The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and its community campuses are located in some of the most breathtaking settings in the world. The attractive wooded campus, at the foot of the Chugach Mountains, serves as a cultural hub for the city. Careful development has left the campus an urban oasis with resident wildlife populations including moose, waterfowl, and birds. Located in the heart of Alaska's largest city, Anchorage, UAA is Alaska's largest post-secondary institution, serving more than 22,000 students. UAA is a comprehensive university consisting of a campus in Anchorage, three community campuses and one community college in south-central Alaska, and several extension sites in rural communities and on military installations. The UAA community celebrates a rich heritage and diverse student body with Alaska's indigenous peoples accounting for the largest percentage of persons of color.
QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor degree in a related field, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience. All degrees should be from appropriately accredited institutions. Demonstrated experience in conducting investigations, employee relations, and resolving conflict through informal resolution. Demonstrated experience working in a culturally diverse environment and interaction with culturally diverse individuals at all levels of the organization. Successful candidate must have excellent written and oral communication, human relations/interpersonal skills and excellent public speaking and presentation skills. Must have progressively responsible experience in diversity and multicultural affairs including multicultural program development and management; demonstrated ability to work with multicultural populations, strong administrative and organizational skills and oral, written, interpersonal, and intercultural communication skills. Have the ability to interact effectively with diverse populations’ at all institutional levels and with the external community; administrative experience in higher education and experience in unionized work environment. Trained in developing and conducting workshops; trained in conducting formal & informal investigations. Have substantial experience in AA/EEO, Human Resources or legal field. Experience in work environments where confidentiality and ethical behaviors emphasized and conducting employment investigations. The incumbent will occasionally need to travel within the state of Alaska to provide training, or conduct investigations and must be able to occasionally travel outside Alaska to attend training. Due to business needs of the institution, individuals must be able to work evenings and weekends as necessary.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
ADA Coordination/Affirmative Action Plan Development: Compile and develop Affirmative Action Program (AAP) in accordance with Executive Order 11246. Submit AAP to OCDC Director for review and approval as institution's EEO coordinator for monitoring of AAP. Compile, analyze and generate reports on all technical aspects of AA program. Convert information from quantitative to qualitative form by analyzing trends, job impact ratios, and recommending proactive efforts. Compliance Specialist will coordinate and manage ADA reasonable accommodation request for UAA faculty and staff with a disability. Participant in ADA interactive process with supervisors and employees to determine if a reasonable accommodation can be made and explore accommodations though appropriate formats.
Compliance Investigations: The UAA Compliance Specialist coordinates initial intake for UAA campus community members who bring forward complaints or concerns with regard to incidents such as sexual harassment and discrimination of a protected status and other potential violations of employee rights. Intake for such concerns is a crucial first step and can greatly impact the tone and direction concerns and complaints may go. The Compliance Specialist must be skilled at drawing out details, communicating applicable laws and regulations and offering various options for methods of working through, resolving, and bringing closure to extremely complicated and sensitive issues. In addition the incumbent will provide thorough informal and formal investigation processes as described by UA Regents' Policy and University Regulation. Prior to finalizing any decision to begin an investigation the incumbent will discuss the situation with the Office of Campus Diversity and Compliance (OCDC) Director, and UA General Counsel both of whom will provide input and guidance throughout the process. Complaint investigations include a broad range of steps to include outlining investigation planning, preparing interview questions and conducting interviews with complainant, respondent & witnesses. The Compliance Specialist will collect evidence and perform analysis of evidence & relevant data to support conclusions. Investigations will be performed with and without co-investigators and/or Title IX Investigators based on the specific nature of each situation. The incumbent will use their investigative skills as well as applicable UA policies and Federal and State civil rights laws, to develop an impartial and appropriate factual record upon which to make findings on the claims made in the intake complaint, while consistently demonstrating respect for individual rights and maintaining confidentiality and working with a high level integrity and professionalism at all times. The Compliance Specialist will on occasion be interviewed or required to serve as a witness in instances where an issue is taken to an entity outside the UA system, such as ASCHER, the EEOC or even during legal proceedings.
Report Writing: The Compliance Specialist will prepare and write final investigatory and incident reports focused on facts and findings. Reports from UAA OCDC should have a consistent style, and will demonstrate proper grammar and will clearly outline the nature of the complaint and/or allegations and thoroughly describe the investigative process as well as all facts and findings that support final conclusions. The incumbent must always keep the OCDC Director informed of all complaints and concerns as well as on-going formal and informal investigations. The Compliance Specialist will seek input from the OCDC Director and UA General Counsel with regard to all conclusions and recommendations in response to these investigations prior to finalizing any outcome or report. The incumbent will ensure final reports are distributed as appropriate various parties as per UA regulation and ensure appropriate coordination and communication with applicable MAU HRS, as well as Statewide HRS and General Counsel occurs.
Campus Training: The incumbent will design and present regular training workshops to UAA constituents on both the main UAA campus and various community campuses which will require occasional travel within Alaska. Functional training area's inclusive of but not limited to, Respectful Workplace, American with Disabilities Act (ADA), Preventing Sexual Harassment, etc. Training is a necessary to ensure compliance with EEO tenets and the education of constituents of their rights.
REVIEW DATE: Applications will be accepted through February 28, 2013. No applications will be accepted after 5:00pm on February 28, 2013.
APPLICATION PROCESS: For more information or to apply, please go to: www.uakjobs.com, search for POSTING #: 0065706 and be prepared to:
SALARY: Minimum beginning bi-weekly salary: $1,884.80
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:
Interested applicants must attach their comprehensive resume, a cover letter which describes how your past education and/or experiences have prepared you for this position, and a separate document providing the names and contact information of at least 3 professional references.
In addition, interested applicants should also attach a "Philosophy Statement". This document should describe your philosophy on the importance of diversity in an academic setting and how you feel you would support and advance the goals of the UAA Office of Campus Diversity and Compliance in this position. Your Philosophy Statement should also include a description of the types of investigations you have performed, how you prepare and carry out investigations, and the outcomes of some of your investigations.