Director and Chief Advisor Community and Belonging

Position: Director and Chief Advisor for Community and Belonging
Job Title: Director and Chief Advisor for Community and Belonging

Job Type: Full time, Exempt, 1.0 FTE

Reports to: University President



Job Description

Summary:



The Director and Chief Advisor for Community & Belonging serves as a senior institutional leader responsible for cultivating a Christ-centered campus community where all members of Calvin University are able to belong, contribute, and flourish while actively engaging across cultural, global, and experiential differences. Rooted in Calvin's Reformed Christian tradition and guided by From Every Nation, the Director provides vision, leadership, and constructive guidance for building a community marked by hospitality, trust, justice, reconciliation, intercultural competence, and shared responsibility.

Working in close partnership with the President, senior leadership, faculty, staff, and students, the Director/Chief Advisor advances practices that deepen belonging and foster meaningful intercultural engagement - helping the campus to grow in its capacity to honor the dignity of every person as an image-bearer of God. This includes leadership focused both on the relational experience of belonging and on the learning experiences that prepare community members to navigate cultural differences with humility, courage and Christian Wisdom.

The Director/Chief Advisor supports the university's formation through collaboration, discernment, assessment and pastoral presence. The role emphasizes stewardship rather than compliance, community-building rather than standalone programming, and intercultural engagement as a vital expression of Calvin's mission in a diverse and complex world.

Core Responsibilities:

Belonging, Intercultural Leadership & Institutional Strategy

• Provide strategic leadership for cultivating a campus environment that reflects Calvin University's Reformed Christian identity and commitments to reconciliation, hospitality, belonging and intercultural engagement.
• Partner with senior leadership to integrate belonging and intercultural learning into institutional priorities, strategies, and decision-making.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the President on matters related to belonging, intercultural issues, and institutional health.
• Lead and oversee programs and initiatives that strengthen trust, connection, shared understanding, and constructive engagement for all members of our campus community.

Institutional Learning, Climate & Intercultural Assessment

• Support ongoing institutional learning through campus climate assessments, listening practices, and qualitative and quantitative measures of belonging, intercultural engagement, and community connection.
• Collaborate with campus partners to establish indicators of progress related to belonging, intercultural learning, and community flourishing.
• Monitor and report on belonging and intercultural engagement efforts through annual reports and communications to leadership and governance bodies.
• Identify areas where belonging or intercultural gaps exist and support constructive institutional responses.

People, Vocation & Intercultural Formation

• Collaborate with Human Resources to support recruitment, onboarding, mentoring, and retention practices that foster belonging and intercultural competence, especially for individuals new to Calvin or from underrepresented backgrounds.
• Support professional development that strengthens cultural competency, Christian hospitality, and vocational formation among faculty and staff.
• Advise and collaborate on mentoring and support structures for employees from historically underrepresented and international backgrounds.

Student Formation, Intercultural Learning & Community Life

• Partner with Student Life leadership to strengthen belonging, cross-cultural understanding, global awareness, and community engagement.
• Support student organizations that promote intercultural learning, global perspectives, and meaningful engagement across differences.
• Contribute to efforts that ensure campus spaces, traditions, and practices reflect Christian hospitality, belonging, and global awareness.

Faculty Support, Academic Integration & Intercultural Curriculum

• Serve as a resource for faculty navigating…