Job Posting Title:

Senior Director, Claremont Justice Education Center

Job Details and Requirement:

Position Title: Senior Director, Claremont Justice Education Center

Department:    Academic Affairs                   

Supervisor: Associate Dean/Dean of Faculty

Pitzer College seeks an experienced professional for the position of Senior Director of the new Claremont Justice Education Center based at Pitzer College. This is a grant-funded, exempt, staff position available through June 28, 2026, with the possibility of renewal beyond that date. Ultimately reporting to the Dean of Faculty, the Senior Director will enhance and expand The Claremont Colleges’ curricular and co-curricular justice education projects to meet the goals of the recently received Mellon Foundation Justice Education Renewal Grant.  In addition, the Senior Director will work Pitzer College faculty and staff in further developing and institutionalizing Pitzer’s Pathway to BA (prison education) program, and potentially work with other colleges and institutions in the region in expanding this educational pipeline.

An initial Mellon Foundation-supported Justice Education Initiative grant (JEI) from 2018-23 supported the development and expansion of Inside Out curriculum in which in-person courses are offered by faculty from the 5 undergraduate Claremont Colleges (Pitzer, Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Scripps, and Harvey Mudd; collectively, 5C) at the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco, CA.  Half of the students enrolled in these classes are traditional Claremont Colleges students (“outside” students) and half are students from the CRC prison (“inside” students).  Pitzer College also recently scaffolded a BA program on this Inside Out curriculum for small cohorts of inside students. 

The Mellon Foundation recently funded a three-year renewal of this original award.  This JEI renewal grant seeks to expand Inside Out course offerings and enrollments, establish a consortium Justice Education Center, advance pathways for educational participation and degree completion for incarcerated individuals, and to create a Justice Education major and co-curricular support programming at the Claremont Colleges.  The Senior Director will work closely with (i) staff in the Dean of Faculty Office at Pitzer College, including Associate and Assistant Deans, (ii) the Faculty Director of the Justice Education Center, (iii) the Pitzer Justice Education Field Group, and (iv) the 5C Justice Education Advisory Committee, and (v) staff, faculty, and education professionals at Norco Community College, CRC, and regional colleges and universities.  Pitzer College is the lead college for the envisioned Justice Education Center; the Senior Director will be a Pitzer College employee.             

• Work in collaboration with the appointed Faculty Director of the Justice Education Center, the Pitzer Justice Education Field Group, and the 5C Justice Education Advisory Committee to develop, implement, and manage intercollegiate academic programs related to Justice Education at the Claremont Colleges and at CRC prison:

  • Recruit, train, onboard, and support 5C faculty who teach Inside Out classes. 

  • Collaborate with participating faculty to develop new cohorts of Claremont students interested in this field and their alignment with justice education-themed interdisciplinary seminars, community-based courses, disciplinary courses, study abroad experiences, and senior seminars and theses.

  • Enhance and expand curricular and co-curricular justice education programming and projects, particularly Inside Out courses offered at the California Rehabilitation Center (local men’s prison) and the emerging programming elsewhere.

  • Support the establishment of an academic major (and potentially a minor) in Justice Education Studies at the Claremont Colleges, as well as relevant co-curricular programming, internships, and activities.

  • Increase participation by Claremont faculty and students in and impact on public policy debates and advocacy for changes in criminal justice systems and in the rehabilitation and re-entry of formerly incarcerated individuals.

  • Increase the profile of the JEC via a communications, news placements, and social media strategy. 

• Pathway to BA program

  • Support the curriculum needed to sustain Pitzer’s BA pathway program at CRC prison.

  • Assist Field Groups and faculty in academic planning and curricular offerings.

  • Participate in advertising the BA program to potential students and assist with evaluations and admissions processes.

  • Provide supplemental academic and advising support for students enrolled in the Pitzer Pathway to BA program.

  • Work with the Pitzer College Registrar and other campus constituencies to ensure Pathway students are fully enrolled in classes on a timely basis and also have access to relevant campus and consortium resources.

  • Develop, coordinate, and implement reintegration programming, including assistance with job skill development, for formerly incarcerated individuals.

• Work with the Pitzer College Finance Office to effectively manage the justice education budget, including reconciling grant expenditures on a timely basis and in accordance with grant, institutional, and state and federal guidelines.  Assist with regular reporting on grant expenditures.

• Coordinate with all internal and intercollegiate administrative offices and academic committees to ensure timely approval of the academic projects related to the Mellon renewal grant and carry out/oversee its implementation.

• Work closely with Pitzer College Office of Advancement and Communications in regularly reporting on grant activities and progress to the Mellon Foundation and also in public and College communications.

• Assist with fund raising efforts to support justice education programming and students , including, when appropriate, serving as the spokesperson for justice education work at Pitzer and the Claremont Colleges.

• Build and maintain effective relationships with key prison administrators and become familiar with the prison chain of command and procedures.

• Assist faculty teaching or developing justice education courses and Inside Out courses, including with community engagement management (i.e., clearance of volunteers, visitors and class materials), community partnership development, and prison partnership logistics.

• Ensure that all faculty teaching Inside Out courses are appropriately trained and successfully onboarded before teaching.  Similarly, ensure that students participating in Inside Out classes complete requisite trainings and orientations, and that they comply with program rules.

• Develop, implement and assess faculty training and student orientations for the Inside Out courses and other curricular activities.

• Develop, implement and assess justice education events (workshops, conferences, and training) related to grant priorities.

• Collaborate on evaluation, correspondence, and reporting of grant activities and Inside Out courses.

• Hire, train, and supervise an administrative assistant and student employees working on the grant and justice education projects.

• Collaborate with the Advancement Office at Pitzer and across the Claremont Colleges to identify, assess, write, and submit proposals for future funding to support justice education activities, Inside Out courses, and the Pitzer College Pathway to BA program.

• Coordinate visiting scholar/activists, artists, and guest speakers to teach courses or course units, visit classrooms, participate in seminars and workshops, develop art gallery exhibitions, and/or make public presentations related to justice education themes and issues.

• Coordinate assessment and evaluation of student learning, community impact, and programmatic sustainability to improve programs and refine procedures and policies, and also for accreditation purposes.

• Seek and develop program support systems to ensure post-grant program sustainability.

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Basic Qualification:  At minimum, must have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, and at least three (3) years of related experience with prison education. Must have experience working with faculty, staff, and students in higher education.  Experience working with prison staff and educators, and/or with incarcerated or formerly incarcerated students and re-entry service/ restorative justice organizations are strong assets.

Individuals who were formerly incarcerated or have direct experience within penal systems are particularly encouraged to apply.

Preferred Qualification:  A Master’s degree or PhD is preferred.  Previous experience as a employee supervisor is also preferred.

The individual must possess knowledge, skills and ability to be able to successfully perform the essential functions of the position or be able to explain or demonstrate how the essential functions will be performed, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities.

• Executive leadership abilities.

• Knowledge of community engagement best practices, curricular and co-curricular justice education field, and higher education assessment and reporting.

• Experience working on grant-funded projects, as well as experience with grant preparation and reporting.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, including public speaking and presentation skills.

• Strong organizational, time management and leadership abilities. Excellent ability to switch quickly between tasks and manage interruptions.

• Ability to use good judgment when handling confidential or sensitive College information or material.

• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks in order to satisfy key projects on schedule.

• Ability to problem solve and to develop and pursue alternative paths to goal attainment.

• Ability to formulate strategies that are achievable, cost-effective, and address department, taking into consideration the College’s values, resources and priorities.

• Ability to meet commitments that contribute to addressing the interests, needs and concerns of stakeholders.  Identify and communicate shared interests and goals. Develop, maintain, and strengthen partnerships inside or outside the College with individuals who can provide information, assistance, and support.  Demonstrate high ethical standards and communicates similar expectations of others.

• Effective supervisory and mentoring skills. Flexible interpersonal style to help others develop their capabilities. Provides helpful feedback, effective coaching and maintain documentation. Collaborates with direct reports to set meaningful performance objectives. Recognizes and reinforces people's developmental efforts and improvements. Regularly meets with direct reports to review and guide their development progress.

• Demonstrated ability to use intermediate and some advanced functions of recent versions of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Power Point, and Outlook), the internet and web-based forms.

• Basic accounting fundamentals and budget management skills, or facility to develop these necessary skills.    Experience in grant funding management preferred. 

• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with campus faculty, staff, and students as well as the various constituents of community partner sites. Understanding or experience with The Claremont Colleges, Norco College, local prisons, and/or re-entry or policy organizations is a plus.

• Commitment to the social justice mission and values of Pitzer College and understanding of the benefits of a liberal arts education.

• Demonstrated commitment to relationship building, social justice, teamwork, with a positive attitude.

• Demonstrated capacity and understanding of and commitment to serve the mission of the College, including but not limited to Pitzer’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, access, and student success.

• Ability to travel to partner sites and/or other off-campus meeting locations.

• Ability to transport students in college-owned, large-capacity vans to and from sites, field trips, and other destinations.

• Ability to accept constructive feedback and apply it towards development and growth.

• Must have access to reliable and secure computer and internet connection. Must maintain password protection for work files and records and ensure that no one else has access to password and login credentials at remote work site.

• Must have access to a dedicated and suitable workstation at remote location (as applicable), including desk or table and supporting, upright chair. Must ensure workstation is safe and free from hazards.

• Able to drive a College van.

Licenses/Certifications: Must have a valid driver’s license and a driving record acceptable to the College’s automobile insurer.

Supervisory Responsibility: Will supervise staff support and student employees.

Time Type: Full-time 40 hours per week

Annual Pay Schedule: 12

Work Schedule: The regular hours for this position will be scheduled between 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.  These hours may vary due to needs of the College or department.

Work Model:  Hybrid

Compensation: Budgeted Salary:  $125-130k per year

Pitzer College is committed to providing comprehensive benefits to eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Our benefits package includes competitive compensation, health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings plans, generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick time, parental leave, bereavement, etc.), tuition reimbursement, tuition exchange program participation and more. 

Physical Requirements: This is generally a sedentary position.

• Must be able to sit for prolonged periods of time and operate a computer for prolonged periods of time.

• Mobility to work in a standard office setting and use standard office equipment.

• Must be able to communicate in person and over the telephone.

• Must be able to read printed materials and a computer screen.  

• Must be able to drive large-capacity vans to/from partner sites, field trips, and other local destinations.

Instructions:  Only qualified applicants please.

Application Materials: Upload the following materials to complete your application:

• Cover Letter:  Indicate your reason for interest in this position, describe how your qualifications make you an ideal candidate, and explain which of Pitzer’s core values best relates to your own. 

• Resume: List relevant qualifications and dates of experience.

• Professional References: References will be contacted for select applicants and advance notice will be provided. Provide the names of at least three (3) individuals who can speak to your professional qualifications. Include their business titles, contact information and an indication of how you are acquainted with them (e.g., former supervisor, coworker, etc.).