LGBT Center Director: Princeton University

September 30, 2015

Position Summary

The LGBT Center is a resource for and about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, questioning, queer, and ally members of the Princeton University community. The LGBT Center works to create a safe and supportive campus environment by offering educational and community building opportunities and advocating for the needs and concerns of LGBT community. The Center seeks to provide multi-faceted support, create visibility, and foster a sense of community through an intersectional approach to programming and advocacy. The Center serves the community through a wide array of support services, resources, programming and consultations. The Center strives to improve campus climate as well as the inclusion and integration of LGBT issues campus wide.

The director is part of a team of student life professionals within the broader division of Campus Life. A member of the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students, reporting to the deputy dean, the LGBT Center director is a full-time professional who serves as an institutional resource about diverse sexual orientations and gender identities and is responsible for the overall administration of the Center. The director oversees operational functions and resources (i.e., professional, physical, informational, financial) and provides education, advising, support, and advocacy. Through short and long-term strategic planning, the director maintains and enhances the work of the Center to meet the needs of an ever-changing student body and quickly evolving national landscape. In addition, the director provides institutional leadership in creating supportive environments, works with offices and senior administration to address discrimination, safety, and policy concerns, and creates strategies to improve campus climate.

Summary of Functions

Administrative Leadership    

  • Lead the Center’s overall programming and services designed to support a safe and welcoming campus
  • Provide leadership in the research, design, implementation, and assessment of the Center’s programs and services
  • Lead strategic planning and visioning for the Center in order to ensure that the Center is responsive to the changing needs of LGBT students
  • Supervise the program coordinator and provide leadership in collaborative goal setting and program development as well as professional mentorship
  • Ensure that the Center’s priorities are reflected in its budget and oversee the financial stewardship of the Center’s resources
  • Work in collaboration with the Development Office where appropriate
  • Oversee the administrative practices internal to the LGBT Center and ensure adherence to University policies and procedures

Campus Wide Service

  • Provide campus leadership, vision, and direction for LGBT support services, and best practices
  • Serve as a campus resource and internal expert about LGBT issues and participate in campus-wide discussions about issues affecting LGBT people
  • Engage with students, staff, faculty, and alumni around the mission of the Center and establish meaningful working relationships with important stakeholders
  • Continually seek to understand the campus climate; share findings and develop collaborative programmatic initiatives and responses when appropriate
  • Position Princeton as a national leader in LGBT student services through meeting and exceeding national benchmarking standards
  • Represent the LGBT Center in campus, local community, regional, and national settings

Advocacy & Bias Response

  • Work with colleagues to review University policies, procedures and materials and advocate for change, if needed, to ensure that the campus is safe and welcoming for LGBT students, staff, and faculty
  • Work with campus partners to create strategies for the inclusion of LGBT issues in diversity initiatives
  • Participate in University meetings and committees to share LGBT issues and concerns
  • Work with colleagues in the Office of the Provost, SHARE, ODUS, and the Graduate School regarding procedures for reporting and respondng to incidents of bias

Educational Programs           

  • Maintain and enhance the Center’s educational, support and identity-based programs and services and provide leadership in the development of new programmatic initiatives
  • Support the Program Coordinator in developing programs designed to meet the educational, social, and interpersonal needs of the campus community
  • Facilitate/moderate annual LGBT programs (e.g., Welcome Week and Reunions events, Transgender Day of Remembrance, and Lavender Graduation)
  • Coordinate recruitment and training for the Peer Education Program; organize outreach efforts and assess effectiveness
  • Supervise outreach efforts to raise awareness about programs and services through a variety of mediums (i.e., calendars, brochures, website, etc.)

Training & Presentations

  • Develop customized and/or specialized presentations and trainings to increase community-wide undersanding of LGBT topics 

Community Building and Outreach   

  • Ensure that the Center provides campus-wide LGBT events which foster community
  • Create networking and mentorship opportunities between students, staff, and faculty
  • Provide guidance and support to the many formal and informal LGBTQA campus groups
  • Collaborate with the Alumni Association and Fund For Reunion to support LGBT alumni
  • Create and maintain relationships with local and regional LGBT organizations, supportive agencies, transgender healthcare providers, and LGBT-friendly practitioners
  • Develop relationships with academic, administrative and other Campus Life partners to foster a strong working team in order to better serve overlapping constituencies

Advising and Support Services           

  • Provide one-on-one advising to students and ensure the Center is viewed as safe and supportive environment for “walk in” meetings
  • Connect students with appropriate resources on and off campus
  • Develop and facilitate LGBT support and discussion groups
  • Support those who experience bias by providing reporting options, offering support and referrals for post-incident counseling and following up to ensure cases are resolved

 Essential Qualifications

  • Demonstrated knowledge about sexual orientation and gender identity and the issues of concern to LGBT people; understanding of intersectional identities
  • Strong interpersonal skills and a demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural, social justice-oriented office with individuals and groups with a wide array of backgrounds
  • Ability to work strategically and proactively while remaining flexible in a dynamic work environment
  • Understanding of and appreciation for the aims of a liberal arts education
  • Demonstrated experience in the creation and implementation of successful, innovative, educational programming or training for students in a higher education context
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills and comfort with public speaking
  • Ability to recognize and protect confidential information, and exercise judgment, tact, and diplomacy in handling sensitive information and situations
  • Computer literacy and ability to utilize current technology
  • Ability to work some evenings and weekends for programming and events
  • Master’s degree with at least 5 years of related professional experience

 Preferred Qualifications

  • Educational background in college student personnel, higher education administration, social work, counseling, sexuality and gender studies, or other related field
  • Experience leading training sessions and presenting to diverse audiences
  • Experience supervising professional staff, student employees, and volunteers
  • Experience with individual advising and group facilitation
  • Experience with online outreach (i.e., social networking sites, blogs, chat rooms, etc.)

For more information or to apply please visit the job posting website.