Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Faculty and Staff Engagement

SAIC

For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top four graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, on-campus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.

 

We offer a competitive, comprehensive benefits package:   

• Generous paid time off
• Paid holidays (up to 14 days)
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous parental, caregiver, and medical leave benefits
• Competitive retirement plan (up to 9% matching contribution)
• Tuition remission and Tuition Exchange Program
• Great employee discounts
• Complimentary general admission to participating cultural institutions
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ABOUT THE POSITION

The Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for Faculty & Staff Engagement reports to and takes direction from the VP of  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The Director plans, coordinates, implements, and promotes the Office of DEI’s strategic initiatives in partnership with academic and non-academic units at SAIC. The Director works to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and anti-racism (DEIA+AR) at SAIC by offering technical assistance, tools, resources and support aligned with the academic mission of SAIC. The Director coordinates diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racist trainings and educational programming for faculty, staff, and the greater campus community; the role provides Orientations for New Employees, including new faculty at SAIC;  this role serves as a collaborator with the office of the dean of faculty, academic affairs, academic departments and community partners; this role collaborates with the Director of DEI for Student Engagement and supervises student workers. 

 

 

 

RESPONSIBILITIES 

Staff Supervision - Supervises  graduate students. Provides workflow, communicates expectations, and monitors  progress; provides on-going direction &  feedback about performance through weekly 1:1 meetings; assists in the recruitment and  hiring of DEI student workers, including reviewing applicant materials, conducting candidate interviews,  and offering recommendations for hiring to the VP of DEI; coordinates and provides training and professional development opportunities.

Engagement and Educational Programming - Contributes to the development and execution of DEI strategic initiatives; Plans, promotes, implements and assesses programs, workshops, lectures, and institutes  for the campus community, with a focus on faculty and staff development; Serves as DEI Office lead for faculty outreach and engagement; Plans and coordinates meetings, trainings/workshops, events, etc., designed to increase DEIA and anti-racist awareness, knowledge and skills; Promotes Office of DEI’s goals and objectives to build internal and external relationships and networks across the SAIC; Develops and disseminates engaging and comprehensive arts education related DEIA educational materials and resources; Utilizes data and DEIA best practices to guide and inform future initiatives; Contributes to an annual calendar of events for the Office with a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and anti- racism;  Coordinates events (workshops, programs, lectures, etc) sponsored by the DEI Office and  in partnership with other SAIC campus offices; Stays apprised of best practices in the DEIA field, social practice,  and art and design education to support the Office’s programming, policies, procedures, tools, resources, trainings, and broader institutional work; Partners with Student Affairs and the Flaxman Library + Special Collections  to recognize, acknowledge, and educate  community members through heritage month programs;  Creates DEIA and anti-racist  resources in support of curricular development and campus  engagement; Collaborates on drafting campus-wide messaging to bring widespread awareness to the significance of heritage and cultu