For Michigan State University, the Assistant Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Officer and Assistant Director of Equity and Compliance (Assistant Officer/Director) is a position of critical importance to operational continuity and adherence to federal and State compliance requirements. This position assists the AA/EEO Officer and Director of Equity & Compliance in providing strategic leadership and oversight of compliance related activities across the Michigan State University campus, assuring that compliance reporting responsibilities are fulfilled in accord with applicable legal and institutional requirements.

The Assistant Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity (AA/EEO) Officer portion of this position is responsible for providing strategic leadership in the creation, implementation, and administration of the university’s AA/EEO program, as necessary to institutional federal contract and applicable regulatory compliance. The work of this position is essential to ensuring the MSU remains eligible for receipt of federal and state funds and sustains its status as a federal contractor in good-standing and premier educational institution. For MSU, the Equity and Compliance team assures full implementation of the University’s Equal Employment Opportunity Policy, auditing and maintaining institutional compliance with related federal, state, and local laws. The Assistant Officer maintains responsibility for preparing complex regulatory documentation, strategic plans and legal compliance communications for internal stakeholders and external regulators. Utilizing advanced statistical computations, research methodologies, and programming languages, the Associate Officer is instrumental in the construction, implementation, and continuous quality improvement of AA/EEO requirements. To fulfill the responsibilities associated with this portion of the role, candidates must have demonstrated expertise in federal law, AA/EEO program requirements, and demonstrated success leading AA/EEO programs within a large, dynamic educational institution or similar entity.

The Assistant Director of the Equity and Compliance unit within the Office for Institutional Diversity & Inclusion is responsible for providing leadership on efforts to ensure equity, promote inclusive excellence, and advance related MSU priorities in manners compliant with the law and consistent with institutional values. In partnership with campus leadership and stakeholders, the Assistant Director will advise on best practices for assuring that MSU models inclusive excellence and fulfills its commitments to advancing the Spartan Will. Though collaboration, consultation, and community engagement, the Assistant Director is responsible for reducing barriers, obstacles, and impediments to inclusion, applying and advocating for equitable measures or remedies, as appropriate. The Assistant Director redresses, remediates, and ensures compliance with institutional commitments to D.E.I., providing educational programs, training, and compliance assistance. The Assistant Director will also supervise professional and student staff, serve as a key resource and partner to individuals and units on campus seeking to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and may be asked to serve on various institution-wide committees, representing Equity & Compliance and/or the Office for Institutional Diversity & Inclusion.

Function

Responsible for leading, managing, administering, and ensuring institutional policy and legal compliance, the Assistant Officer/Director is a critical staff member necessary to MSU’s maintenance of federal contract eligibility and modeling of best practices in human resource management and D.E.I. administration.

Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead production, implementation, and auditing of federally required affirmative action and equal opportunity programs, periodic assessments, and on-demand data analytics ensuring University compliance with U.S. Department of Labor regulations.
• Communication with leadership, advise management, and consult with stakeholders in the assessment and improvement of personnel activity and practices, including hiring, promotions, succession planning, personnel development, compensation, classification, retention, evaluation, and overall human resource management.
• Consult, advise, and collaborate with university executives, management, and other stakeholders on good-faith affirmative action efforts and goals through workforce analytics and identification of best practices, policies, and/or law.
• Ensure appropriate dissemination and reporting of accessible, strategic communications, reports, and compliance plans, including analysis of community member utilization, availability, turnover, demographic change, progress toward goals, and other measures of institutional equity.
• In partnership with campus stakeholders, assure that MSU personnel actions comply with equal employment policy, administering audits and reporting systems to produce complex and objective, multi-method research that strengthens/evidence-based decision-making for practice and policy.
• Support IDI assessment, auditing, and advising on best practices for higher education diversity, equity, and inclusion programing, operations, and strategic planning.
• Compile, interpret and report on data inventories including but not limited to campus climate surveys, complaint reporting, affirmative action and associated datasets utilized to direct diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic planning.
• Supervise staff and student employees, including graduate assistants, interns, and ex-terns in their academic progress and professional service to the equity and compliance team.
• Provide other services and perform additional, related duties as assigned, including but not limited to those normally associated with executive management and administrative positions in a higher education community.

Unit Specific Education/Experience/Skills

Minimum Required Qualifications

• Master's or Juris Doctor Degree.
• Five or more years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in providing strategic leadership and oversight of compliance related activities across a large, dynamic organization.
• Three or more years of experience producing and administering federal, state, and local compliance programs pertaining to U.S. Department of Labor affirmative action and equal employment opportunity regulations, federal contractor compliance programs, and related state, local, and institutional compliance strategy, administration, and auditing.
• Experience utilizing qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, necessary to design surveys, conduct regression analyses, data trend assessments, and implementation of record keeping and data collection techniques for process/practice improvements.
• Expertise in statistical methods or data management and analysis.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, affirmative action and equal opportunity, talent management, and education and training within an organization, team, and/or campus environment.
• Demonstrated experience providing excellent communication within a diverse organization and/or community, for leaders, partners, constituents, and other audiences with varied educational and/or experiential backgrounds.
• Three or more years of demonstrated successful experience supervising and developing staff.

Desired Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced educational attainment. (i.e., Post- Master’s degree coursework or training and/or terminal/doctoral degree).
• Seven or more years of demonstrated success leading large organizational compliance programming and auditing human resource management practices for federal, state, local and institutional requirements and measures of improved success, including expertise utilizing data analysis that demonstrates best practice and knowledge of various equal opportunity employment and education regulatory agencies.
• Five or more years of demonstrated expertise developing, administering, and/or auditing equal employment and affirmative action programs in a higher education environment.
• Demonstrated experience responding to U.S. Department of Labor audits, investigations, and/or related litigation.
• Proven ability to understand and analyze complaints of discrimination, including concerns for inequity in educational institutions and/or human resource processes, partner with appropriate campus compliance units, maintaining objectivity and fairness and treating confidential matters responsibly.
• Progressive professional experience in higher education with an understanding of a unionized environment and shared governance.
• Demonstrated experience engaging with persons of diverse identities, statuses, and/or cultural affiliations with effective conflict resolution, inter-group dialogue, and cross-cultural communication skills.
• Deep understanding of, passion for, and demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, affirmative action and equal opportunity, talent management, and education and training.
• Experienced mediator with well-developed conflict resolution skills and capacity to appropriately handle sensitive and confidential information.
• Capability to lead with both a decisive and consultative style, being well-organized and self-directed, exhibiting a high level of integrity that engenders trust and confidence.
• Ability to foster open communication and proactively build positive relationships with faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders, exceptionally representing MSU and the Spartan community.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Application Materials

1. A letter to the Search Committee describing in detail, your interest in and qualification for this position.

2. A comprehensive resume and/or curriculum vitae describing in detail, your knowledge, skills, and experience, as related to the duties and responsibilities of this position.

3. A list of FIVE (5) professional references who can provide information regarding the quality of your work, competency to perform in the position, and preparation for success.

Special Instructions

• Please include ALL required application materials at time of application.
• Though the work of the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion often requires in-person engagement with members of the Spartan community, we strive to provide a flexible work environment and this position has been designated as remote-friendly. Based upon the duties and responsibilities of this position, we anticipate that up to 90% of the position’s service to MSU may be performed remotely with the exception of limited trainings, retreats and major programmatic events, as agreed upon by leadership.

Work Hours

STANDARD 8-5

Website

https://inclusion.msu.edu

Remote Work Statement

MSU strives to provide a flexible work environment and this position has been designated as remote-friendly. Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.

Bidding Eligibility ends April 30, 2024 at 11:55 PM