Associate Director, Student Support and Advocacy Center

Department: University Life

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Salary: Salary range starting from low $70ks; commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The Student Support and Advocacy Center is committed to providing an empowering environment for all Mason students to seek support services and to explore healthy life choices. The Center offers educational programming, one-on-one consultations, and resources in the areas of sexual and interpersonal violence, financial well-being, basic needs, substance use, and collegiate recovery. Staff also assist students encountering barriers to personal success.

About the Position:

The Associate Director, Student Support and Advocacy Center (SSAC) reports to the Director for the SSAC and provides direct supervision to the areas of sexual and interpersonal violence and substance use and recovery. Under the guidance of the Director, the Associate Director assists with staff development for the unit, co-leads Center assessment efforts with another Associate Director, provides SSAC representation on university-wide committees, and aids the Director with general office operation and special projects. This position is occasionally called upon to supervise the staff and the activities of the unit during the Director's absence. The Associate Director is a professional who is committed to fostering the holistic growth of students while striving to maintain the wellbeing and safety of the University community.

Responsibilities:

• Supervises full-time staff as well as graduate and undergraduate student employees and volunteers;
• Serves as the direct supervisor for the Assistant Director for Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Prevention and Response, Assistant Director for Student Support and Interpersonal Violence Services at Mason Square, and Assistant Director for Substance Use and Recovery;
• Oversees the operation of two peer education groups;
• Sets goals for performance and deadlines in ways that comply with the university's plans and vision and communicates them to subordinates; organizes workflow and ensures that employees understand their duties or delegated tasks; monitors employee productivity and provides constructive feedback and coaching; receives complaints and resolves problems; maintains timekeeping and personnel records; passes on information from upper management to employees and vice versa; prepares and submits performance evaluations; hires and trains new employees; ensures adherence to legal and university policies and procedures and undertakes disciplinary actions if the need arises;
• In an effort to foster the safety and well-being of the Mason community, oversees and coordinates comprehensive support services for survivors/victims of sexual and interpersonal violence as well as students addressing substance use issues and those who identify as being in recovery;
• Manages all aspects of the referral process, intake and screening, case management, support and interventions, referral and resource navigation, and follow-up of ongoing student cases in the areas of direct responsibility. Carries a small case load;
• Provides strategic oversight for a comprehensive offering of co-curricular prevention programs and opportunities that include primary and secondary prevention strategies in the areas of bystander intervention, healthy relationships, boundary setting, consent, resilience behaviors, healing practices, recovery, and risk reduction on topics of substance use as well as sexual and interpersonal violence;
• Assists the Director in developing and implementing an overarching prevention model encompassing all areas of SSAC;
• Partners with campus units and community agencies to implement programming that is responsive to the diverse needs of the University community; and
• Cultivates an understanding of campus approaches to supporting survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence as well as students in recovery and those who are addressing substance use issues - including best-practices and standards of practice developed by a variety of organizations including, but not limited to, the American College Health Association and the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. Shares these approaches with internal staff and University stakeholders as appropriate.

Contributes to the overall advancement of SSAC operations:

• Coordinates SSAC's grants and other external funding;
• Serves as the PI for grants supporting the areas of sexual and interpersonal violence and substance use and recovery;
• Develops and sustains collaborative partnerships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders in an effort to promote streamlined services and support for all students served by SSAC; represents the unit on university and community committees and task forces, as needed;
• In concert with the Director, co-coordinate SSAC assessment efforts with another Associate Director; creates and manages Nuventive plans, program and service user satisfaction evaluations, student-employee evaluations, and learning outcome assessments;
• Assists the Director with developing and implementing SSAC policies and procedures consistent with legal and institutional mandates; consults with the Director on proposed SSAC changes in services, policies, and practices as a result of new legal guidance;
• Creates and oversees a uniform system for screening for lethality and immediate risk for students seeking assistance from SSAC;
• Leads efforts to create a trauma aware work environment within the Center; and
• Supports the Director in the development of strategic and operational plans for the unit as well as the creation of unit reports.

Assists with other related administrative tasks:

• Oversees budget and expenses associated with areas under direct supervision, including the Victims of Violence Foundation and Drug Education Foundation accounts;
• Oversees the record management and retention for SSAC in accordance with federal, state, and local laws and University policies; Provides supervision and leadership to all Center staff in the absence of the Director; and
• Assists the Director with special projects and other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Progressive full-time work experience;
• Work or volunteer experience in direct support of survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence;
• Professional staff or graduate student supervision experience;
• Knowledge about sexual and interpersonal violence, collegiate substance use and recovery, and students of concern services;
• Knowledge about the development and delivery of education programs, prevention efforts, and trainings;
• Ability to build and maintain successful collaborative relationships in a diverse campus community;
• Ability to effectively collaborative on committees, coalitions, administration and community agencies;
• Ability to maintain and manage confidential information;
• Ability to be accurate in the performance of duties and attention to detail; and
• Ability to work effectively in a high-paced environment with frequent interruptions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Terminal degree in a related field;
• Full-time progressive experience typically obtained in 5+ years in a university setting;
• Previous work with collegiate substance use and recovery services and students of concern or related issues;
• Previous experience developing and delivering education programs, prevention efforts, and training;
• Budgeting experience; and
• Knowledge about the implementation and operation of functional areas of responsibility on college campuses.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Associate Director, Student Support and Advocacy Center at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter and resume.

Posting Open Date: May 15, 2024

For Full Consideration, Apply by: May 30, 2024

Open Until Filled?: Yes