Director of Equity and Community Supports

This is a full-time, permanent position, subject to a probationary period.

Established in 1789, the University of King’s College is Canada’s oldest chartered university and is associated with Dalhousie University. A small and extraordinarily lively academic community located in Halifax (Kjipuktuk), Nova Scotia, King’s is known nationally and internationally for its highly acclaimed interdisciplinary programs in the humanities, including its renowned Foundation Year Program, its professional programs in journalism and its fine arts programs in creative writing. King’s is a community where students, faculty, alumni and staff work to bring greater understanding, creativity and compassion to the world.

Reporting directly to the President, the Director is a new position at King’s that will be part of the senior administrative team. The Director will support the coordination and integration of EDIA principles and practices throughout King’s academic, teaching and research mission, and strategic direction. The successful candidate will provide inspirational and strategic leadership in the development of a transformational university culture that values, supports and promotes equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and Indigenization at King’s.

The Director will:

• Support the members of all equity-deserving groups, including all those protected by human rights laws;
• Play a leadership role in the commitment of King’s to protecting all members of the King’s community from racism, ablism, sexism, discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, antisemitism, Islamophobia and any other form of discrimination on the basis of personal characteristics;
• Support the work of King’s on Indigenization, recognizing its distinctness from EDIA work;
• Provide information, take proactive measures and be available for consultation to all members of the university community on issues concerning equity, diversity, inclusion, discrimination and harassment;
• Coordinate initiatives to raise awareness and educate the university community on issues related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility;
• Support establishment of EDIA plans, initiatives and capacity within academic programs and academic support units;
• Support the development and implementation of programs and events that celebrate diverse cultures, identities and perspective;
• Support the Board of Governors in its responsibility to oversee the university’s work on EDIA;
• Work with all committees of the university with a role in advancing EDIA, including committees addressing equity as an overarching theme and those addressing particular dimensions of equity, including accessibility, sexualized violence and the recently established Mawagnutma’tmnej Advisory Circle;
• Collaborate with counterparts at Dalhousie University, other postsecondary institutions, the Government of Nova Scotia and other public bodies;
• Represent King’s in committees and forums addressing provincial or national work and collaboration on equity, diversity and inclusion;
• Build partnerships to sustain the advancement of EDIA and complements the efforts of advancing our institutional commitments to Indigenization and decolonization across all areas and facets of the University;
• Represent the university in local, regional and national EDIA initiatives, conferences and professional organizations;
• Foster relationships with community organizations and leaders to promote EDIA in the broader community;
• Serve as King’s institutional lead and liaison for key EDIA partnerships, initiatives, memberships and charters, specifically the Scarborough Charter, Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, the Black Cultural Centre and the PREP Academy.

The Director of Equity and Community Supports will be a non-voting member of the Board of Governor’s Equity Committee, which is currently undergoing a review by the Chair of the Board. They will be guided in their work by the President’s mandate on equity, diversity inclusion and accessibility and will work with the President to further develop and advance this mandate.

The successful candidate will abide by applicable laws, university policies, confidentiality and privacy standards, and carry out their responsibilities in accordance with the principles of procedural fairness.

Specific Duties/Accountabilities of the Director of Equity and Community Supports

The primary focus of the Director of Equity and Community Supports will be two-fold: (1) supporting members of equity-deserving groups and all who experience or can experience discrimination based on their personal characteristics and (2) creating or supporting positive and proactive initiatives that can contribute to systemic improvements that contribute to the priority of King’s to be welcoming to all.

The Director of Equity and Community Supports will also be designated as the University’s Equity Officer and will receive all complaints of discrimination and harassment under the university’s Equity Policy, including acting as an impartial advisor in respect of complaints and initiating the formal procedures of the Equity Policy, when appropriate. In this area of responsibility, the Director of Equity and Community Supports is to act primarily as an advisor and mediator.

Priorities for this new position will be:

• Leading a review of the Equity Policy and Code of Conduct (and all related policies) and the development of a modernized policy and code of conduct that meet current standards, best practices and all applicable legislative requirements;
• Leading the development of one or more action plans that will guide the implementation at King’s of the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion, provincial legislation and strategies to address racism, and the university’s broader commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, including as set out in the President’s 2020 Report to the Board of Governors.

The work of the Director and the community supports team is a critically important dimension of the university’s overall strategic direction, including for enrolment growth and stability.

In that context, the additional specific accountabilities of the Director of Equity and Community Supports include but are not limited to:

• Informing and consulting with all members of the College on matters concerning equity, diversity, inclusion, discrimination and harassment, including to ensure that university policy and objectives pertaining to equity are widely understood by members of the community;
• Being available to discuss concerns, provide support and make referrals in matters of discrimination and harassment;
• Increasing awareness and understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion, and advising those who have responsibilities under equity related policies, programs, plans and strategies, including faculty, supervisors, administrators, staff and others;
• Advising on the efforts of individuals, programs, departments and the College, including the Board of Governors, to advance equity, diversity and inclusion;
• Working on matters relating to equity, diversity and inclusion with all members of the King’s community, including administration and administrative departments, directors, academic programs and faculty members, and all student support offices and programs;
• Ensuring that Complainant(s) and Respondent(s) are kept informed of the status of ongoing procedures, while ensuring that all information on matters under the Equity Policy are received and managed in a confidential manner, except as outlined in the Policy;
• Keeping informed of current issues and literature pertaining to equity, diversity, inclusion, discrimination and harassment, and providing advice on policy matters relating to the promotion of EDIA and the prevention of discrimination and harassment;
• Reporting on the number, nature and disposition of concerns and complaints, without disclosing any information identifying specific individuals, to the President and the Board of Governors and/or the Board’s Equity Committee;
• Providing any other reports to the President and/or to the Board, and/or its Equity Committee that may be helpful or as the President, Board and/or Committee may request and providing such other assistance to the Board and/or the Equity Committee as the Board and/or the Committee may reasonably request.

The above accountabilities are not intended to be an all-inclusive list of the duties and responsibilities of the position described. The accountabilities of the Director of Equity and Community Supports position will evolve with the evolution of the university. The relative attention placed on different accountabilities will vary with the circumstances.

The successful candidate will have:

• Master’s Degree required in a relevant area of study, or equivalent education and experience, preferably with a focus on human rights, diversity, equity and inclusion and significant relevant work, educational and/or volunteer experience, including project management and staff management experience;
• A minimum of 5 years work experience in progressively senior positions addressing, leading and advancing social/human/equity services and support preferably in the higher education sector;
• Experience leading and supporting largescale challenging change initiatives, mentoring and leading a team of professionals;
• Experience working with members of a senior leadership team on organization-wide committees and collaboratively with multiple stakeholders;
• Experience in collating and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data and information in order to draft reports, provide briefing materials and recommendations to a range of audiences including senior leadership;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and active listening skills;
• Significant experience in policy development, design and administration;
• An intersectional analysis and understanding of racism and other forms of institutionalized oppression;
• Experience working with the effects of oppression on individuals and communities;
• Experience or connection to working in postsecondary environment;
• Strong assessment and crisis intervention skills;
• A demonstrated aptitude for managing diverse and sometimes conflicting responsibilities, combined with flexibility and strong conflict-resolution and problem-solving skills;
• Effective communication, advocacy and rapport building skills;
• Knowledge of support systems and community resources within Halifax and surrounding areas;
• Awareness of provincial and federal laws relating to equity.

Closing Date: TBD, 2024

The anticipated start date for this position is TBD.

Salary will be commensurate with level of education and experience. The starting salary range for this position is: $97,758 to $107,798. A comprehensive group benefits package is offered including membership in the Nova Scotia Public Service Superannuation Plan (PSSP).

To apply for this position, please forward cover letter and resume to:

Pethrona Russell
Human Resources Manager
University of King’s College
6350 Coburg Road
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2A1

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

The University of King’s College is committed to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. We encourage and welcome those who would contribute to the diversification of our staff and faculty including, but not limited to women, people who identify as Black, Indigenous or Persons of Colour, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity. In line with the University’s commitments to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and to the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education, the ideal candidate for this position will self-identify as African Nova Scotian or Black.