Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Position Summary

The Assistant Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Sam Fox School is a full-time position to build on the existing efforts and momentum within the faculty, staff, and students at the Sam Fox School. The Assistant Director will work closely with the Dean’s Office, the Fairness & Diversity Committee, the Colleges of Art and Architecture, the Office for Socially Engaged Practice, and other Sam Fox School staff and faculty to ensure that high-quality programming, policies, and communications that welcome diversity, foster inclusion, and prioritize equity in outcomes for members of the Sam Fox School community on a daily basis.

This position will be responsible for curating, coordinating, leading, and evaluating training and programming that expands knowledge and ability to act on diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism efforts in classrooms, studios, and galleries. They will also be responsible for clearly communicating on-going efforts, including evaluation and assessment of these efforts, to the Sam Fox School community. They will serve as an expert guide to support diverse and inclusive staff hiring, provide support to recruitment activities, and support individual faculty in their efforts to create more diverse and inclusive curriculum. They will play a crucial role in participating in and coordinating across relevant existing groups, including the Washington University in St. Louis’ Equity and Inclusion Council (WUEIC) and the Fairness & Diversity Committee. The Assistant Director will work closely with the Sam Fox School Fairness & Diversity Committee to establish priorities, and will also be expected to be entrepreneurial in their response to the needs of the Sam Fox School community.

Support, coordinate, curate, and lead training and programming for Sam Fox School faculty, staff, and students related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Respond to the needs of the Sam Fox School community, including addressing specific needs for studio teaching and coordinating on diversity, equity, and inclusion priorities at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. Work in partnership with on-campus resources and experts to identify and consistently offer training and programming. Research and utilize effective practices from other programs, and maintain connections and communicate opportunities from peer institutions. (30%)

• Provide leadership and direction within the school on needed training, conversation, and facilitations to advance diversity, inclusion, and equity.
• Work with the Fairness & Diversity Committee and other key stakeholders to identify needed and desired trainings and workshops.
• Identify trainers from on-campus and off-campus partnerships, and support implementation of training programs, including providing event management, registration, support, and evaluation.
• Develop and consistently offer a portfolio of trainings for faculty, students, and staff on generally needed topics like “facilitating difficult conversations” or other related topics.
• Build directory of resources for faculty, students, and staff that provide additional information about pedagogy, techniques, and tactics for approaching issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Maintain awareness of resources offered by partners on campus including the Academy for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the Center for Diversity and Inclusion; Center for Teaching and Learning; and Habif Health and Wellness center.
• Participate in national conversations about best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion in art, architecture, and design, including collaborating with peer institutions.
• Communicate about and encourage participation in trainings, workshops, and other educational opportunities, both on-campus and available from local and national partners.

Document, communicate, evaluate, and assess diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the Sam Fox School. Contribute to on-going communication efforts and develop clear, concise, and accessible methods of communicating outcomes and efforts. (25%)

• With support from other Sam Fox School staff and faculty, produce quarterly update documents and other reporting mechanisms on progress towards diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
• Support the Communications and college staff on generating timely and relevant content for web, social media, and other communications channels on related subjects, including representation of diverse students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
• Lead coordination of ongoing evaluation of Sam Fox School efforts, including regular feedback from students, staff, and faculty, and evaluation of individual trainings and programs.

Work directly with faculty and students in the Sam Fox School to weave issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and racial justice into curriculum, programming, and co-curricular work in the Sam Fox School. (15%)

• Build relationships with marginalized and/or underrepresented students and provide support for related programming and co-curricular projects.
• Provide consultation, coaching, and feedback to faculty and staff who are working to address diversity, inclusion, equity, and racial justice in their curriculum and programming. Share resources and help faculty and staff imagine future changes to curriculum and programming.

Participate in Sam Fox School planning and organization around diversity, equity, and inclusion. Provide meaningful connections between these groups and ensure efforts are documented and shared widely. (15%)

• Represent the Sam Fox School at the University level, including as the staff representative on the Washington University in St. Louis’ Equity and Inclusion Council (WUEIC).
• Serve as an ex-officio staff representative on the Sam Fox School Fairness & Diversity Committee.
• Consult on Sam Fox School strategic planning efforts.

Provide leadership, expertise, and support for recruitment of new, diverse staff, faculty, and students. Support the Fairness & Diversity Committee in efforts to recruit diverse faculty. Consult with managers and supervisors to support an inclusive, multicultural workplace and retention of diverse employees. Consult with admissions teams to support recruitment of diverse students. (15%)

• During hiring processes for staff members, work closely with the hiring manager to develop outreach, processes, and procedures for ensuring a diverse candidate pool.
• Support faculty search committees and the Fairness & Diversity Committee with the implementation of established best practices to cultivate a diverse candidate pool and create an equitable hiring process.
• Work with staff and faculty leadership to support use of best practices for admissions and recruitment processes for students. Support recruitment activities to support diverse student candidates in choosing the Sam Fox School. Work with admissions teams highlight messaging, programming, and other efforts that reflect a diverse, inclusive, multicultural community. Consult with teams to ensure equitable recruitment processes.
• Working with other University entities, provide resources to supervisors and managers to help them best support and include diverse employees.

Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Education/Experience

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent years of experience. Three to five years of experience facilitating and leading conversations about diversity, inclusion, equity, and/or anti-racism.

Preferred Education/Experience

Master’s degree in related field including design, art, architecture, social work or equivalent years of experience.

Five to eight years leading diversity, inclusion, and equity efforts within institutions or organizations.

Experience leading evaluation and assessment.

Understanding and knowledge of the teaching practices of art, architecture, or design.

Critical Skills and Expertise

Ability to effectively interact with university faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Written skills should demonstrate a wide range of flexibility in format, including web content, journalism, proposals, reports, social media, and other formats, and audiences including students, faculty, alumni, funders, and stakeholders. Ability to facilitate conversations around racial justice, anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Understanding and a willingness to learn about and interact with a wide range of diverse identities and experiences, including along lines of race, national identity, language, ability, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Skills in evaluation, assessment, and reporting. Self-motivated and highly organized with an ability to manage time, set deadlines, and follow-through on projects independently.

Required Licensure

None

Decision Making and Impact

This position will serve a crucial role in leading, coordinating, curating, and messaging diversity, equity, and inclusion work in the Sam Fox School. In consultation with the Dean’s Office, the Fairness & Diversity Committee, and other relevant Sam Fox School leadership, this position will make decisions regarding training, policies, and communication related to these topics. This position will work with managers and supervisors to establish best practices for hiring and supervising employees with diverse identities. The position will build relationships with individuals within and outside of the Sam Fox School community.

Financial / Operational Impact

In collaboration with the Dean’s Office, this position may participate in decision-making related to budgets for training and hiring external facilitators.

Contacts

Internal

This position will maintain contact with faculty, students, and staff within the Sam Fox School for the purposes of completing the tasks above. The position will work most closely with the Sam Fox School Fairness & Diversity Committee, which is made up of appointed faculty, staff, and students. In addition, the position will work closely with the Dean’s Office, the Director’s offices, the Office for Socially Engaged Practice, and Communications. Outside of the Sam Fox School and across Washington University, this position will work closely with the Academy for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Habif Health and Wellness, and other related entities.

External

This position will maintain regular contact with trainers and facilitators both locally and nationally who can address the specific learning needs of Sam Fox School faculty and students. They will also liaise with peer institutions to further best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion. In collaboration with the Communications Office, they will develop material that communicates diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the school, as well as ensuring diverse representation in Sam Fox School communications efforts.

Supervision

Given

If qualified, this position may directly or indirectly supervise 1-3 Brown School practicum students or student interns working on related initiatives.

Received

This position will be supervised by the Dean and Associate Dean, with mentorship and support from the Office for Socially Engaged Practice.

Confidential Information

Through this positions responsibility to oversee evaluation and reporting for diversity, equity, and inclusion, they may come in contact with sensitive information, including FERPA-protected student records and other associated information.

Working Conditions / Equipment

Some evening and/or early morning hours may be required for special programming.

To apply please visit jobs.wustl.edu and search for ID 49972.