Director, Equity & Belonging

Director of Equity and Belonging

Bishop O’Dowd’s Mission/Charism:

Bishop O’Dowd High School is a Catholic college-preparatory community, guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ, that educates its diverse student body to build a more just, joyful and sustainable world.

Finding God In All Things Calls Us to: Community in Diversity, Strength of Character, Academic Excellence, Kinship With Creation, Social Justice, Joy

Overview:

At Bishop O’Dowd High School, our commitment to diversity, equity, and belonging flows directly from our Catholic faith and school mission. Catholic Social Teaching calls us to pursue justice and peace by demonstrating the virtue of solidarity with all of our brothers and sisters. We believe that diversity and inclusion are at the heart of this mission and that by understanding ourselves and others, we can move with greater purpose toward this mission. We embrace an increasingly global community where race, gender, identity, class, and ability all intersect and believe we must be intentional in recognizing, understanding, and celebrating the differences that make us unique while fostering the values that we share. Through education and awareness, we strive to provide students the opportunity to honor and understand the diverse world in which we live, in order to cultivate empathetic and effective leaders and agents of change. Through self-reflection and examination, we strive to develop policies and protocols that mitigate bias and build educational spaces that are equitable for learning.

Job Summary:

The Director of Equity & Belonging is a key school leader responsible for working strategically and collaboratively to advance and sustain O’Dowd’s mission-aligned and active commitment to diversity, equity, and belonging. In addition, the Director will lead the school in its commitment to an anti-racist and culturally competent O’Dowd where these practices are seen and affirmed in all aspects of the culture of the school. This position reports to the President and works cross-functionally with senior leaders throughout the institution to develop programs and policies, systems and infrastructure, communication, and metrics to realize the school’s mission and strategic initiatives in this regard.

Strategic Visioning and Planning:

Provide strategic leadership in the areas of equity, belonging, and anti-racism across all institutional programs and departments.

Metrics and Data:

Establish quantitative and qualitative metrics and collect and analyze data to determine progress towards institutional equity & belonging goals.

Communications:

Provide periodic equity & belonging updates and progress to the community.

Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse Community:

Work to improve the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, staff, students, and families. Play a lead role in the hiring process by helping to diversify the hiring pipeline, provide culturally responsive interview training, and serve as a representative/consultant on all key hires.

Community & Cultural Development:

Serve as a resource and leader for the community on elements of O’Dowd culture and student life to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion is paramount.

Networking and Continued Professional Development:

Have a demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion work and remain on the leading edge of DEI work by attending relevant professional development and maintaining active participation in both regional and national diversity organizations.

Desired Professional Skills and Experience

Familiarity and understanding of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching
Resonance with O’Dowd’s mission and charism
Effective communication skills (including strong skills of listening and empathy) and a track record of being a community-builder across different constituencies
Deep grounding in theory and best practices in equity, anti-racism, and belonging work with the depth of experience both to facilitate critical conversations that support faculty, staff and student growth and to realize institutional change
Strong organizational and leadership skills with the ability to hold vision while implementing details
Ability to utilize data to understand organizational needs, assess institutional strengths and growth areas, and create a strategy based on qualitative assessments
Ability to receive and incorporate feedback as well as to have hard conversations
Ability to use and effectively employ technology to promote efficiency, communication, and organization
Diversity of life experience that informs their work
Appreciation for collegial collaboration and feedback as a means to improve
Commitment to innovation and professional growth
Experience in conflict resolution and ability to manage discomfort and tension that may arise when addressing issues around equity and belonging
Ability to research, identify and implement best practices around diversity, equity, and inclusion
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Experience coaching and/or leading faculty professional development
A detailed thinker with the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively, flexibly, and thoughtfully in a fast-paced environment with minimal supervision.
A leader with high character and impeccable integrity with the ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and tact
Proven ability to discern and bring the proper resources, like consultants, advisors, or task forces, at certain times and places needed to accomplish our aims

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

This job operates in a professional office environment. Over 90% of the time is spent using standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and copier and fax machines. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear and use both close and distant vision. The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, use hands to fingers, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is required to sit, stoop, kneel, lift and occasionally move up to 20 pounds. The ability to work in a highly active office dealing with a variety of challenges, multiple deadlines, and a diverse array of contacts. Ability to safely and comfortably travel around a 20+ acre campus.

Expected Hours of Work

Work hours typically are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (may include evenings and/or weekends if necessary).

Additional Eligibility Qualifications

Satisfactory clearance of TB test Assessment, background check (pursuant to a fingerprint scan), eligibility to legally work in the United States (sponsorship of a work visa or work visa extension not available). Reasonable accommodations will be made to support individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions and other duties.

Bishop O’Dowd High School is an equal-opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its employment policies and procedures. It follows the Diocese of Oakland’s policies prohibiting illegal harassment, retaliation, or discrimination. However, as a Roman Catholic high school with a stated mission, goals, and objectives that clearly reflect the teachings and educational philosophy of the Diocese of Oakland, Bishop O’Dowd High School reserves the right to require all current and prospective employees to commit to carrying out their duties and responsibilities in a manner that clearly and unconditionally demonstrates support of and respect for the school’s mission and Catholic identity. Persons who in good conscience are unable to agree to this commitment should not seek or accept employment at Bishop O’Dowd High School. As a faith-based institution, we reserve the right to use religion as a criterion in hiring decisions, as permitted by law, as it relates to performing essential job duties. Pre-employment background screening is required for all positions.

For more information on Bishop O’Dowd High School, please see our website at: http://bishopodowd.org.