Assistant Director, Native American Initiatives

Pomona; Claremont (MN); On-site; USD 73,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Pomona College invites applications for the Assistant Director, Native American Initiatives. The role sits within the Native Indigenous Resource Center, guiding outreach, research, and community engagement to support Native students and local Indigenous communities.

The position requires a Master’s (or Doctorate preferred) with at least 5 years working with Native communities. It includes budget oversight, collaborations with Admissions, and program development in a U.S. college setting.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree preferred in a related field; Doctorate degree preferred.
• A valid driver’s license is required or equivalent means of reliable transportation to off-site meetings and events.
• Minimum 5 years of experience working with native/indigenous students and community partners; higher education or community-based organizations.

Responsibilities

• Act as mentor and advocate to ensure the holistic success of Native students and Native student groups.
• Supervise student workers and Indigenous Peer Mentorship Program activities.
• Coordinate and implement annual Native Graduation and other NIRC activities.
• Develop and assess programs to understand native student success and institutional reporting needs.
• Maintain relationships with local native communities and programs.

Skills

Budgeting

Excel

MS Word

Mentoring

Intercultural sensitivity

Data reporting

Education

Master’s degree preferred

Doctorate degree preferred

Job description

Job Posting Location:

Claremont, CA

Job Posting Title:

Assistant Director, Native American Initiatives

Job Description:

ABOUT POMONA COLLEGE:

Located near Los Angeles, California, Pomona College is widely regarded as one of the nation’s premier liberal arts colleges. Established in 1887, Pomona College is known for small classes, a challenging curriculum, close relationships between students and faculty, and a range of student research and leadership opportunities. Pomona is a member of The Claremont Colleges.

JOB PURPOSE:

The Pomona Assistant Director of the Native Indigenous Resource Center fosters mutually beneficial exchanges among community members, students, faculty, and staff in order to support educational outreach initiatives, community-based research and learning, and other community engagement activities, in direct support of local Native American community needs and assets. This subunit sits within the Cultural Communities and Mentorship Programs.

ESSENTIA L FUNCTIONS:

Reporting directly to the Assistant Dean and Director of the AARC, the Assistant Director performs the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Act as mentor and advocate to ensure the holistic success of Native students and Native student groups at Pomona College.
2. Supervise student workers in support of native programming and initiatives at the NIRC.
3. Supervise and advise the Indigenous Peer Mentorship Program (IPMP) and all programming activities.
4. Coordinate and implement the annual Pomona College Native Graduation.
5. Co-lead trainings, fall and spring retreats, Friday Fonofale sessions, and other NIRC activities.
6. Develop and implement an assessment to understand native student success through institutional supports or other best practices.
7. Provide input for ethical and cultural protocols with involved students and the larger the Native community for:

   a. Conducting assessment and evaluation of native initiative programs and population needs including for the purposes of institutional reporting, fundraising, management and recruitment and retention of native students.

   b. Maintain data on native community-based activities and placements and assisting with reporting.

8. Maintain relationships and partnerships with local native communities and programs.
9. Contribute to the growth of the intellectual and academic life surrounding native and indigenous frameworks, Native American Indigenous Studies, and other relevant opportunities.
10. Manage program financial records including budget reports, requests for checks and grant reports and reconcile the program’s expenditures.
11. Support the development of student learning outcomes and assessments as aligned with the division of student affairs.
12. Work closely with the Pomona College’s Office of Admissions and other administrative offices to recruit greater numbers of Native students to Pomona College and ensure their success.
13. Other duties in support of the Pomona College Native Indigenous Resource Center and Cultural Communities and Mentorship Programs.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Education/Licenses/Certificates: Master’s degree preferred in a related field; Doctorate degree preferred.
• Licenses/Certificates** :** A valid driver’s license is required or equivalent means of reliable transportation to off-site meetings and events.
• Experience** :** A minimum of 5 years of experience working with native/indigenous students, native/indigenous community partners, nonprofit organizations and/or local community members particularly in native service learning or native social justice related programs. Minimum experience of 1-3 years working with local native tribal nations in higher education or community based organizations. Highly preferred experience with local tribal nations. Demonstrated knowledge of a range of aspects of community-based work including, but not limited to Native community organizing, Native organizational development, Native community development, or Native student development.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND CRITICAL SKILLS:

1. Excellent organizational skills including ability to create and supervise budgets, maintain records, and databases, including the website. Generate reports; proficient with Excel and MS Word.
2. Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English.
3. Ability to oversee and mentor students affiliated with the NIRC & AARC.
4. Some background in experiential and community-based education, including experience with community-based service/research and Native American culture.
5. Intercultural sensitivity, adaptability, patience, intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for challenge.
6. Demonstrated commitment to social justice, ethnic studies, and issues facing marginalized communities local to the Colleges.
7. Strong interpersonal communications skills especially as related to the fostering and development of mutually beneficial relationship with local communities and organizations.
8. Understanding of program evaluation and assessment methodologies.

REQUIRED HOURS:

The regular hours for this full time position are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday. Weekend and evening work hours may be required. Travel may be required. Regular hours may vary due to needs of the College or division.

ADDITIONAL POSITION DETAILS:

This is a regular, full-time, exempt position, benefits eligible.The yearly salary for this role is between $73,000 to $75,000 per year. The specific factors that the College will consider when offering a salary to an individual will include, but not be limited to education, training, relevant prior experience, and performance in prior roles. All staff positions are ineligible for visa or permanent resident card sponsorship. As a California employer, Pomona College requires all employees to be residents of California.

ADA/OSHA:

This job description defines the essential job duties of this position. The College expects that employees hired for this position can perform the essential functions of this job without imposing risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of themselves or others. It may also include marginal functions, generally defined within Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

DISCLAIMER:

This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this position. When duties and responsibilities change and develop, the College will review this job description and make changes of business necessity.