Assistant Director for Student Leadership & Community Engagement

General Summary: 

The Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement offers a variety of leadership development opportunities

by engaging students with community organizations and partners. Built on the Leadership for Liberation framework

(Harper & Kezar, 2021), our programs shape the concept of leadership as an inclusive, collaborative process grounded in

cultural commitments of Community, Empathy, Love, Inclusion, & Creativity as a vehicle for social change and collective

liberation. We believe that to meet our mission as a public, urban-serving university, we must empower students as agents

of social change in their communities.

The Assistant Director in the Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement (OSLCE) will provide general

support to the office as a member of OSLCE’s professional staff team, in working to fulfill OSLCE’s overarching mission,

vision, and values. This position will report to the Director, Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement,

and will be responsible for many of OSLCE’s signature programs, such as Beacon Voyages for Service, our alternative break

program, Days of Action, social justice initiatives, community-engaged leadership programs, and place-based community

partner initiatives. The Assistant Director will provide supervision and advisement to the student leaders and volunteers

who support these programs and will ensure the successful implementation of programs. These tasks will necessitate

high-level programming skills, including but not limited to recruitment, selection, and training of students; management

of program logistics, budget, and risk; marketing and promotions; and evaluation and assessment.

Examples of Duties: 

Student Success Services & Programming

• Coordinate Beacon Voyages for Service (BVS), an alternative breaks program, and other signature community

engagement and social justice programs such as (but not limited to) Days of Action, Awareness Weeks, etc.

(including management of budget; program logistics including room reservations, food and supply orders, and

printing; marketing and promotions; risk assessment; and evaluation and assessment)

● Oversee the recruitment and hiring, selection, and training of student leaders and part time Civic Action Fellowship

Manager for the Civic Action Fellowship program, and Beacon Voyages for Service, Jumpstart, and Pace Interns

● Support Civic Action Fellowship Manager with maintaining reciprocal community partnerships, curriculum

development; fellow internship placement, and support administrative programmatic elements such as student

stipends, budget, program logistics, advising on university policy

● Oversee the development of the annual calendar of events for the office to include all awareness campaigns

● Support the creation of programs and off and on-campus partnerships that enhance retention, graduation rates,

student engagement, and the overall student experience

● Develop and maintain necessary partnerships with on-campus departments and community organizations in

support of OSLCE initiatives through regular communication and programmatic collaboration as needed

● Collaborate with the Office of Community Partnerships to produce the Circle of Practice, Volunteer Fairs, and other

social justice inspired initiatives

● Collaborate with Academic Affairs and faculty to organize, advertise, and implement the BCVI World Café program

● Develop and implement innovative and proactive programs, services and procedures that support the university’s

commitment to social justice by assisting with (but not limited to) awareness weeks, creating programs that

eliminate barriers, and assisting in student success

● Support all civic engagement opportunities with off campus community partners such as (but not limited to) Get

out the Vote, supporting student coalitions who are doing voter registration, and working with voter registration

initiatives

Leadership and Strategic Management

• Serve as a liaison between OSLCE and its campus and community partners, where collaborations exist or may be

established to support its programs

• Directly supervise undergraduate and/or graduate interns (as needed), Strong Women, Strong Girls co-directors and

Civic Action Fellowship Program Manager, BVS Coordinators, and BVS Trip Leaders

• Represent OSLCE as needed at university-wide events such as (but not limited to) Open Houses, Welcome Days,

Orientation, and Commencement

• Meet regularly with students to ensure effective program planning and implementation, and to support student

learning and development

• Attend and facilitate meetings, programs, workshops, training, and retreats (both on and off campus) on behalf of

OSLCE and the Division of Student Affairs (DSA)

• Indirectly oversee the general marketing, promotion, and student outreach plan for the office

• Serve as a liaison between OSLCE and its campus and community partners to establish and enhance avenues of

collaboration

• Advise student leaders on institutional policies and procedures as needed

General Support

• Support the oversight of Student Leadership and Community Engagement policies/systems, assessment/data

tracking

• Assist with data collection to develop end-of-year reports, program evaluations, and overall OSLCE assessment

efforts

• Participate in campus committee work as needed, or as may be relevant to assigned programs

• Support other programs and initiatives sponsored by OSLCE as needed

• Track budget, complete purchasing preparation and paperwork for programs under the position’s purview

Qualifications: 

Master's degree from an accredited institution in related field, and a minimum of three-five (3-5) years of experience in

community partnerships, co-curricular programming, student leadership development, community engagement, experiential

learning, community organizing, justice, equity, diversity, & inclusion (JEDI), or a related field, preferably in a higher education,

non-profit, and/or urban setting, is required. The incumbent will be required to work evenings and weekends, as needed.

Preferred Qualifications:

● Experience working with alternative breaks, or domestic/international service immersion programs.

● Experience working collaboratively with communities and students of color.

● Experience in cultivating and stewarding community-driven, respectful, reciprocal, relevant, and responsible

partnerships.

● Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and assessing programs and initiatives while building

collaborative partnerships with students, campus stakeholders, community organizations, and external partners.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

● Proficiency with Microsoft Office and familiarity with other standard computing programs;

● Proficiency in web-based social media and surveying platforms;

● Familiarity with basic website editing programs;

● Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain relationships with community partners, administrators, students, and

faculty;

● Ability to maintain existing programs and advance new initiatives that are informed by the local community, national

trends in co-curricular programming, etc.;

● Ability to manage multi-phase projects from inception to completion;

● Ability to think critically and to solve complex problems effectively and expediently;

● Ability to work collaboratively with other central administrative units of the university;

● Ability to act with discretion and judgment as well as to maintain confidentiality;

● Ability to work with and respect diverse populations;

● Strong commitment to equity, social responsibility, and bridging opportunities for community empowerment.

● Strong oral and written communication skills;

● Strong project management skills;

● Strong commitment to urban higher education, student empowerment and leadership development, and positive

social change;

● Strong commitment to customer service.

Application Instructions: 

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three professional references.

Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date. 

Only Internal candidates in the Professional Staff Bargaining Unit will be considered during the first 10 business days of the posting.  All other candidates will be considered after that period. 

Salary Ranges for the appropriate Pay Grade can be found at the following link: 

Grade:   32           

This is an exempt union position.

All official salary offers must be approved by Human Resources.

UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact Show email View phone number on employmentopportunities.umb.edu.