Executive Director of Rights and Accountability

This Executive Director of Rights and Accountability position is with University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. Investigation, Resolution Case Management: Oversee a comprehensive grievance system to manage the timely, thorough, and fair investigation and resolution of all formal and informal complaints of sex-based misconduct and protected-class discrimination. Oversee and direct the implementation of appropriate measures and supportive services for all affected parties throughout the resolution process ensuring alignment with requirements and university objectives. Ensure that civil rights grievance and appeals processes are conducted with due process for all parties and comply with all legal requirements and University/Arizona Board of Regents policy. Systemic Rights Accountability Integrative Advocacy: Oversee the maintenance of the executive-level dashboards and reporting metrics to monitor case activity, training effectiveness, and the success of prevention initiatives. Proactively chair cross-functional working groups (consisting of teams within Enterprise Risk Management, Compliance, Office of the General Counsel, Human Resources, and other units) to ensure a synchronized response to complex rights and accountability issues and to prevent "siloed" compliance efforts. Direct the continuous development, refinement, and implementation of all institutional policies and procedures related to discrimination, harassment, and retaliation for all University constituents. Oversee the lifecycle of university-wide policies related to non-discrimination and harassment, ensuring they are not only legally compliant but also reflect best practices in trauma-informed care and due process. Strategic Oversight Team Leadership: Lead and manage staff (including both investigators and education/outreach specialists), fostering a culture of expertise, diplomacy, and superior judgment. Serve as an advisor, bridge builder, and strategic leader on complex rights and accountability issues, managing varied and sometimes conflicting interests of multiple stakeholders. Oversee the office budget and utilize resources effectively to maintain appropriate caseload management and ensure high-quality, professional standards in all administrative processes. Education, Prevention Training: Lead the development and implementation of a multi-tiered educational strategy to reduce institutional risk and foster a safe learning environment. Oversee the development and delivery of mandatory and specialized education, prevention, and outreach programming to faculty, staff, and students on topics including sexual misconduct, prohibited discrimination, and bystander intervention. Serve as the primary liaison with Human Resources and Student Affairs to integrate proactive rights and accountability messaging and training into new employee and new student orientations. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Mastery of the principles, regulations, and implementation strategies for core federal civil rights laws, including Title IX, Title VI, Title VII, and Section 504/ADA. This includes current knowledge of OCR guidance and best practices for compliance in a decentralized university environment. Proven ability to design, oversee, and manage complex, sensitive, and trauma-informed investigations of discrimination and sexual misconduct complaints. This includes the skill to analyze institutional data and case trends to identify and remediate systemic barriers. Exceptional ability to build consensus, manage conflict, and communicate diplomatic recommendations on highly sensitive matters to executive leadership, legal counsel, faculty, staff, and students. This ability must ensure consistency and fairness while balancing compliance requirements with the complex mission of a public university.