Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Olympic College

Description

Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (VPDEI)Salary: $132,837 - $152,763Classification: Administrative/ExemptReports to: President
Olympic College seeks a visionary, collaborative, and results-oriented Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (VPDEI) to lead long-term strategic DEI initiatives across the institution. As a key member of the Executive Team, the VPDEI will develop a comprehensive DEI strategic plan, while also ensuring DEI and anti-racist principles are incorporated into the College's institutional strategic plan and the daily operations of the College's campuses. A key priority will be ensuring that the College community is aware of the DEI office's goals, plans, and services, fostering a culture of inclusion, and providing clear pathways for students, employees, and community members to engage with DEI efforts. The VPDEI will build strong partnerships, foster a culture of inclusion, and work collaboratively with stakeholders across the institution, Washington's community and technical colleges system, and in the surrounding community. The VPDEI will lead the DEI office, which includes two full-time administrative staff responsible for the operationalization of DEI and anti-racist initiatives while focusing on long-term planning and high-level strategic priorities.Essential Functions

The duties listed are illustrative and not intended to be an exhaustive list.

The DEI office will concentrate on four core areas:
1. Strategic Planning/Initiatives and Community Outreach/Partnerships:

Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive DEI strategic plan that aligns with Olympic College's mission and ensures DEI and anti-racist principles are embedded across the institution.

Ensure DEI and anti-racist principles and initiatives are incorporated into the College's strategic planning process, working collaboratively with executive leaders to frame, implement, evaluate, and offer recommendations on work plans and resource allocation.

Cultivate and maintain sustainable, constructive relationships with diverse and historically underserved community partners, including communities of color, veterans, Indigenous and Tribal communities, and LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent communities.

Represent Olympic College in relevant local, state, and national forums and build partnerships with community organizations to advance the College's DEI efforts.

Serve as a key member of the Executive Team, advising on emerging issues and integrating DEI, anti-racist, and restorative justice principles into institutional responses to college climate and community relations.

Collaborate with councils, such as the Diversity Advisory Council and the Sustainability Advisory Council, to support DEI and sustainability initiatives across the College.

Monitor compliance with state, federal, and external DEI requirements and prepare reports as necessary.

2. Internal (Employees & Policies):

Partner with Human Resources to enhance recruitment, retention, and development of a diverse workforce, ensuring cultural competencies are integrated into employee development.

Advise and consult with College constituencies on DEI-related legislation, policies, and procedures, identifying barriers and recommending strategies to support marginalized and underserved populations.

Work with governance bodies and Employee Resource Groups to develop equitable policies that prioritize the removal of barriers for both employees and students.

Provide guidance and support for employees navigating processes such as disability accommodations or discrimination investigations, serving as a resource without being directly responsible for accommodations or investigations.

Oversee the equitable planning and stewardship of the DEI office's personnel and financial resources, securing internal and external funding to support DEI programming.

Foster an internal culture of accountability for DEI initiatives, developing data-driven frameworks and benchmarks in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Research.

3. Students (Inclusion, Belonging, and Advocacy):

Collaborate with Student Affairs to develop and expand outreach programs aimed at increasing the enrollment and success of historically underserved student populations, including students with disabilities, students of color, low-income, and justice-impacted populations.

Oversee the College's bias incident response protocols, ensuring the process is transparent and timely, and educating the College community on ways to foster a safer and inclusive environment.

Facilitate programs and initiatives that promote student belonging, engagement, and advocacy for underrepresented groups.

Partner with Student Success & Engagement and the Student Government of Olympic College to ensure the principles of DEI are reflected through student leadership and voice.

4. Instruction (Inclusive Practices & Pedagogy):

Collaborate with faculty and academic leadership to promote inclusive teaching practices and culturally responsive curricula, ensuring these practices are embedded across all disciplines.

Provide mentorship, coaching, and professional development pathways for faculty and academic staff, supporting efforts to foster inclusive and anti-racist(?) learning environments.

Work closely with deans and academic administrators to address opportunity gaps and enhance student success for marginalized and underserved students.

Collaborate with academic staff to support the integration of the College's diversity and social justice general education requirement, ensuring alignment with DEI goals.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree from an accredited institution.
• Five years of experience in progressively responsible roles in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Three years of experience in supervision and management; or equivalent experience.
• Experience in leading, serving, partnering with, advocating for, and/or representing marginalized and underserved communities.

Desired Qualifications

• Doctoral degree from an accredited institution.
• Experience in a higher education setting and a demonstrated understanding of culture in higher education, including participatory governance and respect for diverse views and opinions.
• A collaborative, team-oriented leadership style.
• Fluency in more than one language with a preference for the languages spoken by our student populations, including Spanish, Filipino/Tagalog, and/or Indigenous languages.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong theoretical, research-based, and working knowledge of best practices, issues, and trends related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including social, economic, racial, gender, and restorative justice principles, and have the ability to translate that knowledge to others in the context of higher education, student development, and student success.
• Strong knowledge/understanding of specific needs, challenges, and opportunities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion work in STEM-focused and STEM-adjacent educational settings.
• Understand the broader history and context of higher education in perpetuating privilege, discrimination, and inequities against the contrasting opportunities for students, their families, and communities.
• Understand the experiences of historically marginalized and underserved groups, especially people with disabilities, neurodiverse communities, low-income communities, members of LGBTQIA+ communities, English language learners, immigrants, refugees, multiracial communities, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) groups.
• Experience facilitating challenging conversations that produce positive outcomes, including but not limited to issues that address race, power, institutional racism, implicit bias, settler colonialism, patriarchy, and a culture of white supremacy.
• Experience with successfully developing, implementing, and facilitating training related to diversity, equity, and inclusion for a diverse range of audiences.
• Knowledge of local, state, and federal law, including SBCTC (State Board for Community& Technical Colleges) policies and practices, and ability to read, understand and interpret policies and procedures.
• Ability to promote and exemplify transparency, trust, integrity, and high ethical standards within the institution.
• Ability to use emotional and cultural intelligence to effectively lead organizational learning and change efforts, such as those related to assessment, evaluation, continuous improvement, and accreditation, with a commitment to participatory governance and meaningful involvement of all constituent groups.
• Ability to provide leadership, coordination, and systems-thinking in strategic planning and development, policy development, resource allocation, financial management, and decision-making, informed by data and best practices.
• Ability to collaborate and form effective individual relationships and dynamic teams.
• Ability to work independently, analyze issues, exercise sound judgment, and demonstrate adaptability when dealing with ambiguous situations.
• Ability to establish and influence partnerships with individuals and groups from a range of diverse cultural, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Ability to engage in community building and partnering with external educational institutions and communities, with an understanding of rural and urban or urban-like locations, including multilingual and multicultural, and Indigenous and Tribal communities.
• Strong coaching and mentoring skills, including the ability to encourage, inspire, and support students and employees in achieving individual and collective goals.
• Strong communication skills, through written as well as interpersonal and group communication, with the ability to build bridges and foster understanding amongst diverse stakeholder groups.
• Strong conflict-resolution skills needed to navigate sensitive situations to resolve problems, build consensus, and reconcile competing interests.

Additional Information

Working Conditions

This position's primary work setting is an indoor office, but may also include larger settings (e.g., classrooms, lecture halls), and occasional outdoor work throughout the year for events. Work may require extended time sitting or standing. Indoor settings will experience typical office noises, interruptions, and interactions. The office setting often requires privacy to preserve confidentiality. This position requires moving from one space or building on campus to another. The typical schedule for this position is 40 hours a week, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., with occasional evenings and weekends. This position may be expected to work additional hours dependent on the task or project. Flexibility and independence to set one's own schedule may be provided based on operation requirements and service expectations, but the typical schedule should be consistent with routine business hours. Requires punctual and regular attendance. This position requires local travel for scheduled and unscheduled events, including, but not limited to, meetings, conferences, events, and branch campus activities. It may also require regional or national travel. Overnight travel may be required.

Term of Employment

Please note that we are unable to sponsor visas for this position. Only candidates who are currently authorized to work in the United States will be considered. This is a full-time exempt position scheduled to work Monday through Friday. The salary for this position is $132,837 - $152,763 annually, which includes a generous benefits package that includes the following. This position requires flexibility in scheduling to meet the needs of the department including travel, evening, and weekend events. Must be able to work during days, evenings or weekends at any college site or location as needed, including Bremerton, Poulsbo, and Shelton campuses. The hiring process may require travel to the Bremerton campus for an opportunity to meet with other college executives and attend an employee forum. Medical/vision, dental, long-term disability, life insurance, and accidental dismemberment, Flexible Spending Arrangement, Dependent Care Assistance Program, Wellness Programs, SBRP retirement plan administered by TIAA, Deferred Compensation Program (DRS) retirement savings plan; TIAA supplemental retirement savings plan, 11 paid holidays, leave - vacation/sick/personal holiday, Aflac, auto/home insurance, space available tuition waiver, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), fitness center, reduced rate and priority consideration on-site child care on a space available. For more information regarding benefits, please visit our website here. Conditions of Employment Prior to a new hire, a background check including criminal record history will be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position. In addition to the background check, candidates will be required to complete the Sexual Misconduct Disclosure Form as required WB HB 2327. Olympic College seeks candidates for employment who share our commitment to fostering an equitable and inclusive learning environment (read our Equity Statement). All applicants are required to submit a statement of 500 words or less, describing the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the higher education environment and their prior, current, and/or potential contribution(s) to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion as an employee. How To Apply To be considered for this position a candidate must apply online through the Olympic College website and submit the following required materials: Olympic College Online Application Resume Cover Letter - in your cover letter describe how your experience sets you apart for this position. Unofficial college transcripts. Official transcripts and copies of mandated certifications will be required of the successful candidate. EEO Statement Olympic College provides equal opportunity in education and employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, creed, religion, or status as a veteran of war. Olympic College provides reasonable accommodations for qualified students, employees, and applicants with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Federal Rehabilitation Act. The following people have been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination and accommodation policies: HRticket@olympic.edu. This recruitment announcement does not reflect the entire job description and can be changed or modified without notice.

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