Executive Director, Diversity

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship

4d•Remote

About The Position

The Executive Director of Diversity provides vision, strategic leadership, and oversight for the Diversity function within InterVarsity’s People line. Under the direction of the Chief People Officer (CPO), the role translates People line strategy into a multi-year Diversity strategy and annual plan that advances InterVarsity’s 2030 calling and organizational priorities, including talent acquisition, leadership development, employee engagement, retention, and fundraising. The Executive Director leads the Diversity team, drives results through influence in a matrixed organization, evaluates the impact of Diversity initiatives, and serves on the National Leadership Team and People Leadership Team. The role champions a culture of diversity, engagement, and belonging; leads national initiatives; collaborates with leaders and teams across the Fellowship; and advises senior leaders on complex Diversity-related issues. It establishes measures and reporting to assess program impact, uses qualitative and quantitative information to inform strategy, and connects Diversity outcomes to the mission. The Executive Director also recruits, develops, supervises, and retains staff, oversees ministry partnership development and fundraising responsibilities, and is expected to travel 25% to 35% annually. This is a faith-based leadership position. The employee must affirm InterVarsity’s Statement of Agreement annually and abide by its Code of Conduct, while demonstrating spiritual maturity and commitment to the organization’s purpose and mission.

Requirements

Annually affirm InterVarsity’s Statement of Agreement and abide by its Code of Conduct.
Thorough knowledge of InterVarsity’s purpose, vision, ministries, and policies, and understanding of its culture and how to navigate it.
A significant combination of field-related ministry knowledge, skills, and experience; a typical background is a bachelor’s degree and at least 8 years of field-related ministry experience, including at least 5 years of senior leadership experience at the Field National Director or Regional Director level, or equivalent.
Significant theological acuity and spiritual maturity.
Ability to think strategically and translate vision into plans with measurable outcomes.
Demonstrated ability to drive results through a team and influence a matrixed organization.
Sound judgment in stewarding resources and weighing competing priorities for the good of the organization.
Ability to balance pastoral care and accountability.
Experience leading and managing change, with a commitment to continuous improvement.
Strong analytical skills, including synthesizing trends, interpreting data, and measuring outcomes.
Excellent relationship-building and teamwork skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across staff and leadership levels.
Experience working cross-culturally in different settings and excellent emotional intelligence.
A teachable, lifelong-learning approach and commitment to growing in knowledge of diversity, inclusion, and people systems.
Demonstrated ability to raise funds for staff and programs.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Working knowledge of current Microsoft software applications.
Willingness to travel 25% to 35% annually.

Nice To Haves

A related master’s degree.
Experience in mediation and conflict resolution.

Responsibilities

Partner with the CPO to translate the People line vision and strategy into a multi-year Diversity strategy and annual plan aligned with the 2030 calling and organizational priorities.
Champion a culture of diversity, engagement, and belonging reflecting people of every ethnicity and culture.
Identify high-impact priorities and sustaining interventions, and steward resources toward initiatives serving the whole Fellowship.
Connect Diversity work to priorities including talent acquisition, leadership development, employee engagement, retention, and fundraising.
Provide vision, strategic direction, and oversight for SHIFT, National Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), Diversity consulting, and conflict resolution (RESOLVE).
Serve collaboratively on the National Leadership Team and People Leadership Team, making decisions in the best interest of the whole Fellowship.
Lead large-scale national initiatives and projects assigned by the CPO.
Work with the CPO to recommend Diversity-related policies and procedures to the Executive Leadership Team.
Partner with leaders across the Fellowship to drive national culture change, identify areas for change, build consensus, and initiate solutions.
Build partnerships between Diversity and Human Resources, Talent Management, and Talent Acquisition to deliver integrated People line solutions.
Develop collaborative partnerships with Focused Ministries, Field VPs, Regional Directors, and National Service Center leaders, establishing communication and feedback processes.
Build trusting relationships with diversity constituent groups while considering competing needs and the good of the whole Fellowship.
Assess and navigate complex group dynamics using emotional intelligence, organizational awareness, and cross-cultural competence.
Advise the CPO and senior leaders on complex and sensitive Diversity-related issues.
Establish measures and regular reporting to evaluate the impact of Diversity programs and initiatives on organizational priorities.
Analyze diversity-related trends and patterns using qualitative and quantitative methods.
Prepare reports for the CPO, Executive Leadership Team, and National Leadership Team, synthesizing data into insights and recommendations.
Partner with Talent Management to apply Staff Voice Survey insights to Diversity strategy.
Connect Diversity outcomes to return on investment for InterVarsity’s mission.
Recruit, hire, train, develop, supervise, and retain qualified staff.
Set direction for the Diversity team’s goals, priorities, and strategies; organize roles, processes, team rhythms, and accountability loops.
Document processes, plans, and results to support consistent, sustainable, measurable work.
Care for staff while maintaining accountability standards.
Raise agreed-upon support and build ministry partner relationships through visits, phone calls, prayer, and thank-you letters.
Supervise the fund development of all supervisees and communicate with Diversity staff about ministry partnership development responsibilities.
Travel 25% to 35% annually.
Maintain personal spiritual practices and self-leadership, and abide by InterVarsity’s Scriptural behavioral standards and Code of Conduct.

Benefits

Competitive benefits package, with eligibility based on employee type and hours worked.
403(b) retirement savings plan.
403(b) matching contributions.
Dental insurance.
Employee assistance program.
Employee discounts.
Flexible work schedule.
Flexible spending accounts.
Health insurance.
Health savings account.
Life insurance.
Paid time off.
Parental leave.
Professional development assistance.
Vision insurance.