Assistant Director of Multicultural Affairs

If you have any questions about the position or our application process, reach out to us at recruiting-u@smith.edu.

Equity and Inclusion

Job Description

Job Summary

Reporting to the Dean of Multicultural Affairs and Director of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, develop, coordinate, and facilitate student engagement programming to lead initiatives that focus on student development and implement programs and resources that support the work of all recognized cultural heritage organizations. Collaborate with campus partners from the faculty, staff, and student communities to identify and implement various activities and educational opportunities that support diversity and inclusion within a social justice advocacy context. Serve on the Cromwell Day Committee.

Take appropriate actions to support a diverse workforce and participate in the College's efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment.

Essential Functions

Multicultural Advising (25%):

• Serve as an adviser, resource, and advocate for recognized cultural groups known as the Unity organizations.
• Identify student leadership and budget management training opportunities for Unity organizations with on-campus stakeholders.
• Be recognizable on campus by attending events sponsored by the Unity organizations, including evenings and weekends.
• Meet regularly with the Unity Presidents’ Council (UPC), the governing council for the Unity organizations.

Supervision (25%):

• Recruit, hire, train, and supervise a staff of student coordinators to staff and work in the Mwangi Cultural Center during the academic year.
• Provide training focused on customer service, space reservation consultations, and room setup.
• Oversee student coordinator projects, including distribution of the weekly online newsletter, social media management, and special projects.
• As part of training, facilitate a workshop on the history of the two cultural spaces on campus.

Space Management (25%):

• Manage the Mwangi Cultural Center and Unity House.
• Meet and collaborate with relevant stakeholders regarding the college’s reservation system, 25 Live, which supports space reservations for Unity House.
• Stay abreast of required facility upkeep and facility agreements.

 

Multicultural/Pre-Orientation Programming (25%):

• Plan and oversee the summer Bridge Pre-Orientation —a program for first-year students.
• Coordinate programming efforts to help first-year students find meaningful social connections, cross-cultural friendships, resources, and a network of people invested in collective success.
• Recruit, interview, select, and train upper-class students to serve as Bridge leaders.
• Recruit faculty to lead academic seminars.
• Work with various campus stakeholders to secure facilities and essential information for program development activities.
• Evaluate all program activities to determine their effectiveness related to student learning outcomes and general student satisfaction.

Other Functions:

• Assume responsibility for special projects and committee work and other duties as assigned

All employees are expected to participate in the College's efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment.

Minimum Qualifications (knowledge, skills, education, experience, certifications, licenses):

• Bachelor’s degree required, and a Master’s degree preferred, in higher education administration or related field preferred with 3-5 years experience in multicultural or social justice education or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Have solid leadership skills, a passion for helping and mentoring students, and experience in training and experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree preferred, in higher education administration or related field preferred

Skills: 

• Demonstrate an ability to communicate, both orally and in writing; exercise effective independent professional judgment; establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with faculty, staff, students, and student organizations; and relate successfully in one-on-one and group situations with persons representing diverse backgrounds and interests.
• Show knowledge of principles, practices, and theories of student learning and develop