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Director, DSS Accommodations and Support Services

Who We Are
With three campuses along Colorado’s Front Range, FRCC is the state’s largest community college. We enroll close to 28,000 students annually from our diverse service area, which offers a variety of cultural and recreational activities.

Each year approximately 5,000 FRCC students transfer to four-year universities and FRCC offers more than 36 career training programs that prepare students for immediate employment and rewarding careers. Last year, more than 5,000 high school students took concurrent enrollment classes with us, earning college credit without having to pay college tuition. And we were recently ranked as one of the “Top Online Colleges” in the country by Newsweek.

One of FRCC’s main goals is to offer educational excellence for everyone. The college’s strong commitment to student success means we start by creating an inclusive and equitable environment—one where both students and employees feel they belong and are supported. FRCC’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion is woven into the fabric of our college conversations and decision-making processes. We are actively seeking to hire a workforce that reflects the diversity of our student body.

The college is also an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution. For us, becoming an HSI is an intentional commitment to being a college where our Latinx (and other historically marginalized) students thrive.

FRCC employees and leaders work hard to create a culture of collaboration, innovation and pride. We’re looking to hire people who share these values—along with our commitment to student success, equity and excellence.

Who You Are
As the Director of Disability Support Services (DSS), Accommodations & Support Services, and reporting directly to the Senior Director of Disability Support Services, you will assist with leadership and direction for FRCC’s Disability Support Services department. In this role, you will lead DSS coordinators and all services related to providing accommodations and disability-related supports to students, with a commitment to deliver high quality services to students and the community.

Making data informed decisions about the implementation and effectiveness of services to best support student success and enrollment, you will also lead staff on each campus and will occasionally travel to each campus. You are student-centered and ensure that practices are equity centered.

Ideally, you have a passion for continuous improvement of programs, services and operations that enhance the student and community experience. You are use your knowledge and stay up to date on best practices in DSS while working closely with FRCC partners to meet the needs of Students.

Please note: This is an on-campus position with an opportunity for hybrid remote work. You need to be a Colorado resident on your first day of employment.

SALARY: $66,112 to $69,410 annually

BENEFITS: Please click here to find more information about APT & Faculty Benefits

SELECTION PROCESS: Position will remain open until filled with a priority deadline of October 2, 2023. This posting may be used to fill multiple or similar positions.

Preliminary screening will be made on the basis of the completed application package submitted by the candidate. In your application, please include a resume and cover letter that specifically addresses how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications and responsibilities of the Director, DSS Accommodations and Support Services.

Primary Duties

Planning & Program Management:

Provide leadership through the planning, development and management of established DSS practices and procedures related to providing student accommodations and disability-related support.
Conduct intakes for FRCC students with disabilities, collect and review documentation of disability, review/approve accommodation requests (referring to DSS team as needed), and make appropriate referrals for additional student support services.
Troubleshoot challenges and assist with mediating student and faculty disagreements about accommodations and review departmental grievances or accommodation appeals as consistent with college and system procedures.
Consult with administrators and staff to implement design strategies and reasonable accommodations that mitigate barriers identified by individuals with disabilities.
Facilitate dialogue and coordinate accommodations between students with disabilities and faculty.
Maintain case notes for student and staff meetings and interactions.
Maintain department calendar and scheduling and update DSS databases as appropriate.
Develop DSS outreach and education services that offer equitable access to all students, including first generation students with accessibility needs, and underrepresented students, that are grounded in best practices.
Engage in ongoing assessment and evaluation of policies and procedures through an equity lens and make appropriate adjustments to remove barriers and enhance the student experience.
Coordinate with faculty, staff, and community partners to identify DSS outreach and education services needs and develop strategies to evaluate what is needed in the future.

Leadership & Supervision:

Provide leadership to a collaborative one-college culture for student success. Serve on college, divisional and departmental committees and work collaboratively with colleagues to foster teamwork, team building and a culture of trust.
Provide leadership and supervision to direct reports, modeling behavior and demeanor that supports expected standards and the program mission.
Train, supervise, and evaluate direct reports in accordance with policies, procedures and applicable state and federal laws.
Work closely with Human Resources and Organizational Development to identify and expand appropriate training and professional development opportunities for staff and to create an effective onboarding process for all direct reports that supports engagement and retention.
Develop efforts to recruit, retain, supervise, and support a diverse staff.
Provide mentorship, support and guidance to all direct reports and their teams to foster data-driven, care-centered, and equity-minded decision making.
As disability is an aspect of diversity of life and integral to the Front Range community, you will collaborate with FRCC staff and faculty to ensure that persons with disabilities are welcomed as equal members into the diverse and inclusive environment of the college.
Plan and execute campus events to promote awareness/inclusion and educate staff/faculty/students about the disability experience in college.
Develop and conduct trainings and presentations about students with disabilities in college, equity/diversity, accommodations, disability law, learning/teaching strategies, etc. to FRCC students, faculty, and staff.
Collaborate with college community to engage in proactive institutional strategic planning and implementation to assess needs, remove barriers, and ensure access for student success and retention.
Collaborate with DSS Director of Assistive Technology and Accessibility to provide training and education about improving accessibility to college constituents.
Establish and maintain ongoing professional relationships with faculty, staff and professionals in the community, including local agencies and community organizations and resources.
Supervise assigned staff, responsible for allocation of resources and assist in resolving issues within DSS outreach and education services.

Collaboration and Partnership:

Consult with Testing Centers to ensure a testing environment in which students with accommodations can thrive.
Coordinate with Enrollment Management and Student Success partners to ensure cross-departmental collaboration.
Partner with the Office of Equity & Inclusion to ensure an equitable experience for all students utilizing DSS outreach and education services.
Provide training to faculty, instructors, and staff on DSS outreach and education services.
Act as an accessibility/ADA advocate for the campus and college; observe and report physical and remote accessibility problems to Dean of Student Development and Director of Facilities.
Serve on campus, college, and state-wide committees related to assistive technology and/or accessibility as required to represent disability-related perspective.

Assessment:

Partner with the Sr. Director of DSS and Institutional Research to compile, analyze and present statistical data as directed by student needs and requested by leadership.
Engage in ongoing assessment and evaluation of DSS outreach and education practices and services and make appropriate recommendations to respond to issues impacting a quality student experience, efficiency, equity, and inclusion.
Facilitate the administration of various reports for college and departmental use.

Budget Management:

Partner with the Sr. Director of DSS to assess the fiscal needs of the department; make budget requests in accordance with the division’s priorities.

Required Competencies:

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Demonstrate behaviors that convey the importance of diverse lived-experiences and using an equity lens to guide decisions. Embrace diversity, promotes equity and creates an environment of inclusion.
Building a Diverse Team: Seek to understand the individual strengths on the team and use those talents to make the most impact for students. Hire individuals from diverse backgrounds that support values and appreciation for individual differences.
Commitment to Values: Demonstrate leadership and collaborative behaviors and actions that support FRCC values. Promote an environment where equity creates opportunities for all students to achieve their educational goals.
Student Success Focus: Make decisions that support a student-first culture.
Operational Planning: Ability to turn the strategic plan into an operational roadmap that guides the division. Support teams in tying their goals to the college’s strategic plan and charge them to do the same with the employees they supervise.
Change Catalyst: Ability to be nimble and willing to pivot if new data becomes available that can influence outcomes; understand that change is constant and requires flexibility.
Communication: Communicate effectively with individuals with diverse backgrounds; ability to communicate in a way that is Effective. Choose words carefully in communications.
Motivation: Ability to inspire oneself and others to reach goals and/or perform to the best of their ability.
Collaboration: Willingness to work with colleagues across departments, specifically when job processes are integrated to strategically focus on ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness for students.
Data Analysis: Prioritize data analysis in the department and communicate the importance of having concrete information on outcomes to base decisions.
Relationship Building: Outstanding interpersonal skills with the ability to establish positive and respectful working relationships with students, staff, and faculty.
Coaching and Mentoring: Coach and/or mentor direct reports. Willingness to offer professional development opportunities for staff on topics that contribute to their success.
Evaluation for Improvement: Use ongoing evaluation as a process and program improvement tool. Work with the team to ensure everyone is aware of how the evaluation process works and why it is important.
Problem Solving: Demonstrate the ability to examine problems and identify the root cause(s). Develop and implement processes to address problems so the process works as intended.
Compliance Framework: Knowledgeable about the rules, regulations, and policies that the college must comply with, most specifically in relation to the department. Ensure that teams also understand the compliance framework. Routinely assess the department’s operations to ensure compliance is being maintained. Remain informed of educational opportunities, best practices, community resources, and state and federal laws, regulations, and policies regarding accessibility and disability rights.

Qualifications

Required Education/Training & Work Experience:

Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, with 3 or more years of related experience.
Experience providing leadership in disability services at an institute of higher education.
Experience using Microsoft Office, and other technologies used in higher education.
Experience in higher education with an emphasis on creating and directing proactive services, programs or operations including their evaluation and assessment.
Proven ability to supervise, train, and develop staff, including the demonstrated ability to recruit, retain, mentor, and support a diverse staff.
Experience working with diverse, non-traditional, and traditionally underserved students.
Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and culture, including direct experience working with students to provide inclusive and welcoming activities and experiences.

Preferred Education/Training & Work Experience:

Master’s degree in Counseling, Education, Rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy, or a related field
Ability to communicate effectively in Spanish.

Welcoming. Respectful. Inclusive. Together, we are FRCC.