. We’re changing the game.

 

 

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