Job location: College Hall - 1st Floor

Employment Type: Full-time
Posted data: 2021-07-20
Req: JR00034529
University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - School of Arts and Sciences

Job Profile Title

Vice Dean of Administration

Job Description Summary

The inaugural Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will provide leadership in pursuit of the School of Arts and Sciences’ core commitments to achieving and maintaining excellence through diversity; being a community that is welcoming and respectful to all; and contributing to social justice through its research, teaching and community engagement. Reporting to the Dean of the School, the vice dean will be a member of the Penn Arts & Sciences leadership team and establish and oversee the SAS Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This individual will serve the full spectrum of SAS community members, including faculty; undergraduate, graduate and lifelong learning students; post-doctoral fellows; and staff.

Job Description

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Organizational: Oversee the School’s implementation of its Inclusion and Anti-Racism Initiatives. Assess achievement of goals and coordinate the ongoing School-wide development of strategies and long-range plans. Coordinate and partner with the other SAS deans and the SAS Director of Human Resources to address diversity issues within individual parts of the School. Develop productive connections on diversity matters with chairs, directors and others. Serve as senior SAS representative on diversity and outreach matters within the University. Act as liaison between SAS and relevant University offices; represent SAS on University-wide committees and initiatives. Represent the School outside of Penn – to scholars and students, programs, organizations and institutions - in the pursuit of diversity goals. Pursue internal and external funding opportunities in all areas under purview. Ensure communication of goals, programs, resources and outcomes to the SAS community and beyond.

Climate: Develop and implement survey and other tools for assessing program/office climate on a regular basis. Develop suite of guidance and resources for programs/office to both proactively promote inclusive climate and address ongoing climate challenges. Develop process for Vice Dean and the SAS Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to be a resource for either personally addressing cases of bias, harassment or discrimination and/or ensuring the proper referral to other SAS and University offices. Educate the SAS community and build information resources to ensure full accessibility to all of the above resources.

Recruitment and Pipeline: Partnering with other SAS deans and the SAS Director of Human Resources, work to enhance recruitment of diverse faculty, students and staff across the School, building on and complementing existing processes and programs. Ensure that the School has a robust and well-rounded suite of pipeline programs that promotes diverse entry -- at Penn and elsewhere -- into undergraduate and graduate programs, academic careers and senior staff positions.

Mentorship: Develop processes and programs for developing talent and ensuring the success of those recruited, building on and complementing existing efforts. Develop targeted mentoring programs to develop faculty and staff for leadership roles. Cultivate external relationships with institutions (including historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions and tribal colleges and universities) and organizations to assist in the above activities.

Programmatic: Coordinate with deans and faculty to ensure the ongoing strength of the School’s scholarship and teaching around topics of race and inclusion. Manage School-level grant programs and collaborative programming. Recognizing the many ways SAS faculty, students and programs engage with and learn from communities beyond Penn, the Vice Dean will establish and oversee a staff within the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion that serves as a clearinghouse for these activities in SAS, promotes new connections with the community, and serves as a home for targeted efforts like the SAS Science Outreach Initiative.

Outcomes: Establish metrics for regular assessment of overall diversity in SAS (data, benchmarks, climate) and report on them to the School community annually, highlighting accomplishments and challenges. Work with communications staff to ensure that the School regularly highlights and raises awareness about people and programs

QUALIFICATIONS:

A master’s degree in a relevant field of study is preferred, along with a minimum of 7 years of progressive experience advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in a university setting. Penn Arts & Sciences seeks an experienced leader who will be a guiding force for SAS as it pursues the School's core commitments of achieving and maintaining excellence through diversity; being a community that is welcoming and respectful to all; and contributing to social justice through its research, teaching and community engagement.

In additional, SAS seeks a leader with the following attributes:

Expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion: Demonstrated leadership in and commitment to promoting and addressing issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and community engagement in a university setting. Broad understanding of diversity, knowledge of the research and scholarship in this space as well as emerging trends and practices.

Strong Leadership Skills: Experience in working at multiple levels in a complex organization and inspiring and empowering culture change. Willingness to engage in challenging discussions and manage and facilitate courageous conversations. Ability to lead with vision, purposefulness and conviction. Effectiveness in working and leading in a collective governance model.

Relationship Builder: Track record of building community and nurturing relationships among a wide range of campus populations, with empathy and sensitivity. Capacity to serve as a trusted advisor and thought partner. An effective convener of people and a skilled collaborator. Experience with securing internal and external funding.

Change Management: Ability to understand the breadth of institutional subcultures in SAS (e.g., humanities/social sciences/natural sciences, faculty/student/staff) and the mindset of faculty in order to gain buy-in and create change. Skill in shifting the narrative to create a shared understanding of how this work supports the mission and goals of SAS.

Effective Communication Skills: Excellent interpersonal and oral written communication skills. Ability to communicate with clarity and compassion with stakeholders. Ability to communicate across difference, mediate and bring people along.

Data Competency: A deep understanding of quantitative and qualitative data. Aptitude for harnessing data to inform analysis, assess programs and processes, develop goals and metrics, drive strategy and hold the institution accountable for progress.

Personal Qualities: Entrepreneurial, resourceful, creative, eager. Comfortable leading on uncomfortable topics and engaging in uncomfortable conversations. Open, respectful, transparent, empathetic and diplomatic. Possesses a sense of urgency as well as the ability to be flexible and nimble.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

School of Arts and Sciences

Pay Range

Affirmative Action Statement
Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.

Special Requirements
Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

• Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

• Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

• Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

• Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

• Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

• University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

• Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

• Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

• Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

• Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay