Associate Director, Sexual Violence Response Services

Department: Dean of Students

Salary/Grade: EXS/10

Center for Awareness, Response, and Education (CARE) is a unit within the Dean of Students Office. The mission of CARE is to create a culture of healthy sexuality at Northwestern University where sexual violence, relationship violence, and stalking are not tolerated. CARE is a confidential space for students impacted by sexual violence, relationship violence or stalking, including friends or partners of survivors. Learn more about CARE here: https://www.northwestern.edu/care/

About Student Affairs: By pursuing justice, equity, and belonging, Student Affairs cultivates student programs, services, and skills; disrupts barriers; and partners across Northwestern and neighboring communities to create an inclusive culture in which all students can thrive. Learn more about the Division of Student Affairs here: https://www.northwestern.edu/studentaffairs/about/strategic-plan/objectives.html

Job Summary:

The Associate Director of Sexual Violence and Response Services provides support and oversight for students who experience gender -based violence. This position works with the Center for Awareness, Response, and Education (CARE) to provide support and advocacy, general prevention, and peer education services for undergraduate and graduate/professional students across both campuses who have experienced sexual violence, relationship violence, stalking, or other forms of sexual violence. Reporting to the Director of CARE/HPaW, the Associate Director is a member of the leadership team, providing strategic direction around advocacy and support services to the department. This position will supervise the other Assistant Director positions as well as the coordinator and be responsible for the operational functioning of student support services as well as compliance around TitleIX regulations and confidentiality.

Please note: Frequent night and weekend work. This position does not have on-call responsibilities. This position is expected to be at the Chicago campus approximately once per week and is based in Evanston.

Pay: The salary range for this Associate Director position is $90,000-97,000 annually, depending on experience, skills, and internal equity.

Principal Accountabilities:

Student Support 40%

• Creates department strategy for structure, process, and staff support of students.

• Provide students who are impacted by sexual violence, relationship violence, or stalking with support services and advocacy with respect to processing trauma, building coping skills, safety planning, case management etc.

• Provide confidential support and advising navigating the Northwestern Title IX processes, and other formal or informal processes and resources on or off campus.

• Support CARE staff in providing trauma-informed support and advocacy services to students by helping facilitate case management meetings and ongoing guidance. Assist with student cases as needed, as well as help manage CARE staff vicarious trauma.

• Organize and facilitate the trauma support groups with co-facilitator, including advertising and recruiting, screenings and intakes, and facilitating weekly sessions.

Supervision 20%

• Provides direct supervision to one time Assistant Directors (AD of Prevention and Masculine Engagement) and one Coordinator (Coordinator of Sexual Violence Response) who have a mix of outreach, prevention, and direct service responsibilities.

Administration 15%

• Oversees and ensures that day-to-day operations are appropriately managed, efficient, and effective.

• Coordinate tracking of advocacy services for annual reporting, including paperwork and database processes.

• Conduct case review with the team to ensure proper documentation, follow up and case closure.

• Oversee trauma informed triage and case distribution system for student intake and advocacy.

Training and Outreach 10%

• Maintain strong and collaborative relationships with community partners providing counseling and group support or legal and medical advocacy services in the Evanston and Chicago area. Participate in community, state and national committees/task forces that address sexual violence. Act as a liaison to local community agencies associated with response to sexual violence.

• Collaborate with key stakeholders/leaders on campus to develop and maintain an innovative, coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to reducing gender-based violence and assisting survivors. This includes supporting the leadership of the Campus Coalition on Sexual Violence and participating in other campus task forces/committees on campus.

• Work closely with the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance to advocate for trauma-informed processes and policies at Northwestern.

• Participate in a variety of events, trainings or outreach opportunities as needed.

• Drop-in hours and tabling on both the Chicago and Evanston campuses to informally reach students and familiarize them with CARE's programs.

• Facilitates trainings and workshops on issues related to supporting survivors of interpersonal violence, impact of trauma etc. to the NU community through an intersectional lens.

• Attend occasional night and weekend events for student clubs or other events as needed.

Evaluation 5%

• Coordinate and facilitate the assessment of advocacy and support services and work with the Director to implement continuous quality improvement measures.

• Develop, maintains and reports on quantitative and qualitative performance measures for student services.

Strategic Planning 5%

• Creates and leads a coordinated program of activities designed to increase program/project objectives.

• Develops and executes strategies to involve internal/external constituents and cultivate new individual, corporate, institutional and/or foundation collaborations.

• Provide input on strategic planning and vision, and ensure objectives are met.

Other duties as assigned 5%

Minimum Qualifications:

• Licensed clinical mental health provider such as a LCPC or LCSW.

• A minimum of 5-7 years of post-graduate professional experience in sexual assault response or related field, preferably in a campus setting.

• Experience with programming, outreach or prevention work through a social justice lens, preferably in the field of gender-based violence

• Experience providing crisis counseling and support or advocacy services to diverse populations of survivors of sexual violence.

• Experience supervising professional staff.

• Completion of ICASA and ICDVP-recognized 40-hour sexual assault and domestic violence survivor advocacy trainings either prior to or within three months of employment.

Minimum Competencies:

• Ability to handle confidential information sensitively and with integrity.

• Familiarity with Title IX as it relates to confidential advocacy.

• Ability to use sound judgment when responding to crises.

• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social justice, including demonstrated competency in gender identity.

• Ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders on- and off- campus.

• Knowledge of systems of oppressions as they relate to sexual violence.

• Knowledge of sex-positive perspectives as they relate to sexual violence.

• Ability to work with underserved populations, such as male survivors, LGBTQ survivors and international students.

• Awareness of personal boundaries and ability to provide self-care.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous experience supervising student staff.

• Ability to supervise professional staff seeking LCSW or LCPC licensure.

• Work experience within a higher education setting or with the college student population.

• Experience in facilitating anti-sexual violence trainings with all diverse populations on topics related to sexual health, rape culture, trauma, and other interpersonal violence issues, preferably within a higher education setting.

Benefits: At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness: Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles. We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare, and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth and Development: Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for people who can obtain them as a critical tool for minimizing severe illness. More information can be found on the COVID-19 and Campus Updates webpage.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law.

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