Director of the Center for Multicultural Life

Bowdoin College; Maine; On-site; USD 78,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan (401(a)/403(b))

Life and disability insurance

Paid time off (vacation/personal/sick)

Holidays and special days off

Job summary

Bowdoin College seeks a Director of the Center for Multicultural Life to lead strategic direction, build signature programming, and support students from diverse backgrounds. You will supervise staff, manage budgets, and partner with campus entities to realize an affirming, intersectional cultural center.

Based in Ladd House, the Director will work with colleagues across campuses to advance inclusive programming and student development, while stewarding community partnerships with alumni,

Qualifications

• Leadership and strategic planning to set priorities and assess outcomes.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated cultural humility and intercultural competency across diverse student backgrounds.
• Strong program development, assessment, and administrative skills including budgeting.
• Collaborative, well organized, experienced in advising, planning, and evaluation.

Responsibilities

• Set and steward multi-year direction and goals for the Center for Multicultural Life.
• Design and deliver signature programming and heritage month observances.
• Supervise the Assistant Director and student staff; develop staff.
• Collaborate with academic departments and programs on co-sponsored programming.
• Manage the Center's budgets and operational needs.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Communication

Intercultural competency

Program development

Budget management

Collaboration

Advising

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Director of the Center for Multicultural Life

Posting Number:

S01614JP

Department:

Inclusion and Diversity in Student Affairs

Job Summary:

The Director of the Center for Multicultural Life (CML) leads a growing center that contributes to Bowdoin's commitment to its multicultural students. The Director sets multi-year direction, goals, and assessment for the CML, and designs signature community-building and celebratory programming – including heritage month observances – that serves students from historically under-represented backgrounds while engaging the full campus. The Director supervises the Assistant Director of the CML and the Center's student employees, manages the Center's budgets, and assists in stewarding the Russwurm African American Center together alongside alumni, faculty, and community partners.

The Director is one of several center directors based in Ladd House and works as a peer alongside colleagues in the Sexuality, Women, and Gender Center, the Rachel Lord Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, and THRIVE to realize the shared vision for Ladd as an affirming, intersectional cultural center for students. This position calls for sound judgment, and demonstrated skill in supporting students across the full range of backgrounds and identities at Bowdoin.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Strategic leadership, vision, and assessment: Set and stewardmulti-year direction for the Center for Multicultural Life - annualand multi-year goals, priorities, and a program calendar thatcarries forward from year to year. Represent the CML in divisionaland College planning.
• Signature and educational programming: Design and deliver theCenter's signature programming, including heritage monthobservances and the events that anchor the CML's year, givingstudents opportunities for celebration, community building,learning, and connection.
• Supervision and staff development: Supervise, mentor, andevaluate the Assistant Director of the Center for MulticulturalLife. Hire, train, and supervise the Center's student staff andambassadors, partnering with the Office of Student LeadershipDevelopment to build their professional and leadership skills.
• Collaboration and partnership across campus and in Ladd House:Partner with academic departments and programs - Africana Studiesand allied fields in particular - on co-sponsored programming,curricular connections, and faculty engagement.
• Budget, operations, and College citizenship: Manage the program and operating budgets for the Center for Multicultural Life.

The hiring range for this position is expected to be: $ $78,500 -87,500 annually.

This is an 11-month position.

BENEFITS AND PERKS

• A variety of health insurance plans (Medical, Vision, Dental)
• Generous Retirement Plan - 401(a) and 403(b)
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Paid Time Off: 20 days of vacation per calendar year, 12 days of personal/sick time
• Paid Holidays and Special Days Off: https://www.bowdoin.edu/hr/our-workplace/college-holidays-and-special-days-off.html
• Paid Parental Leave (Available after one year of service)
• Household access to many of the College's facilities including the gym and pool
• Free fitness and wellness classes!
• And more: https://www.bowdoin.edu/hr/benefits-perks/index.html

Education/Skills Requirements:

Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree in a related fieldpreferred.

• Strong leadership and strategic planning skills, with the ability to establish priorities, translate vision into actionable goals, and assess outcomes to strengthen programs and services.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, facilitation, and presentation skills, with the ability to build trusting relationships and communicate effectively with students, faculty, staff, senior leaders, alumni, and external partners.
• Demonstrated cultural humility and intercultural competency, with the ability to support and engage students across a broad range of backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences.
• Strong program development, assessment, and administrative skills, including the ability to design and evaluate educational and community-building programs, use data to inform decisions, and effectively manage budgets and resources.
• Collaborative, well organized, and experienced in advising, program planning, and evaluation.

Experience Requirements and/or Equivalents:

4-7 years experience in a similar role required. 7+ year experience preferred.

A minimum of three years of experience working with broadly diverse cohorts of students in an educational setting is also required.

• Demonstrated success supporting and advising students from a range of backgrounds and identities, including students of color,first-generation students, and students from low-incomebackgrounds.
• Proven ability to develop, implement, and assess programs and initiatives that foster student learning, community building, belonging, and engagement for identity-specific and campus-wide audiences.
• A record of effectively supervising, mentoring, and developing professional and/or student staff, including hiring, performance management, goal setting, and professional development.
• Success building collaborative relationships across an organization and navigating complex or sensitive situations with sound judgment, discretion, empathy, and steadiness, including supporting students in distress and connecting them with appropriate resources.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications in this posting to be considered for hire.

Standard Work Days and Hours:

Administrative office hours are 8:30am-5:00pm. This is a full-time position working 40 hours/48 weeks, (0.92 FTE) with evening or weekends as required. This is an exempt level position that requires the time commitment to complete the essential duties of the position.

This is an on-site role, and candidates must be able to work in person on Bowdoin College Campus in Brunswick, Maine.

We regret that Bowdoin College is unable to provide visa sponsorship for staff positions.

Employment at Bowdoin College is contingent upon satisfactory completion of applicable background checks including but not limited to: criminal records, educational verifications, driving records (when job-related), and/or credit history (when job-related).

About Bowdoin:

Bowdoin embraces diversity in all forms, and the College is home totalented students, faculty and staff-with a variety of racial,ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds; religious beliefs;and gender identities, among other factors.

We encourage applications from candidates committed to the support of an inclusive campus community and those who will enrich and contribute to the College's multifaceted diversity. We value a community in which individuals of all backgrounds are warmly welcomed and encouraged to succeed.

Founded in 1794, Bowdoin has maintained its commitment to the liberal arts for well over 200 years. Bowdoin's reputation as an eminent liberal arts college rests on the excellence of its faculty, students, and staff; intimate size; strong sense of community; and connections to the people, history, and natural beauty of Maine.

Bowdoin's campus is situated in a beautiful natural setting. Located in Brunswick, Maine, a town of approximately 20,000, the College is a short drive from the Maine coast, twenty-five miles from Portland and 120 miles from Boston.

Shift:

Employment Category:

Full Time Year Round

Benefits Eligible:

Yes

Pay Type:

Salaried

Background Check Package Requirements:

Faculty/Administrative

Is driving a Bowdoin vehicle an essential function of this job?

Is a pre-placement physical required for this position?

No

Posting Date:

10/02/2026

Applications Accepted Until:

Open Until Filled:

No

Special Instructions to Applicants:

If selected as a finalist, you will be required to submit information for three references, including name, email address, phone number and how you know the reference.

EEO Information:

Bowdoin College complies with applicable provisions of federal and state laws that prohibit unlawful discrimination in employment, admission, or access to its educational or extracurricular programs, activities, or facilities based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry and national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, marital status, place of birth, genetic predisposition, veteran status, or against qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities on the basis of disability, or any other legally protected statuses.