Position Description
Grade 57, Exempt

Duties & Responsibilities

Reporting to the Associate Dean for Inclusion and Belonging, the Director of the Office of BGLTQ Student Life will direct all initiatives related to supporting bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, queer and questioning (BGLTQ) student life at the College, and will provide leadership to foster respect for BGLTQ life at Harvard College. These duties span leadership, administration, programming and assessment, and advising, and will include:

Supervision, Student Advising, and Organization Advising: Hire, train, and supervise professional staff, and undergraduate and graduate student interns. Advise BGLTQ-related student organizations, and conduct leadership development to equip them to advance their missions. Train and co-supervise CONTACT, the BGLTQ issues peer counseling group. Represent BGLTQ student views in appropriate arenas, and provide continuous feedback between BGLTQ students and the college administration. Play a key role for program development that will enhance the College community’s awareness of and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues. Support capacity-building for colleagues in other functional areas to ensure deeper awareness of and greater sensitivity to BGLTQ student needs is continually reflected through their work. Make referrals to related resources as needed.

Programs and Events: Lead office staff, student interns, leaders of the BGLTQ-related student organizations, and various University offices (e.g., Women’s Center, Harvard Foundation, House Offices, etc.), to create, coordinate, implement, and evaluate an intersectional array of programs and events which account for students’ various, fluid identities. Ensure that programs reflect the intersectionality of identities (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, faith and religion, etc.). Develop ongoing mechanisms for feedback from current undergraduates and from alumnx to inform program development and implementation. Share responsibility for budget oversight for programs and events. Collaborate closely with campus partners and act as liaison to other College offices and programs responsible for student organization advising, planning, and events. Assess student and community needs routinely, and adjust programming priorities in response to changing needs.

Residential Staff Training: Coordinate, implement, and evaluate training for residential staff identified as BGLTQ advisers; develop additional trainings and resources for all residential staff.

Planning and Goal Setting: Develop a strategic vision and establish long-range goals and priorities in alignment with the mission of the College and the Dean of Students Office. Collaborate with the BGLTQ advisory board and the Associate Dean for Inclusion and Belonging to embed goals and strategy into broader DSO goals.

Alumnx Relations: Act as liaison to the Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus and the Open Gate Foundation.

Policy Development: Inform the College’s approach to bias response, and respond meaningfully to bias-related incidents involving students who are, or are perceived to be, BGLTQ.

Other duties assigned according to the changing needs of the community.

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree required. A minimum of 5 years of experience leading initiatives related to BGLTQ life in a college or related institution. Demonstrated knowledge of BGLTQ history, politics, and identity development. In addition, the incumbent must have experience in creating educational programs and events, and working with a broad range of constituencies. Experience communicating across various cultural constituencies in-person and through professional writing. Must have experience with budget management, and policy development and review.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree higher education student affairs, counseling, social work, or related field preferred. Ph.D. in related field and teaching experience at the undergraduate level, as a successful candidate may have the option to be appointed as lecturer and to carry a one course per year teaching load in the Committee on degrees in Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality. Latitude for independent judgment. Proven ability to work collaboratively with a variety of constituents, ability to work independently on complex projects, managing change, and establishing priorities and meeting deadlines.