Director of Community & Inclusion
Who we are?
Ethical Culture Fieldston School is a progressive PreK-12 independent school that has been serving students from throughout New York City and the surrounding suburbs since 1878. ECFS offers a rich curriculum in the arts, sciences, and humanities. A co-ed, nonsectarian school, it serves a diverse community of about 1,700 students on two campuses--one in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, and the other in Manhattan.
What is essential about working at our school?
The Ethical Culture Fieldston School has a long history of equity and inclusion deeply rooted in our mission and the educational philosophy of Felix Adler, our founder. We embrace diversity of ancestry, family, identity, culture, and belief and seek a student body and faculty who reflect the pluralism and socio-economic diversity of metropolitan New York. We affirm both our differences and commonalities and strive to balance individuality and community. In keeping with our progressive tradition, we are dedicated to increasing our students’ cultural literacy to help them understand multiple perspectives and see the world beyond the self.
We expect members of our community to engage in open dialogue about living and learning in a diverse environment inside and outside the classroom. We see this work, with its creative tensions, as a catalyst for individual and collective growth. On a daily basis, we are committed to making this vision of a democratic, pluralistic, and progressive school a reality.
What are we looking for?
The Director of Community & Inclusion is a strategic thinker who leads the School’s efforts to enhance the sense of community and belonging by developing and implementing policies and programming that support school-wide efforts focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). As the School moves towards its next strategic planning process, this position will be instrumental in guiding the DEI goals that will be identified.
Working in collaboration with key partners across divisions, the Director of Community & Inclusion will sustain and strengthen current DEI initiatives and develop innovative school-wide programs that foster an inclusive school climate, cultivate increased cross-cultural competencies and culturally responsive teaching, and empower all members of the community--students, faculty, parents, etc.--to promote social justice. The successful candidate will have broad school and other relevant experience and a proven record of success in leading diversity efforts, particularly in a progressive school environment. The candidate will be well versed in a range of models for building cross-cultural competence within institutions and will be prepared to guide the community in developing the best model to serve its many stakeholders.
The Director will oversee and guide a team of DEI Coordinators situated within individual divisions and report to the Head of School.
This position is a full time 12-month administrative position starting July 1, 2021.
Responsibilities
- In conjunction with the Head of School and Administrative Council, provides strategic leadership on development and implementation of school-wide DEI strategy and accountability; leads visioning on upcoming strategic planning processes for DEI goals.
- Helps establish benchmarks for measuring plan effectiveness and develops rubrics for achieving benchmarks and reporting deliverables as well as continually assessing organizational alignment.
- Evaluates community needs and, with relevant key partners, promotes community values related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Participates in recruitment efforts to attract, develop, support, motivate, and retain diverse faculty, staff, and administration.
- In partnership with the Assistant Head of School for Ethical Education & Social Impact, develops and supports professional development experiences in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for members of the ECFS community.
- Partners with the admissions team to help identify, recruit, and retain a diverse student body.
- Serves as administrative liaison on the following Board committees: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion/Education.
- Coordinates and supervises the work of the DEI Department consisting of five DEI coordinators.
- In collaboration with key partners, oversees and supports the ongoing development of age-appropriate affinity group programming in all divisions and develops rubrics for assessing effectiveness.
- In collaboration with key partners, develops a messaging strategy and creates engaging diversity-related content to share across internal and external channels with key constituencies.
- Maintains positive, trust-based relationships with a range of community stakeholders.
- Other relevant projects, tasks, and duties as assigned.
Qualifications of the Ideal Candidate:
- BA required, graduate work strongly preferred
- 8-10 years of experience in the field of education, particularly with focus on DEI programs, policies, and practices.
- Experience in strategic planning and developing DEI initiatives in school settings.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with a range of constituencies.
- Training and experience promoting social-emotional learning and anti-bias praxis with students, parents, and educators.
- Demonstrated commitment to progressive education and curriculum development.
- Excellent communication and problem-solving skills, good judgment, creativity, initiative, and sense of humor.
- Proficiency with Google Suite and commitment to staying abreast of current trends and literature regarding the DEI field, education technology, and applications to support teaching and learning.
- Highly collaborative leader with ability to inspire others. Experience managing others and capacity to manage 5-6 direct reports in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
To apply:
To be considered for the position, please submit the following 4 items: your letter of interest, resume, statement educational philosophy, and email and phone contact information for three professional references. At least two of the references must be a current and former supervisor. Please submit your complete application by no later than Monday, November 30th at 5pm. Incomplete and late applications will not be reviewed. Please do not contact the School.
Candidates must be available the weekend of December 12 and 13, 2020. Interviews will primarily be conducted remotely.
EEO
ECFS is an equal opportunity employer. Our goal is to be a diverse community of professionals who broadly reflects the people of the metropolitan New York City area, our students, and families. We aim to align our hiring process with our mission and institutional goals. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion or religious practices, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship status, national origin, age, ability status, military status, unemployment status or any other category protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. ECFS takes affirmative action in support of its policy to employ and advance all qualified candidates.