DIVERSITY SPECIALIST
Req #: 184870
Department: SCHOOL OF AQUATIC AND FISHERY SCIENCES
Posting Date: 11/20/2020
Closing Info: Open Until Filled
Salary: Salary is commensurate with education and experience.
Shift: First Shift
As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.
UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty. All of which has allowed the UW to be nationally recognized as a “Great College to Work For” for six consecutive years.
The College of the Environment fosters existing and new collaborations between outstanding faculty, staff and students who are engaged in the study of: the solar system and Earth’s dynamic land, water and atmosphere; the development and application of environmental engineering and technological advances; and the impact of policy and human actions on the environment, and the management of natural resources.
The School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS) is dedicated to sustaining healthy marine and freshwater environments. Our school comprises one of the largest and most diverse academic aquatic and fisheries sciences program in the United States. Our faculty conduct innovative research from the organism to the ecosystem scale, and are recognized leaders in aquatic biology, sustainable fisheries management, and aquatic resource conservation.
The School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences values the strengths and professional experience that students, faculty, and staff bring to our community. We are committed to providing excellent education to all of our students, regardless of their race, gender, class, nationality, physical ability, religion, age, or sexual orientation. We are proud of the different roles that our students, staff, and faculty play in the community of the School and in the College of the Environment. We recognize that science is richer and the SAFS community is more vibrant when a diverse group of people participate the SAFS community.
The School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences has an outstanding opportunity for a part time 50% Diversity Specialist. The SAFS Diversity Specialist fills a key role in the School’s ongoing efforts to become an equitable, inclusive, and welcoming academic and professional institution for students, staff, faculty and colleagues. This includes leading and supporting efforts to attract, engage, and retain diverse and underrepresented groups at all levels and ranks, and to build strategic partnerships covering the academic, professional, and cultural breadth of communities connected to aquatic and fishery sciences.
The Diversity Specialist will be key in providing the School with expert knowledge and educational resources; community building and retention; outreach and recruitment; assessment and evaluation; and visioning and strategic planning related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles in STEM.
The Diversity Specialist must be able to work independently, with the flexibility to work collaboratively within a group or team setting. The position will work closely with the School’s student services staff, and report to the Manager of Student Services.
The successful candidate must demonstrate exceptional collaboration, program management, communication, and interpersonal skills; be strategic and visionary with tangible results; and be able to prepare reports for the SAFS and the College of the Environment.
In serving a School within the College of the Environment and the University of Washington, this position will promote and aspire to collaboration, integrity, innovation, diversity, inclusion and respect.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Provide support to the staff and faculty of the SAFS as they implement the School’s vision for a diverse, equitable and inclusive institution, including by staffing the School’s Equity and Inclusion Committee.
Provide support to students, staff, postdocs and faculty who want to lead or use learning opportunities in race, bias, privilege, systemic racism, equity and inclusion for their peer groups, labs and classes.
•Lead in building productive and healthy working relationships across the School by assisting colleagues in understanding how race, class, gender, sexual orientation, etc. intersect and influence a person’s experience working in STEM fields.
•Support students, staff, and faculty from minoritized groups that are underrepresented in STEM.
•Connect students from minoritized groups that are underrepresented in STEM with research and scholarship opportunities at SAFS; maintain a job board for paid work-study research positions at the SAFS.
•Distribute information about DEI initiatives, events, opportunities, etc. to the School’s community.
•Participate on various related committees and workgroups of the School, and communicate on DEI efforts to all peer groups (students, postdocs, staff, and faculty).
•Collaborate with College of the Environment units, the College of Environment Dean’s Office and other UW organizations to build partnerships to ensure alignment and focus on diversity and inclusion practices.
•Co-organize the School’s Annual Open House (with SEAS), a volunteer-run event for the greater community that showcases the research and learning opportunities at SAFS
•Run a quarterly book club that discusses issues of racism, classism, colonialism, etc. and how they intersect with natural resource management. Maintain the SAFS DEI Library.
•Co-coordinate the School’s community events to foster equity and inclusion and a sense of belonging (Lunches, Chit-Chat, Fall Kickoff).
•Assist (with SEAS and the Equity and Inclusion Committee) in the creation of a professional development certificate program for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For detailed information on Benefits for this position, click here.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
•Bachelor’s degree in education, business organizational behavior, sociology, instructional design, or a related field; and two years of relevant experience; or combination of education, training, and relevant experience. Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements.
•Demonstrated commitment to serving diverse populations/communities representing a range of social, economic, cultural, ideological, racial, and/or ethnic backgrounds.
•Team player with excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting and speaking to groups.
•Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work professionally, courteously, and effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community, including students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
•Ability to be strategic, visionary, transformative, and tactical while playing close attention to delivering tangible results.
•Demonstrate understanding of, and support for, key concepts and training in DEI training.
•Skills in program management and problem-solving, as illustrated by the ability to set priorities and manage multiple projects and competing deadlines.
•Ability to maintain discretion and tact when handling complex issues and data; ability to exercise discretion with sensitive issues.
•Awareness of group dynamics and the ability to leverage them and dialogue in a timely manner to facilitate group learning and individual engagement
•Demonstrated ability to be a self-starter who takes initiative and follows through.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except where there are legal requirements such as license/certification/registration.
DESIRED EXPERIENCE:
•Advanced degree in STEM preferred.
•Relevant experience in a higher education or large public institution setting.
•A minimum of one year of experience and demonstrated proficiency in preparing, managing, and overseeing a DEI plan.
•Fluency in another language such as Spanish.
•Experience in developing and writing effective proposals for support, including federal, state, foundations, donors etc.
Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Workforce Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your “My Jobs” page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.
Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.