Website Achieving the Dream, Inc.
Associate Director Equity Initiatives
Job Description
About Us:
Achieving the Dream — Conceived as an initiative in 2004 by Lumina Foundation and seven founding partner organizations, Achieving the Dream now leads the most comprehensive non-governmental reform movement for student success in higher education history. Together with our Network of over 300 institutions of higher education, 75 coaches and advisors, and numerous investors and partners working throughout 45 states and the District of Columbia we are helping more than 4 million community college students have a better chance of realizing greater economic opportunity and achieving their dreams.
Achieving the Dream (ATD) believes that equity — our core founding principle — is the driving force to achieve the educational, economic, and social benefits of higher education for the students we serve. We believe that when colleges intentionally design and implement antiracist and just structures, policies, and practices that combat oppression, students and their communities thrive. Higher education must interrogate the disconnect between institutionalized practices that impact student success and the systemic structures and processes that continue to oppress and exclude students based on the intersection of race, ethnicity, gender identity, language, (dis)ability, sexual orientation, economic status, and/or religion.
Achieving the Dream remains steadfast in our commitment to delivering student-centered strategies to guide and support colleges to disrupt and dismantle historical systemic discriminatory legacies, structures, and barriers that prevent community members from prospering. We expect ATD Network colleges to honor their institutional responsibilities to create and invest in thriving local communities by leveraging their leadership positions to actualize social, economic, and racial justice. Through bold actions, colleges must transform their practices to target and eliminate specific barriers to student success and address their students’ needs by centering equity within their local context.
To learn more about ATD’s commitment to equity, review our Equity Statement: ATD’s Equity Statement
To learn more about our organization and mission, visit our homepage: www.achievingthedream.org
About This Role:
Job Overview
The Associate Director of Equity Initiatives is responsible for providing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content expertise and coaching support services to institutions affiliated with Achieving the Dream. This position will work alongside the Director of Equity Initiatives to guide community colleges in integrating DEI efforts into their student success goals. The Associate Director will have a strong understanding of all aspects of equity and the ability to leverage the importance of diversity within complex organizational structures. The Associate Director represents ATD at local, regional, and national meetings and works collaboratively with other teams within ATD to ensure effective communication and collaboration across initiatives, as well as supporting ATD learning events. The position reports to the Director of Equity Initiatives.
Duties and Responsibilities
§ Project and Relationship Management (60%)
§ Lead and develop resources, tools, and assets related to equity services.
§ Represent ATD in the field including learning events, meetings, conferences, and contracted client engagements.
§ Manage all project deadlines, budgets, and deliverables to ensure compliance with grant and operational reporting requirements.
§ Manage contractor relationships to include coordinating the execution of agreements.
§ Collaborate with Program Leads to ensure alignment of work and coordination of efforts.
§ Research the needs of ATD Network colleges to identify opportunities for deepening their experiences and improving equity supports, resources, and tools.
§ Proactively identify opportunities to promote learning and knowledge gained from the field to ATD colleagues and senior leadership.
§ Manage the inventory of equity assets created and used by other members of the organization.
§ Support the delivery of the Racial Equity Leadership Academy, DEI Officer Affinity Group and other emerging cohort-based services.
Delivery of ATD Services (30%)
§ Present information on Achieving the Dream and community college diversity, equity and inclusion work at local, regional and national meetings.
§ Collaborate with other program area leads to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion principles into services and events.
§ Present information on college best practices in the field.
§ Support the design and delivery of ATD’s annual Equity Institute.
Additional Responsibilities (10%)
§ Actively serve on internal committees/teams to contribute to ATD’s strategy execution.
§ Support ATD’s Network Engagement team and other activities, as needed.
§ Other duties as assigned.
Skills/Qualifications/Experience
§ Master’s degree in relevant field, with a minimum of five (5) years related work experience in program and project management; grant-writing and grant-management experience; and higher education.
§ Experience in a community college environment preferred.
§ Excellent project management skills; ability to monitor and execute multiple projects at once, detail-oriented and organized.
§ Strong written and oral communication and facilitation and presentation skills; ability to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences including technical, professional, and executive. An ability to facilitate difficult conversations is preferred.
§ Evidence of strong commitment to equity and culturally responsive practices.
§ Ability to work productively in both team and independent settings.
§ Excellent technology skills, particularly with Microsoft Office 365 Suite, Salesforce, and Canvas and/or ability to learn new technology products quickly.
Core Competencies
Collaboration: Demonstrates respect, humility, and willingness to collaborate when seeking to understand others and making decisions.
Disciplined Execution: Has the ability to break down big picture work goals into management tasks; has the foresight to anticipate potential roadblocks to ensure timely completion of tasks and projects.
Effective Communication: Ability to actively listen and thoughtfully question to create greater understanding and to offer insights that advance problem-solving.
Learning Orientation: Embraces challenges, new ideas and different perspectives as an opportunity to learn; continually seeks out and applies new learning to activate change or improvements.
Systems Thinking: Defines the system and one’s role in the system. Sees relationships and the dynamic elements of the holistic system and executes work accordingly. Influences the system and maps connections to ATD’s external landscape.
Change Agent: Serves as an agent of change at a personal, team, and organizational level to pursue outcomes for students. Adapts as the environment changes, while managing associated risks. Motivates staff, team, organization, and partners to activate the change needed to advance defined priorities.
Culturally Competent: Models appreciate inquiry to gain understanding and awareness of others’ cultural identity and practices. Creates safe and constructive forums for sharing diverse perspectives and opinions.
Emotional Intelligence: Demonstrates self-awareness and self-regulation and recognizes impact of personal behavior on others.
Position Details
Position Type: Full Time, Exempt
Salary Grade: 6
Salary Range: $85,000 – $95,000
Reports To: Director of Equity
Work Location: Primarily remote with position headquartered in Silver Spring
Travel Required: Minimal
What We Offer:
We continually strive to be a committed, diverse, values-based organization. We also offer a robust portfolio of benefits, including:
§ Health, dental and vision insurance coverage
§ 401K Retirement plan
§ Optional pre-tax spending account for qualified medical FSA, dependent care FSA and commuter expenses
§ Premiums paid by ATD for short-term disability insurance, long-term disability insurance, life and AD&D insurance with options to elect and pay for additional coverage for spouse and children.
§ Paid sick leave, vacation time, and personal days (Additionally, ATD observes all 10 federal holidays and is closed the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and for Winter Break between December 25 and January 1.
§ Employee Assistance Program
§ Professional Development allowance (for full-time employees on successful completion of 90-day intro period)
§ Mobile First Work Policy: Remote work allows employees to work at home for all or part of their workweek as a viable, flexible work option to support the changing needs of employees. Upon hire, employees are notified of their work location (Silver Spring, Portland, or Remote). Remote may not be appropriate for all positions at ATD. ATD wants to ensure that both employees and ATD will benefit from these arrangements.
ATD strongly encourages applicants from diverse and historically underrepresented backgrounds to apply. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.
Please include a cover letter along with your resume. In the cover letter please discuss the following:
§ Why are you passionate about ATD’s mission?
§ What qualities, experiences, or other considerations do you believe make you an ideal candidate for this position?
Physical Demands:
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. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Achieving the Dream believes that diversity, equity and inclusion is critical to its work and its mission. ATD takes meaningful steps to promote inclusion in its hiring, retention, promotion, and board recruitment, and supports equity work at the community colleges it serves.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Achieving the Dream is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse work environment. Employment policies and decisions are based upon merit, qualifications, performance, and business needs. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), gender identity or expression, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, legally- protected genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.
To apply for this job email your details to eslater@achievingthedream.org