Director, Community Connection & Engagement

The University of Denvers Division of Community Support & Engagement (DCSE) is dedicated to cultivating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of the DU community. DCSE fosters meaningful community connections and empowers individuals through collaborative engagement and holistic support. Guided by DUs values of excellence innovation engagement integrity and inclusion DCSE strives to build a campus culture where everyone feels valued and cared for.

Position Summary

The University of Denvers Division of Community Support & Engagement (DCSE) is seeking a Director for Community Connections & Engagement to join our team. The Director will be part of the larger Community Connections Team (CCT) who work to support faculty staff and students across the university. Community Connections & Engagement as an area of focus within DCSE works alongside undergraduate students in the development and cultivation of community leadership; well-being and empathy; and learning across difference toward creating and sustaining inclusive educational environments.

Reporting to the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Partnerships & Operations in DCSE the Director will support the envisioning and implementation of initiatives and engagements that promote growth and success of undergraduates and staff across the university. Further the candidate filling this position will identify evaluate and innovate programs and structures to center community leadership well-being and inclusive practices with student and staff life. The Director will manage the development assessment and implementation of programs training and leadership development of undergraduate students using a student agency model.

The Director will work collaboratively and in support of students to: (1) create and develop opportunities for students to connect within and across student groups student facing offices and student support services; (2) develop administer and evaluate community leadership supports and programming for student leaders involved in RSOs with a community focus (approximately 20 groups); (3) support and provide leadership for student needs based initiatives in partnership with the AVC and additional units across campus; and (4) support division based initiatives.

The Director will work evenings and weekends as needed. This position is a full-time 1.0 FTE.

The Director should embody both strong alignment with the Universitys values of inclusion innovation excellence integrity and education as well as a commitment to efficient and collaborative work.

Essential Functions

• Provide guidance and leadership support to undergraduate registered student organizations (RSOs) with a focus on affinity and community-based engagement.
• Supervise evaluate and train graduate student assistants and undergraduate student employees.
• Develop implement and evaluate undergraduate student support programs aimed at community-based leadership in support of student affinity group leadership.
• Lead and facilitate the implementation and evaluation of Excelling Leaders Institute (ELI) including the hiring training and supervision of peer mentors and the E-team.
• Serve as Community Connections Team representative on campus wide committees.
• Lead programming and planning the yearly calendar and cornerstone events for Community Connections.
• Support AVC for Partnerships and Operations (AVC P&O) in developing practices policies and procedures that sustain and innovate community-based leadership and engagement among and within the undergraduate student experience.
• Support in response to salient current events and the ways they impact students and student groups connected to and supported by Community Connections.
• Develop and facilitate trainings as needed for student leaders and leadership groups (ex: Joint Council) in partnership with DCSE Student Affairs and other adjacent DU offices.
• Lead and manage the administration of assessment/evaluation for Community Connections in alignment with divisional expectations and values.
• Manage the Community Connections budgets in partnership with AVC P&O.
• Support AVC P&O in operationalizing DCSEs basic needs work including the Care Closet.
• Manage and/or collaborate on communications using a variety of platforms including Crimson Connect social media sites University specific distributions etc. toward creating sustained and consistent outreach and information sharing.
• Serve as the point of contact and or liaison for Community Connections with units across campus including but not excluded to Alumni OSE Dean of Students Student Success Admissions and Enrollment etc.
• Collaborate with other members of the DCSE team (i.e. Ombuds ACE team etc.) in pursuing Student Success to align the mission vision and values of DCSE.
• Provide divisional support and presence as needed for student protest march and/or counter protest.
• In consultation with the AVC P&O other duties as assigned to support Community Connections DCSE and the university at large.

Division of Community Support & Engagement Responsibilities

• All members of the DCSE team support and engage with the DU community across constituency groups toward creating inclusive education and workspaces the work of dialogue pluralism and de-escalation in programmatic planning and implementation.
• Support for DCSEs planning and hosting signature and large-scale events.
• Work in collaboration and support of larger DU initiatives including 4D DU forward etc.
• All other Division support as needed.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Collaborative and transparent leadership skills.
• Knowledge of student development for multiple identities and intersecting identities.
• The ability to translate student development and leadership theories into relevant and high impact praxes.
• Knowledge of and ability to apply professional ethical standards regulations consultation legal frameworks for applicable use in working with students and staff.
• Ability to effectively engage across units departments and divisions in building connections and belonging toward student thriving.

Required Qualifications

• Masters Degree from an accredited university program.
• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant education and/or work experience related to university processes and engagements.
• A minimum of five (5) years of program leadership experience.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships with university communities and organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to implement community programming events and to work productively with individuals across campus to make university events inclusive and successful.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to maintain a positive and productive working relationship with university and local communities.
• PhD degree or relevant professional degree.
• Work experience in higher education or similar educational settings

Working Environment

• Standard office environment.
• Unexpected interruptions occur often and stress level is moderate to high.
• Noise level is quiet to moderate.

Physical Activities

• Ability to work in front of a computer for extended periods of time.
• Occasionally required to move about the office/campus.

Work Schedule

Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Application Deadline

For consideration please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) November 24 2025.

Special Instructions

Candidates must apply online through to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

Salary Grade Number

The salary grade for the position is 12.

Salary Range

The salary range for this position is $78000 - $81109.

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate departmental budget availability internal salary equity considerations and available market information but not based on a candidates sex or any other protected status.

Benefits

The University of Denver offers excellent benefits including medical dental retirement paid time off tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.

Please include the following documents with your application:

1. Resume

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex (including sex stereotypes sex characteristics sexual orientation gender identity and gender expression) marital family or parental status pregnancy or related conditions national origin disability or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race color national origin ancestry age religion creed disability sex (including sex stereotypes sex characteristics sexual orientation gender identity and gender expression) marital family and parental status pregnancy genetic information military enlistment or veteran status and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal state or local law regulation or ordinance in any of the Universitys educational programs and activities and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Workers Rights (POWR) Act; and any other federal state and local laws regulations or ordinances that prohibit discrimination harassment and/or retaliation. For more information please see the University of Denvers NonDiscriminationStatement.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.