Job Description
Overview
Term: 1 year
The Associate Director, Response is responsible for providing direct support to individuals experiencing harm, including but not limited to ableism, antisemitism, homophobia, islamophobia, racism, sexism, transphobia and/or xenophobia. This role will engage in informal mechanisms to resolve complaints and will help individuals who have experienced harm to understand university systems, processes, next steps, and resources available to them. The Associate Director will lead a centralized process to manage complaints related to identity-based harm and will provide advice in handling disclosures and/or complaints.
Responsibilities
Individual Response and Support
Responds to individual disclosures of harm from students, staff, and faculty by providing support, advocacy and referrals based on individual needs
Utilizes inclusive, integrative, anti-racist, anti-oppressive and trauma-informed approaches to support campus stakeholders who often present in distress
Helps complainants to understand university systems, processes, next steps, and resources, and creates a plan of action to address their concerns
Maintains an understanding of the legal, policy and reporting requirements in order to provide accurate advice to complainants about their options and leadership to act on disclosures/complaints of harm
Collaborates with internal support units and external organizations to appropriately support equity deserving members of the campus community (e.g. connecting with relevant resources, referrals)
Remains current with pertinent ethical requirements and research relevant to responding to concerns around harm
Engages in case management when required, particularly with cases presenting with more complex needs
Refers departments, teams, or individuals to the Senior Equity Training Specialist for further training, when required
Systemic Change
Identifies gaps in existing University policies and processes related to reporting and responding to harm and creates recommendations
Advises senior administration, central communications, and associate deans on their response to concerns related to harm
Leads a process to facilitate the central reporting and tracking of complaints related to harm that follows Ontario’s Human Rights Code (OHRC)
Works with the University’s Central Communication Unit and Human Resources to communicate the complaint mechanisms available related to incidents of harm, and best practices for responding to disclosures of harm
Works with members of the EDI-R leadership team to embed relevant information about complaints processes and responding to disclosures of harm in training run through the EDI-R Office
Creates best practice documents and resources for leadership to support their response to concerns or issues of harm in their faculties or units
Advises and creates recommendations to ensure that the University meets the OHRC’s six criteria for responding to complaints of harm
Record Keeping & Reporting
Maintains a case management system to track disclosures of harm
Provides quarterly reports to the provost on numbers of disclosures and emerging themes
Ensures compliance with all record keeping requirements and confidentiality guidelines
Prepares statistical reports, as necessary
Analyzes data and share reports with the EDI-R Office to inform proactive measures to address harm on campus
Informal Resolution
If requested by the complainant, provides facilitation services grounded in restorative justice and anti-racist frameworks
Implements any follow up actions after mediation/facilitation has been concluded
Qualifications
Master’s degree required in relevant discipline (e.g. Law, Social Work, Psychology, Political Science, Human Rights, Sociology) or equivalent education and experience
5-7 years of experience with employing formal and informal mechanisms to address complaints of harm
5+ years with mediation, facilitation, or other informal approaches to address complaints of harm
Extensive experience with interpreting organizational policies
Experience employing anti-oppressive, anti-racist, trauma-informed, and restorative justice approaches to addressing complaints
Extensive knowledge of the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario’s procedures, the Criminal Code, the Occupational Health and Safety Act and other relevant legislation
Extensive knowledge of concepts related to race and anti-racism, equity, intersectionality, decolonization
Strong mediation and facilitation skills grounded in anti-racist practices
Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills, including the ability to deal with issues of a sensitive and confidential nature
Effective report writing, presentation, and training skills
Ability to work under pressure and effectively handle potentially emotionally charged situations
Excellent judgement supported by strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Excellent organizational and case management skills
Advanced experience with Microsoft Office programs, SharePoint, Adobe Acrobat Professional, and/or other data content management systems, quantitative and qualitative research design, and methodologies
We encourage the applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit, Black, racialized, a
person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ
Equity Statement
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.
The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion.
As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca
or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.
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