Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Job Description and Responsibilities

Mission: We educate and empower girls to become women who transform the world. Infused with the spirit of the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) and rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church, the Notre Dame Preparatory School community strives to answer God’s call “…to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with God.” (Micah 6:8)

Notre Dame Preparatory School Overview

Founded in 1873, Notre Dame Preparatory School is an independent, Catholic school for girls in grades 6-12. A vibrant learning community of 830 students, NDP is located on 60 wooded acres in Towson, Maryland.

Notre Dame Preparatory School is dedicated to the ideals of transformative education. Inspired by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the school’s founding order, NDP’s dedicated, creative, and extraordinary faculty present an outstanding educational experience, simultaneously rooted in the liberal arts and relevant to today’s society. Through hands-on projects, experiential learning, and foundational coursework, NDP students think critically, solve problems creatively, and communicate clearly. Outside of the classroom, co-curricular and extra-curricular experiences develop their confidence and leadership. The school’s spiritual and justice missions, rooted in the Gospel and inspired by the SSND charism of unity, anchor students as they seek to become loving, just, and wise young women and global citizens who are ready to change the world for the better. 

Director of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Belonging

Notre Dame Preparatory School seeks a full-time, 12-month Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Director to lead the school’s DEIB Office. The Director, who reports to the Principal, will be a spiritually grounded leader who sees the work of inclusivity through the Gospel lens and as a response to Catholic Social Teaching.  The Director partners with other school leaders, faculty, staff, students, community life-related committees, and external constituencies, to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and excellence throughout the NDP community. The Director will research, develop, and share best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion that inspire NDP’s passionate faculty, staff, administrators, students, and parents to fully embrace NDP’s mission, vision, and teaching and learning approach. 

The focus of the DEIB Office is to collaboratively develop initiatives and strategies that build and maintain an inclusive campus community respective of the school’s unique identity as a Catholic institution. 

Responsibilities:  

• Oversee the planning, organizing, and managing of all NDP Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives to advance the school’s antiracism goals and pledge to be an antiracist institution.
• Serve as an advisor and consultant to Headmistress, Principal, Academic leadership, staff, and faculty on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging efforts.
• Assist in designing cultural competency learning opportunities for all constituent groups including culturally relevant pedagogy and inclusive curricula.  Additionally, coordinates programs for educating the NDP community (faculty, staff, students, parents) on diversity and effective ways to address common classroom challenges when teaching about identity, social difference, and inequality.
• Support integration of DEI competencies for the Institutional Advancement, Admission, and Communications offices, and collaborate with the counseling department in providing academic, emotional, and social support; and building community, trust and allyship for students/families of diverse backgrounds.
• Develop student leadership opportunities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and collaborate with faculty moderators to coordinate student affinity group leadership. Further, collaborate/facilitate/ consult with STRIVE and Board of Directors Inclusivity Committee.
• Identify, cultivate, and leverage an external (existing and new) network of resources and contacts who can be called upon for support of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging efforts.
• Work with the Administrators and Admissions Office to recruit, welcome, and retain faculty, staff, and students from diverse backgrounds.
• Establish benchmarks and develop a process to regularly report NDP’s progress towards its Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Belonging goals.

Please submit a cover letter including salary requirements and resumes to:

Ms. Christine Szala
Principal
Notre Dame Preparatory School
SzalaC@notredameprep.com
815 Hampton Lane, Towson, MD 21286

Priority review and consideration will be given to applicant materials submitted on or before June 1.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or higher preferred in Human Resources or related field and extensive experience which includes a minimum of five (5) years of experience in directing and managing diversity, disadvantaged business enterprise and equity programs, plans, and initiatives required.
• Understanding of the Catholic faith and Catholic Social Teaching and a commitment to upholding the Mission, Vision, and Catholic values of Notre Dame Preparatory School.
• Ability to effectively present information to leadership, board of directors, committee, and/or parent groups required.
• Meaningful classroom or training experience or prior supervisory/leadership experience.
• Significant experience in a leadership role in an academic institution, ideally including expertise in diversity and equity work in a Catholic environment, curricular program development, and faculty/staff development.
• Proven experience with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging analytics including how to drive impact and effectively manage change to guide people through the learning curve of DEI.
• Must have strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, all levels of management required.