Director of Institutional Equity

Rhodes College•Memphis, TN

16h•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Institutional Equity provides strategic leadership for the College’s civil rights compliance, nondiscrimination, and institutional equity work. The Director serves as the College’s Title IX Coordinator and designated Title VI contact and is the central point of contact for reports and questions concerning sex discrimination, sexual harassment and misconduct, race, color, and national-origin discrimination, and related retaliation. The Director leads the College’s response to reports of discrimination and harassment; oversees fair, prompt, and equitable resolution processes; and advises senior leaders on emerging legal requirements, institutional risk, climate trends, and opportunities to strengthen an inclusive learning and working environment. The Director chairs the Bias Response Team and the Inclusive Excellence Council. In these roles, the Director coordinates supportive educational and systemic responses to bias and advances campus-wide inclusive excellence priorities while maintaining clear boundaries between bias response, formal grievance processes, employee relations, student conduct, and protected expression.

Requirements

Master’s degree in higher education, public policy, human resources, social work, student affairs, or a closely related field is required
Five years of progressively responsible experience in civil rights compliance, Title IX/Title VI administration, equal opportunity, investigations, student conduct, employee relations, or a closely related field is required.
Demonstrated working knowledge of Title IX and Title VI and familiarity with VAWA, the Clery Act, Title VII, the ADA, Section 504, and other laws and regulations relevant to discrimination and harassment in higher education is required.
Strong writing, public speaking, facilitation, analytical, organizational, and project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple high-priority matters and deadlines is required.
Demonstrated ability to build trust and work effectively with students, faculty, staff, senior leadership, and external partners across a range of identities, perspectives, and institutional roles is required.
Civil rights compliance expertise and a commitment to fair, equitable, and consistent processes.
Strategic leadership that connects regulatory compliance, prevention, and consistent processes.
Demonstrate ability to apply trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and procedurally rigorous practices in sensitive and complex matters.
Excellent judgment, discretion, emotional intelligence, and ability to lead through conflict and ambiguity.
Capacity to translate complex legal and policy requirements into clear, practical guidance for varied audiences.

Nice To Haves

JD or other relevant terminal degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D.) preferred.
Formal Title IX Coordinator, investigator, hearing office, informal resolution, and/or civil rights compliance training or certification preferred.
Experience serving as a Title IX Coordinator, Deputy Title IX Coordinator, equal opportunity officer, or institutional equity director preferred.
Experience supervising staff or multidisciplinary teams and leading campus-wide councils or response teams preferred.
Experience in a small, private, residential liberal arts college environment preferred.
Experience with case-management systems, policy development, data analysis, prevention education, climate assessment, and external agency responses preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the College’s Title IX Coordinator and coordinate the institutional response to Title IX and related reports and complaints of sex discrimination.
Manage intake and initial assessment; coordinate supportive measures; emergency removal and safety coordination, as applicable; oversight of investigations, informal resolutions, hearings, appeals, remedies, and outcomes; recruitment, training, and supervision of investigators, decision-makers, hearing panel members, and process advisors; monitoring for conflicts of interest and bias; maintaining case records; identifying patterns and climate concerns; and collaborating with Student Life, Academic Affairs, Human Resources, Campus Safety, Student Counseling Center, Student Health Services, and other appropriate campus partners.
Serve as the College’s Title VI contact and coordinate responses to reports of discrimination, harassment, and bias involving protected characteristics
Oversee centralized intake, assessment, referral, investigation, resolution, and follow-up
Coordinate the Bias Information Awareness & Support Process or successor process; identify patterns or systemic concerns; and collaborate with Academic Affairs, Human Resources, Student Life, and other institutional offices to determine the appropriate process and responsive action.
Coordinate with the Office of Student Accessibility Services and Human Resources on disability-related nondiscrimination and grievance matters, ensuring clear referral pathways and appropriate institutional follow-up.
Provide independent, neutral, and trauma-informed guidance to students, faculty, staff, administrators, and third parties regarding rights, options, reporting pathways, supportive measures, and resolution processes.
Maintain communication with the President and other senior leadership on matters presenting significant compliance, safety, climate, or institutional risk concerns.
Receive, assess, and appropriately route reports of discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct, relationship violence, stalking, retaliation, and bias involving students, staff, faculty, applicants, visitors, programs, or College activities.
Coordinate the College’s civil rights response to external agency complaints, audits, inquiries, and information requests in consultation with outside General Counsel and other appropriate offices.
Monitor relevant federal and state laws, regulations, and guidance
Review and revise College policies, procedures, notices, forms, and protocols.
Advise institutional leaders regarding civil rights compliance and emerging risks
Conduct pattern, trend, and climate analyses
Prepare incident and compliance reports for senior leadership
Support consistent, equitable, and timely institutional practices.
Develop, coordinate, and assess College-wide education for students, faculty, and staff
Assign and supervise trained investigators, decision-makers, hearing panelists, advisors, informal-resolution facilitators, and external professionals
Collaborate with campus partners on prevention programming and community education that is culturally responsive, accessible, and appropriate for a residential liberal arts college.
Maintain clear, accessible web and written resources describing policies, reporting options, supportive measures, grievance procedures, and external reporting agencies.
Chair and coordinate the Inclusive Excellence Council, including its annual priorities, membership engagement, agenda development, meeting facilitation, implementation planning, progress monitoring, and communication with institutional stakeholders, and recommendations to senior leadership.
Translate the College’s inclusive excellence commitments into measurable, cross-divisional goals, and support access, belonging, retention, employee engagement, and institutional effectiveness.
Partner with Academic Affairs, Student Life, Human Resources, Enrollment, Institutional Effectiveness, Marketing & Communications, and other areas to align initiatives, reduce duplication, and strengthen accountability.
Support initiatives (e.g., Hillel Campus Climate Initiative, Education Character Initiative) that advance access, equity, belonging, and an inclusive campus climate, aligned with the College’s mission and strategic priorities.
Develop an annual progress report or dashboard that summarizes priorities, outcomes, climate indicators, and recommended next steps.
Maintain complete, secure, and legally compliant case records, training records, notices, templates, and records-retention practices, and ensure appropriate access controls and confidentiality.
Manage office operations, records, budgets, contracts, data, and assessment activities.
Prepare required and requested reports for Senior Leadership and an annual public-facing summary.
Maintain appropriate professional certifications and continuing education.
Participate in Welcome Week, Resident & Peer Assistant training, New Employee and Faculty trainings, and other College programs as needed, and serve on College committees and perform other duties consistent with the position’s purpose and as assigned.