Seeking Expressions of Interest: Institute Director, Intersections of Gender

Seeking Expressions of Interest:
Institute Director, Intersections of Gender
(tentative start date March 1, 2023)

Intersections of Gender (IG) is one of five Signature Areas of Research and Teaching at the University of Alberta. IG is currently applying to transition to becoming an Institute at UAlberta. We are inviting expressions of interest from continuing faculty members at the University of Alberta to fill the position of Institute Director (start date March 1, 2023, but negotiable). Please see below for a brief description of the position, required qualifications, and a summary of the draft vision and key goals of the proposed Institute. 

Continuing faculty at the University of Alberta interested in being considered for this position are invited to submit a letter of interest together with their CV to the selection committee by October 21, 2022 via email to intersectionsofgender@ualberta.ca. Please include the subject line “Call for Interest - ‘Your Name’.” You are also invited to reach out to Dr. Bukola Salami (Director, IG) or Dr. Sara Dorow (Associate Director, IG) for further information and discussion.

The successful candidate will receive support in the form of teaching releases, and the term of appointment is usually three years. Detailed terms of the agreement will be further specified once a candidate is identified.

Director, Institute for Intersectionality (name TBC) 

The Director will report to the Dean of the Faculty in which the Institute is housed. In collaboration with the Associate Director, or a Co-Director, they will ensure the success and strategic development of an institute devoted to the advancement of intersectional research, teaching, and community engagement.  

Main Responsibilities

• Guide and lead the Institute, and its affiliates and staff, to ensure its sustained human, intellectual, and operational success
• Ensure the Institute’s development as an institutionally, nationally, and internationally recognized leader of interdisciplinary research excellence, teaching and training, and community engagement
• Develop and implement IG’s strategic vision by identifying and fostering capacity for cross-Faculty, interdisciplinary, and reconciliation-driven intersectional research, teaching, and community engagement, including through partnerships across UAlberta and in the community

Qualifications

• Appropriate educational background (normally, a PhD), and proven commitment to intersectional research, teaching, and community engagement

• Demonstrated capacity for innovative strategic thinking and creative collaborative leadership

• Demonstrated academic administrative leadership skills and ability to provide direction in a team environment

• Familiarity with areas such as governance, financial planning, human resources, and advancement/fundraising an asset 

• Record of research accomplishments and grant success relevant to the work of the Institute

• Community outreach and engagement experience with diverse organizations and groups, including fundraising

• Proven commitment to and experience with Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion strategies and Indigenous-engaged work; lived experience an asset

• Strong communications skills

Institute Vision and Goals (Working Draft)

The Institute for Intersectionality is an interdisciplinary hub devoted to advancing and mobilizing intersectional approaches to research, teaching, policy, and practice. Our goal is to foster and enact intersectional understanding of, and responses to, social inequities, and to do so across diverse academic and non-academic communities. The Institute builds capacity both inside and outside the University through advancing intersectional and GBA+ knowledge, research design, and analysis; developing social policies and practices responsive to inequities; and contributing to opportunities for people to understand and change their social worlds. Across all of our activities, we seek relationships that forge reconciliation and promote Indigenous knowledge. With a focus on Canada, the Institute also actively builds international partnerships to promote intersectional knowledge and action at a time when urgent social, economic, and health matters risk receding from public attention. 

Building on the success of the Intersections of Gender Signature Area, the Institute focuses on three core activities.

• Social Change Research Hub - devoted to partnerships across interdisciplinary scholarly knowledge and community expertise to identify and address social issues through an intersectional lens
• Knowledge Creation Exchange - promotes understanding and engagement with intersectional theories, methods, and practices through dialogue across disciplines, across geographical and historical contexts, and in relation to decolonization
• Training and Mentoring Catalyst - promotes and supports training in intersectional theory and methods among students, early career researchers, community and industry professionals, and other lifelong learners both in and outside of the academy