Chief Equity Officer

The Chief Equity Officer (CEqO) serves as a strategic leader for STCC and facilitates the strengthening of positive racial, cultural, and inclusive experiences, strategies and systems across the college.  The CEqO is a dynamic individual who champions a culture of inclusion and communication; she/he/they activate actions at STCC that bring a focus on equity, and specifically equitable student success (retention/graduation).  This leader also aligns and organizes equity work at STCC by establishing a clear foundation of reference for all employees, and works closely with college stakeholders to measure success in achieving goals and objectives specific to the STCC Strategic Plan and Commonwealth Equity Agenda.  She/He/They utilizes data and key indicators to establish plans, recommend policy/protocol changes, and further formalize institutional equity progress.  Reporting to the STCC President and serving as a member of Cabinet, this leader is a reflexive and diplomatic professional who considers the broad value and impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).  The CEqO also works closely with employee resource groups, and dynamically engages faculty, staff, students, and community leaders.  A new position, this leader focuses on culture, systems, and evolving the essence of STCC to ensure an ethos of inclusion and care; they also provide supervision to staff in key service/support areas of college operations, which will be defined with the formal hire and establishment of this position.

Responsibilities:

• As a member of Cabinet, and key thought-partner with the STCC President, serves as a strategic facilitator and catalyst to establish strategies and evolve systems that ensure organizational progress specific to equity and inclusion, as well as anti-racism efforts underway;
• Provide leadership to the STCC community with respect to diversity, equity, inclusion, culturally sensitive/responsive customer service, pedagogy, marketing, recruitment, and professional development;
• Leads, through a strategic and collaborative process, the establishment of comprehensive and integrated DEI programming, including trainings and workshops for all STCC stakeholders based on needs assessment;
• Ensures STCC celebrates our equity and cultural wealth; co-facilitates an advisory group (AIA@STCC), works closely with employee resource groups, and ensures community partnerships are well-developed, with communities of color welcomed and embraced;
• Collaborates with faculty and academic affairs leadership to design, implement, and assess curricular and curricular-supported initiatives that advance STCC strategic priorities, including sustaining inclusive, innovative, and supportive learning environments across the three academic Schools;
• Assesses, and otherwise uses research methods including institutional surveys and focus groups to monitor progress toward diversity, equity, and inclusion goals tied to college and state strategic plans; manages quantitative and qualitative assessments of DEI success;
• Helps establish clear metrics regarding the value proposition STCC offers specific to economic mobility for historically underrepresented and underserved communities;
• Supervises staff;
• Presents to key STCC stakeholders including community audiences, at shared governance forums, and to Trustees;
• Collaborator with Human Resources on effective strategies to identify, recruit, hire, support, promote, and retain a diverse workforce of faculty and staff through affirmative action and equal opportunity efforts;
• Partners with administrators, supervisors, and employees to comprehensively assess department/division needs specific to diversity, equity and inclusion, including professional development;
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• Advanced degree (Master's or higher) in sociology, education, behavioral sciences (psychology, social work), health, law/justice, gender/ethnic studies, or a related field;
• Minimum of five (5) years of full-time professional experience specific to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives;
• Minimum of five (5) years of full-time professional experience in a leadership position;
• Demonstrated leadership experience with initiatives that focus on racial, ethnic/cultural, socioeconomic, and gender diversity;
• Cultural competency specific to diverse communities (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color - BIPOC), including knowledge of identity theories;
• Fluency specific to constituencies that embrace intersectional identities including racial, ethnic/cultural, religious, economic, physical ability, sexual orientation, and gender expression;
• Ability to provide support and consultation to individuals and groups specific to DEI needs, and invite a restorative and strength-based outlook to personal and institutional growth;
• Demonstrated knowledge, skills, and awareness of contemporary issues of inclusion, including current research and scholarship;
• Demonstrated experience in report writing and data analysis skills; ability to synthesize and communicate best practices;
• Demonstrated leadership skills and a strong ability to develop relationships and work with multiple constituencies, including students, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders;
• Excellent analytical and constructive problem-solving skills.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• DEI-specific credentials/certifications (Unconscious bias; fostering inclusive environments; culturally-inclusive pedagogy, et al)
• Bilingual fluency, and in particular, English/Spanish
• Expertise with research methodologies including applied participatory action research

EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT:  

Applicants who do not meet the qualifications as stated above are encouraged to put in writing precisely how their background and experience have prepared them with the equivalent combination of education, training and experience required for the responsibilities of this position

Additional Information:

Compensation: Commensurate with experience (up to $130,000)

Benefits: Yes, Full Time 37.5 hours per week

Grant Funded: No

Closes:  Open Until Filled 

All candidates must have legal authorization to work in the United States. Springfield Technical Community College is not sponsoring H1B Visa.

COVID VACCINATION REQUIREMENT:

Candidates for employment should be aware that all Community College students, faculty, and staff are required to be fully vaccinated by January 2022. Accordingly, initial employment is dependent upon receipt and verification of full vaccination status records; details of how to fulfill vaccine record verification requirements will be provided during the hire and onboarding process.

INFORMATION AWARENESS SECURITY TRAINING:

Candidates for employment should be aware that all STCC employees are required to complete Information Awareness Security Training within thirty days of their orientation date and annually thereafter.

Application Instructions:

All applicants must apply online at  stcc.edu/about-stcc/employment by submitting a cover letter**, resume and three (3) professional references.

**Cover letter must demonstrate how your education and experience qualifies you for this position

PRE-EMPLOYMENT DETAILS:

STCC conducts a pre-employment screening. Initial and continued employment is dependent upon meeting National Background Check, Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) and/or Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) check and if applicable, Physical and Alcohol/Drug Testing requirements. Screening also includes verification of academic credentials, licenses, certifications, and/or verification of work history. Finalist(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment screening as a condition of employment.

POLICY STATEMENT ON AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY & DIVERSITY

The Board of Higher Education and the Boards of Trustees of the Community Colleges maintain and promote a policy of non-discrimination on the basis of race, creed, religion, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, genetic information maternity leave, military service and national origin ("protected class(s)/classification(s)." Further, this policy prohibits retaliation and incorporates by reference, and where applicable, the requirements of Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1968; Titles I and II of the Civil Rights Act of 1991; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and its regulations found at 34 C.F.R. part 106; Equal Pay Act of 1963; Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988; Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; Section 402 of the Vietnam-era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974, Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA); Age Discrimination Act of 1975; Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended; Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; Federal Executive Order 11246 of 1965, as amended by Executive Order 11375 of 1967; Federal Executive Order 12900 of 1994; Federal Executive Order 13145 of 2000; Federal Executive Order 13160 of 2000; Federal Executive Order 13166 of 2000; Massachusetts Civil Rights Act; Massachusetts General Laws Chapters 151B, 151C, and Chapter 149; directives of the BHE, the Boards of Trustees of the Community Colleges and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and other applicable local, state and federal constitutions, statutes, regulations and executive orders.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

STCC's personnel and academic decisions, programs and policies are formulated and conducted in a manner, which will ensure equal access for all people and prevent discrimination. As part of this effort, a College will ensure that employment and academic decisions, programs and policies will be based solely on the individual eligibility, merit or fitness of applicants, employees and students without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, marital status, military service, gender identity, genetic information, sexual orientation or political or union affiliation.

URL: www.stcc.edu