Director, Office of Community Engagement and Access

Department: Law Student Services
Salary/Grade: EXS/10

Job Summary:

The Office of Community Engagement and Access at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law seeks to foster a supportive, welcoming environment for all Law School community members. It focuses on building partnerships amongst the student body, staff, faculty, and alumni, while also maintaining an intellectually rigorous environment in which varying viewpoints are explored, shared, and debated. In addition, the Office of Community Engagement and Access facilitates programs, events, and resources that engage community members and external partners.

The Director of Community Engagement and Access has primary responsibility for supporting the Associate Dean of Community Engagement and Access in advancing the strategic goals of the Office of Community Engagement and Access. Among other responsibilities, the Director will collaborate with student affinity organizations in the development and execution of programming, establish and build relationships with internal and external partners, develop pipeline programs for prospective students, develop programming and initiatives for current students, staff, and faculty aimed at building community within the law school environment, counsel students with respect to personal, academic, and career-related challenges, participate in student recruitment initiatives, manage fellowship programs for current students, lead programming designed for admitted and incoming students, and engage in strategic planning.

Specific Responsibilities:

Administration

• Collaborate with the Associate Dean of Community Engagement and Access in developing and refining a strategic plan for the Office of Community Engagement and Access.
• Evaluate efficacy of programming/processes and recommend process improvements and programmatic changes
• Assist with management of quarterly and annual budget processes, reconciliation of discrepancies, and tracking of financial transactions

Strategic Initiatives

• Collaborate with the Associate Dean of Community Engagement and Access on the development and delivery of programming and trainings for incoming, admitted, and current students.
• Assist with management of the Office of Community Engagement and Access student fellowship programs, including the application process, selection process, orientation, and supervision of fellows.
• Collaborate with the Associate Dean of Community Engagement and Access, as well as other Law School departments and external partners, on the development and delivery of strategic pipeline initiatives for prospective students.
• Collaborate with the Associate Dean of Community Engagement and Access, the Human Resources Department, and staff organizations on the development and execution of programming for staff focused community building.

Advising/Counseling

• Advise the Law School's student affinity organizations.
• Manage the Office of Community Engagement and Access co-sponsorship process and various gift card programs.
• Serve as an advisor to individual students on personal issues, curricular and educational decisions, academic progress and performance, and career objectives.
• Liaise with the Law School's alumni affinity groups.

Communication & Outreach

• Identify opportunities for strategic partnerships.
• Develop and cultivate relationships with internal and external partners.
• Liaise with other Law School departments with respect to issues relating to community engagement.
• Oversee design and maintenance of Office of Community Engagement and Access website.

Events

• Oversee the development & management of a summit for Northwestern Alumni and other legal and business industry leaders, including concepting the conference, guest selection and invitations, event coordination and planning, speaker selection and retention, programming curation, and execution; facilitate the development of post-summit networking groups among attendees.
• Review and approve event plans, programming concepts, and supervise execution to ensure that overall goals & objectives are attained.

Supervision

• Ensure regular communication with supervisor regarding status of programs, events, and initiatives.
• Supervise program assistant.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

• Graduate degree in higher education or other relevant discipline.
• Evidence of success working in the law school setting, including experience developing and executing innovative and high-quality programming.
• 5 years of legal, higher education, or comparable experience.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain strong interpersonal relationships with students, staff, faculty, alumni, legal professionals, and the public
• Proven ability to exercise initiative and judgment in coordinating and executing various programs to serve the best interest of all relevant constituencies
• Must be self-directed and willing to identify and assume new responsibilities as the needs of the Law School change and grow
• Must be willing to travel and, when necessary, work a flexible schedule (evening and weekend events are sometimes necessary).

• Strong computer skills, including word processing and spreadsheet applications

Preferred Qualifications (Education and experience)

• J.D.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Strong organizational and project/program management skills
• Ability to prioritize, manage, and complete complex tasks
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Experience advising law students or other students at the graduate level
• Proven conflict management/resolution ability and active listening skills
• Sound judgment and proactive approach to identifying potential problems/discrepancies and working to find solutions
• Efficient time management
• High degree of comfort working with a wide variety of competing constituencies

Target hiring range for this position will be between $87,899 - $106,996 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.

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