VACANCIES
Director of Community and Belonging
Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill is seeking a Director of Community and Belonging to lead the school’s faculty, staff, parents, and students to live into the aspirations of Trinity School’s Vision for Kingdom Diversity. This vision is shaped primarily by the Scriptures and our Christian faith. Trinity’s vision is to be a Gospel community of learners, and this means attending to matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the framework of Christian faith and conviction.
At Trinity School, we seek to live out the good news that in Jesus Christ God shows himself to be for us, our God, and we his people. We belong to the Lord. “You are always with me,” says the Lord, “and all that I have is yours” (Luke 15:31). People who rest in that deep belonging flourish—in their learning, in their relationships, in all they do. The Director of Community and Belonging leads the school to shape a culture and run programs across all divisions and departments with the goal that all members of the Trinity community will be seen, known, and loved, by God and by one another.
This position is a collaborative leadership role, working with the Head of School and other key leaders to develop school policies and initiatives and to address community issues.
The Director of Community and Belonging serves on the school’s Leadership Team and supervises the school counselors, the divisional Diversity Coordinators, the school nurses, and the Trinity Neighborhood and Summer Programs staff.
General Responsibilties
- Cast a vision within our school community for koinonia—mutual participation in each other’s lives, through shared stories, service, empathy, and love for one another.
- Hold the Trinity community responsible for living out the Gospel in our lives together.
- Care for those whose experience, in many different ways, is on the margins or outside the center of Trinity’s community life, and find ways to bring them into the life of the community.
- Lead strategic planning, vision-setting, goals assessment and timing, budgeting, conferences for Trinity's work towards diversity, community, and belonging.
- Collaborate with other leaders, build relationships, and share decision-making on issues that affect community and belonging.
- Resolve problems in a manner aligned with the school's mission to have every community member feel known and loved.
- Assess the community’s strengths and weaknesses with regard to our being a diverse, inclusive, and equitable school.
- Manage the school’s bias reporting system and protocols.
- Serve as the key staff liaison to the Board’s Koinonia Committee, which is the Board-level diversity committee.
- Collaborate with faculty members, administrators, staff, parents, and students at the Koinonia Committee to institute and maintain anti-racist and anti-bias structures.
- Review curriculum, traditions, and all other aspects of life at Trinity, giving voice to historically marginalized and vulnerable people groups and rejecting the stereotypes of oppressed people groups.
- Support faculty as they connect the Great Tradition of a classical education to big questions in cultures beyond the West.
- Celebrate the diverse cultures, ethnicities, and racial heritages in the Trinity community, thereby training young people to see goodness in the variety of God’s human creation and virtue in every culture, despite our universal fallenness.
- Help each of us in the Trinity community to perceive the flaws of our own culture and to develop discernment in judging the relative merits of different cultures.
- Assess and seek transformation toward equitable policies in all divisions and departments, with special attention to the most vulnerable constituencies within the school.
- Lead the school to develop equitable policies and structures surrounding hiring, retention, and curriculum in all divisions and departments.
- Stay conversant with and educate the Trinity community about evolving trends in diversity, inclusion, and equity education and provide missional professional development to faculty and staff.
- Review the school’s culture and environment and propose policies and/or procedures
- to improve the experience of families of color at Trinity School;
- to address any systemic or unconscious bias that affects students;
- to address any systemic or unconscious bias that affects employees.
- Collaborate with division directors and divisional coordinators on student initiatives to ensure that students from varying backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and abilities feel known and loved.
- Assist with fostering relationships with local churches, individuals, and organizations that are supportive of our initiatives, and serve as an ambassador for the school in the greater Durham–Chapel Hill (Raleigh-Durham) area.
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Perform other duties as assigned by the Head of School, such as assessments, climate surveys, collaborations with learning specialists, faculty/staff trainings, and/or community service outreach and partnership in the Raleigh-Durham area.
Job Requirements
Personal/Spiritual
- Strong and mature relationship with Jesus Christ and a deep understanding of how the work of Kingdom Diversity connects to the mission of Jesus Christ and the Gospel.
- Deep understanding of the school’s distinctive mission and strong alignment with that mission.
- Commitment to the school’s vision for evangelical, orthodox, and ecumenical Christian faith, and a willingness to lead through the tensions which that vision embodies.
- Sincere compassion and concern for the flourishing of all people in Trinity's culture and institution.
- Organized, self-starter, forward thinking and self-confident in exercising his/her personal and spiritual gifts.
- Commitment to anti-racism in the Christian educational context.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Understanding of and familiarity with the Trinity community’s culture and reputation.
- Experience and anti-racism/anti-bias training in working with diversity-related issues from a biblical perspective.
- Continuing self-education in history, current events, and research related to the field.
- Strong skills in written and oral communication.
- Ability to hold people accountable while de-escalating conflict.
- Ability to think institutionally.
- Ability to interpret and thoughtfully manage the personal, theological, political, and institutional dynamics related to diversity in schools.
- Willingness to learn and appreciate Trinity’s rich history and culture.
- Willingness to grow personally and professionally alongside the natural growth and changes that occur in an independent Christian school environment.
- Strong relational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
- Skill and experience in interpersonal and institutional conflict resolution.
- Experience teaching, training, and/or building educational programming and working with students.
Education and Experience
- A master’s degree or higher is preferred and/or significant coursework toward a degree and experience in a related field.
- Significant experience working with diversity, equity, and inclusivity in a Christian organizational setting across grades TK–12.
- 3+ years of leadership in a diverse organizational setting.
- Demonstrable experience building programs and nurturing community.
- Expertise in leading relevant professional development.
- Research experience with qualitative and quantitative data sets for schoolwide studies.
- Teaching experience.
To be considered, qualified candidates should attach a cover letter, resume, and any other supporting documents to their Trinity application.
Apply now