Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging
Lowell, MA;

Full-time Staff – Mar 21, '23

About Middlesex Community College:
Middlesex Community College (MCC), established in 1970, provides access to affordable education for a diverse community from all ethnic backgrounds and identities, preparing individuals for success and lifelong learning. We promote academic excellence, provide workforce development opportunities, and empower all learners to become productive and socially responsible members of our local and global communities.

The College provides a broad range of services that are essential to attract, reward, and retain talented faculty and staff. The MCC community promotes a culture of inclusion in which our employees feel supported and empowered to best serve our diverse student population. We are proud to offer our classes on both the Bedford and Lowell campuses, as well as a robust online course offering. MCC is committed to transforming lives as we educate, challenge, and support all students as evident in our strategic plan.

As an Affirmative Action employer, MCC strongly encourages members of underrepresented groups, minorities, women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and all persons committed to diversity and inclusive excellence to apply.

Please apply directly to this position via Middlesex Community College's Employment Opportunities webpage: https://middlesex.interviewexchange.com

Job Description:
Title: Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging

Unit: Non-Unit Professional (NUP)

Department: Office of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging

Reports to: President

Date: March 21, 2023

General Summary: The Executive Director of Diversity, Equity & Belonging (DEB) is a collaborative and inspiring leader responsible for providing strategic leadership and data-driven action in support of the college's DEB commitments. Advise and work collaboratively with the President and college community to move the college substantially forward in becoming an equity-minded institution that works to eliminate racial hierarchy and other identity-based hierarchies that impede success. Serves as the Director of the Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation. Committed to expansive excellence, equity, diversity, and belonging, continually strives to promote a culture of equity-mindedness and belonging for our community.

Duties and Responsibilities:
Collaborative Diversity, Equity and Belonging (DEB) Leadership
Working closely with the President and other key college leaders and constituencies, guide, assess, and institutionalize policies and practices that encourage belonging, equity and diversity as a means of enhancing and improving the College's climate and success overall.
Utilize a consultative and collaborative leadership approach to lead, strengthen, and strategically support the college's commitment to DEB, and serve as an advocate for the college's 2019 Equity Plan and the 22-27 strategic plan, With Equity at its Core.
Collaborate with senior academic and administrative leaders to establish key performance indicators (KPIs), create requisite tools to measure progress (i.e., data dashboard, logic model), and a system of shared ownership for achievement of MCC's DEB goals.
Collaborate with key stakeholders, i.e. faculty, shared governance, academic leaders, students, etc. to catalyze efforts to examine curricula and incorporate culturally relevant pedagogies.
Promote institutional reforms and normalize a culture of self-examination, racial healing activities, and constant improvement to achieve an understanding of institutional equity, racial hierarchy, and diversity integral to the college's culture and values.
Partner with the Institutional Research Department to collect, interpret, and disseminate data related to the campus climate and DEB goals including state racial equity goals, accountabilities, metrics, activities, and accomplishments.
Work proactively with the Affirmative Action Officer and Human Resources to create policies, rubrics, guidelines and timelines to increase hiring of faculty and staff who are underrepresented at the College, bi-or multi-lingual and/or from minoritized groups.
Provide education and raise awareness about DEB. Collaborate with Marketing Communications to publicize, promote and share our DEB efforts with both internal and external campus constituents.
In consultation with appropriate campus constituents create an inventory of existing DEB resources and initiatives in an effort to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities, and work to bring these initiatives together into alignment and build a sense of shared ownership for this work, empowering others to implement meaningful and impactful change while fostering trust, transparency, and openness.

Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation
As the Director of the Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT), serve as a visionary leader of MCC's adoption of the AAC&U TRHT framework and nurture strong collaborative relationships across the College and beyond through its Action Plan and goals.
Collaborate with key stakeholders to implement and coordinate training, outreach and capacity-building related to TRHT and DEB.
Regularly provide messaging that provides relevant and responsive TRHT and DEB content.
Proactively monitor national DEB trends and create college-wide opportunities for listening circles or other response strategies.
Build strong external community relationships by identifying and maintaining external outreach connections with businesses, non-profit organizations, community organizations, and government agencies, for the advancement of innovative practices and program concepts.
Work with the campus and regional community on a broad array of initiatives focused on enhancing student success, diversity, equity and belonging on campus and across the region via open and intentional engagement with minoritized communities.
Seek opportunities to increase college resources available to support expansive excellence and racial equity, through philanthropy and external funding.
Work with and expand the Center for TRHT Advisory Board.
Co-Lead Racial Healing Circles and collect artifacts, work with internal groups, affiliate groups and organizations who lead RHC, assess impact of the work of the Center.

Additional Responsibilities
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 to guide institutional decisions through the lens of diversity, equity, and belonging.
Provide administrative and fiscal oversight of assigned portfolio, aligning available resources with college and legislative initiatives.
Maintain current knowledge and monitor national and regional intellectual trends in higher education, human resources, student success, diversity and equity work, community partnerships, and use this information to help inform and assess campus efforts in these areas.
Chair Leading for Change Racial Equity & Justice Consortium work.
Serve on the Achieving the Dream (ATD) Core Team
Serve on College NECHE accreditation committee, governance committee and strategic planning committees.
Serve on local task forces and professional groups that address student success and anti-racism, diversity and equity professional groups, non-profit boards and advisories
Perform other related duties as required.

Supervision
Supervise staff and/or students as assigned.

Requirements:
Minimum Qualifications:
Master's degree and at least five years of related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience
Understanding of and commitment to the role of the community college in higher education and with the communities they serve and are co-located in.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with senior leadership, faculty, professional staff, and students through an equity-centered and asset-based mindset.
Experience with equity-minded work and/or understanding of individuals of diverse identities such as race, ethnicity, socio-economic level, sexual orientation, veterans, and individuals with different academic preparation levels and varying physical and learning abilities.
Commitment to the mission and philosophy of the College
Leadership, financial management, and supervisory skills
Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing; to establish positive public relations; and to interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds
Demonstrated ability to discuss highly sensitive issues with empathy and respect, and to resolve conflict in a fair and equitable manner
Demonstrated ability to maintain the highest ethical standards and levels of confidentiality
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple and sometimes conflicting priorities

Preferred Qualifications:
Bilingual skills a plus, Spanish or Khmer
Experience with the AAC&U Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation framework and Rx Racial Healing Circle practices.

Additional Information:
Salary Range: $120,000 - $130,000 actual salary commensurate with academic background and experience. Employees of Middlesex Community College are considered employees of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and receive benefits, which include:

High-quality and affordable health insurance through the Commonwealth's Group Insurance Commission (GIC)
Competitive Dental and Vision Plans
Flexible Spending Account and Dependent Care Assistance programs
Low-cost basic and optional life insurance
Retirement Savings: State Employees' Pension or Optional Retirement Program (ORP) and Deferred Compensation 457(b) plan or 403(b).
12 paid holidays per year and competitive Sick, Vacation, and Personal Time
Tuition Benefits for employees and dependents at state colleges and universities
Short-Term Disability and Extended Illness program participation options
Professional Development and Continuing Education opportunities
Cell Phone Bill Discounts with Verizon and T-Mobile Cell Phone Carriers
Access to the Commonwealth's Mass4You, employee assistance program
Free employee parking on Bedford and Lowell campuses
Eligibility towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
Location: Lowell campus with occasional travel to Bedford as needed

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, schedule to be determined upon hire. This position will be eligible for a maximum of two days of telework in accordance with the College's telework policy.

Expected Start Date: June 2023

Application Deadline: April 14, 2023

Application Instructions:

Please apply directly to this position via Middlesex Community College's Employment Opportunities webpage: https://middlesex.interviewexchange.com

All applicants must apply online by submitting:

Cover Letter
Resume
Names and contact information for three (3) professional references
Pre-Employment Requirements:

The College will not sponsor applicants for work visas.

Candidates for employment should be aware that all Middlesex Community College students, faculty, and staff are required to be fully vaccinated. 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. Please review the College's COVID-19 Vaccine Policy for Employees for more information.

Successful applicants will be required to complete a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI/SORI) request.

Middlesex Community College only accepts application materials through our online application system. We are unable to accept application materials through mail, email, fax, or hand delivery. If you do not have access to a computer, please contact Human Resources at careers@middlesex.mass.edu.

Middlesex Community College strives to make the application and interview process accessible for all applicants but understands that applicants may still encounter barriers due to ability, language, or technology. If we can make the process any more accessible for you, contact Human Resources at 781-280-3549 or careers@middlesex.mass.edu.