Director, Equity and Inclusion & Equal Opportunity Officer

Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community. As one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world. The 425‐acre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods.

 

Who We Are:

Swarthmore College launched a new institutional strategic plan, Swarthmore Forward, in January 2024 that deepens the College’s commitment to creating a community that welcomes differences and prepares students for life in a multiracial, multicultural democracy. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) was established to develop institutional strategy and vision with respect to these goals. Led by the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, who serves on the President’s senior leadership team, the office collaborates with staff, faculty, and students to guide and monitor the implementation of strategic DEI priorities for the College, coordinate and align DEI efforts across the College, and foster an inclusive and welcoming campus environment. Swarthmore Forward outlines a vision for the present and future of the College in which “equity and inclusion are not just ideals, but lived experiences.” The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion serves a key role in delivering on this vision. It is an exciting time to join us at Swarthmore!

The opportunity:

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) at Swarthmore College invites applications for a Director of Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunity Officer. Reporting to the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Director of Equity and Inclusion/EOO serves as a key member of the ODEI team responsible for supporting efforts to build and maintain a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive campus environment by overseeing the College’s bias reporting, response, and education initiatives. This position will also serve as the College’s Equal Opportunity Officer to facilitate/coordinate, with campus partners, the College’s compliance with EO College policies, laws, and requirements.

The Director role includes but is not limited to receiving reports of bias, discrimination, identity-based harm, and other grievances from students, staff, and faculty, assessing incident reports for policy violations and facilitating investigations when needed, communicating with all parties involved with empathy, compassion, and clarity, developing restorative and educational mechanisms of accountability when incidents are determined not to violate college policy, maintaining organized documentation of bias incidents and submitting annual reports, and creating professional development opportunities focused on increasing cultural literacy, dialogue skills, and bias prevention for the campus community.

The Director will work collaboratively and collegially with campus partners, including but not limited to colleagues in Student Affairs, Title IX, Human Resources, Academic Affairs, General Counsel, and the Bias Incident Response Team to support the College’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. The Director may also serve as a highly visible representative of the ODEI for various meetings and/or events and, therefore, must be a skilled communicator with outstanding interpersonal and intercultural skills to support an inclusive and welcoming environment for diverse populations of students, staff, and faculty.

 

Essential Responsibilities

Bias Incident Reporting

• Facilitate and oversee the bias incident reporting process by receiving bias reports from community members, meticulously documenting relevant information, and conducting initial assessments for policy violations.
• Ensure prompt, effective, and equitable investigations into bias and other grievance-related incidents; coordinate, appoint, and oversee the work of external investigators when necessary.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret bias reporting data; create annual reports reflecting trends and recommended actions.

Bias Policy, Process, & Compliance

• Coordinate and support the College’s compliance with Title VI & VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educationa