Career Center

Brock University is searching for an inaugural Associate Vice-President, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion to support the institution in realizing its inclusion goals and strategies.

The Organization

Brock University was established in 1964 and located on the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples on territory covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Agreement. Brock serves its community as a cultural, academic and recreational centre, bringing excellent facilities to the people who created the University all those years ago. The University is committed to building their community and to fostering an environment that serves their students and their neighbours. With a student population of almost 19,000, approximately 1,500 ongoing employees, and a network of over 100,000 accomplished alumni, Brock has earned a reputation as a modern and innovative comprehensive institution.

Recently, Brock was named one of Forbes Top Employers for 2023 through an independent survey of more than 12,000 Canadian employees working for companies with more than 500 employees.

The Role

Brock has long been engaged in critical reflection on the mandate, operational effectiveness, organizational structure, and resourcing of its current human rights and equity supports. The University is seeking a leader who can provide input into planning, strategy, and vision and making recommendations to align decision-making with EDI best practices. This leader will create space for the entire community to take initiative in building a more inclusive community, together. The University is committed to infusing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion lenses across all institutional leadership dialogue, decisions, and operations. They play a vital role in advancing strategic priorities in the Brock Strategic and Academic Plan.

Reporting to the President and Vice Chancellor, the Associate Vice-President, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion will be an integral member of Brock’s Senior Administrative Team, responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing programs, policies and practices which promote equity and inclusion in the campus community and beyond. An inaugural position that will help shape the future of the University and the community that it serves, this leader will work to foster an inclusive university environment where individual differences are recognized, embraced, and valued.

Responsibilities

• Working with academic, student, and administrative leaders across our campuses to align efforts, share programs and best practices, and ensure measurement systems are leveraged to promote accountability and assess EDI efforts.
• As a senior leader, providing input into planning, strategy, and vision and making recommendations to align decision-making with EDI best practices.
• Providing strategic leadership and oversight to the Human Rights and Equity Office.
• Develop a comprehensive EDI education plan for the University in collaboration with internal and external partners.
• In collaboration with the Legal, Compliance, and Privacy Department and other relevant campus partners, support legal and legislative compliance in the context of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Acting as a liaison on behalf of the President and Vice-Chancellor to the President’s Advisory Committee on Human Rights, Equity, and Decolonization.
• Maintaining strong relationships with students, staff, and faculty.

The Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will be an experienced and strategic leader, with outstanding communication and interpersonal skills and a transparent and consultative approach to leadership. They are a compassionate, caring leader with integrity. They have a demonstrated background in leading broad institutional change in a complex public sector environment. Expertise in trauma-informed practice, pedagogy, people management, and legal and legislative compliance in the context of EDI are all required. They are a data-informed decision maker with a record of building strong and effective relationships across administrative and faculty departments, and student organizations within an educational setting.

Qualifications and Experience

• A degree in a related discipline, preferably at the graduate level (e.g. equity studies, law, social justice, sociology, social work, public administration, etc.)
• Ideally 7-10 years of experience in leadership in a complex unionized environment, preferably in a post-secondary education setting.
• Expertise in policy development and review.
• A demonstrated history of advancing anti-racism, human rights, EDI and decolonization within an organization.
• Success in developing partnerships and strategic alliances.

Attributes

• Well-developed critical EDI lenses on a variety of issues.
• The ability to relate to and work alongside students to advance EDI.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to quickly assess and understand subtexts, culture, and politics.
• The ability to face challenges and to exercise integrity, flexibility, and good judgment.
• The ability to work collegially and effectively within a unionized environment, building trusting relationships both internally and externally.
• Decisiveness combined with a relational leadership style.
• A strong ability to establish boundaries that support personal well-being for yourself and your team.

The University welcomes applications from all qualified individuals. Brock prioritizes employment equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and especially encourages applications from Black, racialized/visible minority and Indigenous people, women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ persons.

 If you are interested in this opportunity, contact Debra Clinton at dclinton@kbrs.ca, Kyle Steele at ksteele@kbrs.ca, Dr. Jennie Massey at jmassey@kbrs.ca or submit your full application package online at https://www.kbrs.ca/Career/16753.

Deadline for applications is April 1, 2023.

About Brock University

Brock University was established in 1964 and located on the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples on territory covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Agreement. Brock serves its community as a cultural, academic and recreational centre, bringing excellent facilities to the people who created the University all those years ago. The University is committed to building their community and to fostering an environment that serves their students and their neighbours. With a student population of almost 19,000, approximately 1,500 ongoing employees, and a network of over 100,000 accomplished alumni, Brock has earned a reputation as a modern and innovative comprehensive institution. Recently, Brock was named one of Forbes Top Employers for 2023 through an independent survey of more than 12,000 Canadian employees working for companies with more than 500 employees.

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