Executive Director, Office of Opportunity and Diversity
Apply NowCompany: Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences
Location: Yakima, WA 98902
Description:
Recruitment Period: 03/05/2025 - Until Filled
Status: Full-Time, 40 hours/week
Salary Information: Annual Minimum Salary-$123,200-Annual Maximum Salary-$209,400
Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) was founded as a 501(c) (3) non-profit medical institution in 2005 aimed at increasing access to health care in medically underserved areas of the Pacific Northwest.
The University currently offers the degrees of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Master of Arts in Medical Science, and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy enrolling over 550 students annually with plans to develop other programs and/or colleges. Interprofessional education partnerships with other universities adds another 100 students to the population. The campus includes 300 employees with academic programming spread over a five-state region.
PNWU is located in Yakima, WA, a city of approximately 95,000 located in the south-central part of the state near the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains in a major agricultural and outdoor recreation region. It is approximately 140 miles from Seattle, 170 miles from Portland, and 200 miles from Spokane. The Yakima Valley is a wonderful place to live, work and play. For more information, visit https://www.visityakima.com/ .
General Summary:
PNWU is committed to creating an environment of conscious inclusion for our students, faculty, and staff. As part of this commitment, we recognize the importance of having a dedicated Executive Director. The person will report to the President and, collaborating with students, faculty, and staff, will create, integrate, promote, and sustain a welcoming and inclusive campus and community environment so that all have access and opportunity to thrive.
This position requires a highly motivated team-player with experiential knowledge of diverse cultures and the ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships inside and outside of PNWU. The Executive Director will lead the development, planning, coordination, and implementation of strategic priorities for this office in collaboration with PNWU's Strategic Plan. The Executive Director must demonstrate the ability to work well with students, faculty, and staff at all levels within a diverse, multi-cultural, collaborative environment. The Executive Director must possess the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously, proactively solve problems, and achieve outcomes within or ahead of established time frames.
Essential Job Functions:
Leads efforts to create and implement vision and strategy/action plan to elevate, enhance, and promote access, opportunity, and inclusion on campus. Oversees the identification and planning of professional development programs to raise awareness and develop best practices to cultivate a culture of respect and dignity that helps to build a welcoming and inclusive culture at PNWU.
Provides leadership and support for the creation and maintenance of welcoming and inclusive campus culture. Acts as a thought partner/leader/collaborator with the executive leadership team, academic leaders, and other campus stakeholders to identify gaps in equity and access and provide solutions to close gaps and create effective policy and practices to advance these goals and values.
Oversees the efforts to foster and maintain relationships with community partners that provide opportunities for academic pathways. This includes K-12 systems, colleges and universities, tribal communities, industry partners, and non-profit organizations. Works with the Office of Sponsored Activities to research potential funding sources and assist with the development of grant proposals to enhance partnerships.
Acts as a consultant to academic programs to ensure alignment and collaboration among different services to support the needs of all students.
Oversees the tracking, trends, and report metrics that measure the effectiveness of initiatives; determines methods that strategically utilize the data to meet goals, targets, and gauge change in culture with continuous improvement.
Assists and partners with Human Resources to strengthen PNWU's efforts to recruit and retain diverse staff and faculty. Assists and partners with academic programs and the Office of Enrollment to recruit and retain students aligned with PNWU's Mission and Vision.
Serves on the Incident Resolution Team and partners with members of this team to resolve grievances.
Engages in shared governance through campus groups and committees. Leads the campus Access and Opportunity Council. Develop an annual report of activities and shares this with the President and Executive Leadership Team, Deans, Faculty Senate, Staff Council, and Student Government.
Performs other related duties as assigned and based on departmental need.
Requirements
Education:
Required: Master's degree in education, social sciences, human resources, or other related field, or equivalent experience of progressively responsible equity, diversity, and inclusion experience
Experience:
Required: 4-6 years
Required: Experience in higher education. Previous experience with addressing the needs of diverse populations of underrepresented, marginalized, and vulnerable students, employees, and community members
Desired Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:
Strong critical thinking and communication skills, both verbal and in writing; strong service orientation; ability to lead build, facilitate, and maintain collaborative teams and to mentor others; knowledge of data-driven experience to assess, track, and analyze data; strong organization, interpersonal, and planning skills; ability to be flexible in working with others in multiple modalities (i.e. in person, hybrid, and remote); ability to problem solve by analyzing issues and creating action plans; ability to manage projects and people and prioritize and self-direct workflow; ability to work with and manage different computer programs and databases; and Spanish language skills.
To ensure full consideration submit:
A letter of introduction outlining background and qualifications for the position
Detailed curriculum vitae
Contact information for three professional references
The job announcement above is not the full job description but represents the job responsibilities and requirements. A full job description can be provided upon request.
PNWU offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees first of the month following date of hire and competitive salary.
Benefit Package (benefit eligible is at least .5 FTE) :
For information about life in Yakima visit our PNWU page.
PNWU is a drug-free workplace, equal opportunity employer and educational institution. To request this publication in an alternative format, or to apply in an alternative format, please call Human Resources, 509.452.5100.
Status: Full-Time, 40 hours/week
Salary Information: Annual Minimum Salary-$123,200-Annual Maximum Salary-$209,400
Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) was founded as a 501(c) (3) non-profit medical institution in 2005 aimed at increasing access to health care in medically underserved areas of the Pacific Northwest.
The University currently offers the degrees of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Master of Arts in Medical Science, and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy enrolling over 550 students annually with plans to develop other programs and/or colleges. Interprofessional education partnerships with other universities adds another 100 students to the population. The campus includes 300 employees with academic programming spread over a five-state region.
PNWU is located in Yakima, WA, a city of approximately 95,000 located in the south-central part of the state near the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains in a major agricultural and outdoor recreation region. It is approximately 140 miles from Seattle, 170 miles from Portland, and 200 miles from Spokane. The Yakima Valley is a wonderful place to live, work and play. For more information, visit https://www.visityakima.com/ .
General Summary:
PNWU is committed to creating an environment of conscious inclusion for our students, faculty, and staff. As part of this commitment, we recognize the importance of having a dedicated Executive Director. The person will report to the President and, collaborating with students, faculty, and staff, will create, integrate, promote, and sustain a welcoming and inclusive campus and community environment so that all have access and opportunity to thrive.
This position requires a highly motivated team-player with experiential knowledge of diverse cultures and the ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships inside and outside of PNWU. The Executive Director will lead the development, planning, coordination, and implementation of strategic priorities for this office in collaboration with PNWU's Strategic Plan. The Executive Director must demonstrate the ability to work well with students, faculty, and staff at all levels within a diverse, multi-cultural, collaborative environment. The Executive Director must possess the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously, proactively solve problems, and achieve outcomes within or ahead of established time frames.
Essential Job Functions:
Leads efforts to create and implement vision and strategy/action plan to elevate, enhance, and promote access, opportunity, and inclusion on campus. Oversees the identification and planning of professional development programs to raise awareness and develop best practices to cultivate a culture of respect and dignity that helps to build a welcoming and inclusive culture at PNWU.
Provides leadership and support for the creation and maintenance of welcoming and inclusive campus culture. Acts as a thought partner/leader/collaborator with the executive leadership team, academic leaders, and other campus stakeholders to identify gaps in equity and access and provide solutions to close gaps and create effective policy and practices to advance these goals and values.
Oversees the efforts to foster and maintain relationships with community partners that provide opportunities for academic pathways. This includes K-12 systems, colleges and universities, tribal communities, industry partners, and non-profit organizations. Works with the Office of Sponsored Activities to research potential funding sources and assist with the development of grant proposals to enhance partnerships.
Acts as a consultant to academic programs to ensure alignment and collaboration among different services to support the needs of all students.
Oversees the tracking, trends, and report metrics that measure the effectiveness of initiatives; determines methods that strategically utilize the data to meet goals, targets, and gauge change in culture with continuous improvement.
Assists and partners with Human Resources to strengthen PNWU's efforts to recruit and retain diverse staff and faculty. Assists and partners with academic programs and the Office of Enrollment to recruit and retain students aligned with PNWU's Mission and Vision.
Serves on the Incident Resolution Team and partners with members of this team to resolve grievances.
Engages in shared governance through campus groups and committees. Leads the campus Access and Opportunity Council. Develop an annual report of activities and shares this with the President and Executive Leadership Team, Deans, Faculty Senate, Staff Council, and Student Government.
Performs other related duties as assigned and based on departmental need.
Requirements
Education:
Required: Master's degree in education, social sciences, human resources, or other related field, or equivalent experience of progressively responsible equity, diversity, and inclusion experience
Experience:
Required: 4-6 years
Required: Experience in higher education. Previous experience with addressing the needs of diverse populations of underrepresented, marginalized, and vulnerable students, employees, and community members
Desired Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:
Strong critical thinking and communication skills, both verbal and in writing; strong service orientation; ability to lead build, facilitate, and maintain collaborative teams and to mentor others; knowledge of data-driven experience to assess, track, and analyze data; strong organization, interpersonal, and planning skills; ability to be flexible in working with others in multiple modalities (i.e. in person, hybrid, and remote); ability to problem solve by analyzing issues and creating action plans; ability to manage projects and people and prioritize and self-direct workflow; ability to work with and manage different computer programs and databases; and Spanish language skills.
To ensure full consideration submit:
A letter of introduction outlining background and qualifications for the position
Detailed curriculum vitae
Contact information for three professional references
The job announcement above is not the full job description but represents the job responsibilities and requirements. A full job description can be provided upon request.
PNWU offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees first of the month following date of hire and competitive salary.
Benefit Package (benefit eligible is at least .5 FTE) :
- Health Benefits - Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance
- Paid Time Off
- 403b with Roth Option
- Paid Holidays
For information about life in Yakima visit our PNWU page.
PNWU is a drug-free workplace, equal opportunity employer and educational institution. To request this publication in an alternative format, or to apply in an alternative format, please call Human Resources, 509.452.5100.