"Assistant Dean for Expressive Activity Support and Engagement"

Purpose

The Assistant Dean is responsible for safeguarding the expressive rights of students, faculty, and staff while ensuring compliance with institutional policy and applicable law. The position requires exceptional skills in proactive monitoring, crisis response, and stakeholder collaboration. This is a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of law, public safety, and student engagement, making a meaningful impact on the campus.

Job Responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Policy

• Develop and implement strategies to uphold expressive rights while ensuring compliance with institutional policy and state law.
• Lead readiness planning and manage all aspects of creating an environment that is supportive of expressive rights for protests, demonstrations, and relevant events that are within the bounds of the law and University policy. Develop, test and update detailed management plans.
• Work closely with Vice President of Legal Affairs to implement chapter 13 policies from a neutral point of view.
• Monitor and report on emerging and ongoing issues in higher education, both locally and nationally. Work with Vice President for Legal Affairs to proactively monitor for potential situations that may violate policy or create harm.

Event and Incident Management

• Coordinate with campus partners to anticipate potential activities or issues.
• Serve as the primary liaison between university leadership, campus law enforcement, and legal counsel during incidents.
• Conduct after action reviews, identify gaps, and produce post-event reports with recommended improvements to training, policies and procedures. Use findings to refine readiness and management plans.

Student Support

• Oversee training and guidance to campus (students, staff and faculty) on contours of Chapter 13, de-escalation techniques, and protest management.
• Communicates and meets with student organizations with planned expressive activity. Serves as a resource navigating Chapter 13 at the institution.
• Responsible for the candidate selection, training and guidance for the Demonstration Team on Chapter 13, de-escalation techniques and protest management.

Organization and Administration

• Manage Event Management and Readiness annual budget.
• Supervise two/three full-time staff and demonstration employees as necessary.
• Represent the Dean of Students as requested.

Salary

$140,000+, commensurate with experience

Required Qualifications

• BA in relevant field.
• Direct experience working in a high stress environment with proven record of exercising good judgement, having strong written and verbal communication skills, and demonstrated fidelity to upholding institutional policies and procedures.
• Experience with expressive activity protocols and assessment, experience working with law enforcement, experience with campus safety and student demonstrations, experience working with free speech and expressive activities as protected under the First Amendment or other comparable relevant experience.
• Ability to work non-standard hours and handle complex sensitive issues. May work more than 40 hours a week, as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate or other graduate or professional degree in related field.
• Experience in higher education, law enforcement administration, legal profession, campus safety leadership, or related emergency response roles.

Working Conditions

• Standard office environment.
• Full-time, in-person.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left-hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled into your application. The application is one page, and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

About the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin

The Division of Student Affairs is the hub of student life and well-being at The University of Texas at Austin. The team inspires all students — undergraduate, graduate and professional — to live the Longhorn life through its uniquely-designed programs, spaces and resources. They serve every student through physical health, mental health and well-being services; new student and family orientations; recreational sports; two university unions; and the University’s official parent association. The Division supports 1,100+ student organizations; student governance organizations; student outreach, legal, and disability and access services. The team also provides student employment, leadership, first generation and volunteer programs.