University Chaplain and Director EX9858

Salary: Depends on Qualifications

Location: DeLand, FL

Job Type: Full-Time Staff

Division: Campus Life & Student Success

Department: Religious Activities

Closing Date: Continuous

FLSA: Exempt

Bargaining Unit: N/A -- Pay Grade: 08

Job Description

The University Chaplain and Director will provide leadership in developing multifaith and interfaith programs and offerings including educational initiatives focused on spiritual issues, service, justice, ethics, and values in both formal and informal settings. The Chaplain will work closely with colleagues across the institution in support of fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and caring community. The University Chaplain and Director must possess a strong desire to work in an interfaith context with college students of diverse cultural backgrounds, spiritual beliefs, and religious traditions, particularly traditionally underserved populations. This position is one year renewable contingent upon funding.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:

Employment duties include, but are not limited to:

Programming and Education

• Support the religious and spiritual development of all students, including those who are atheist, agnostic, seeking, spiritual, or secular
• Engage students in the exploration of values, faith, belief, and religious and spiritual practice and provide support for students engaged in the deconstruction, construction, or reconstruction processes involved in developing their own beliefs and or belief system
• Assess the spiritual needs of students and coordinate, provide, or provide for community building, religious programming, and education including regular programming or religious observances for variety of religious traditions on campus such as Lent, Passover, Holy Week and Easter, Holi, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Diwali, Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha, Advent and Christmas, Hanukkah, and others as warranted and requested
• Plan and conduct special educational series, discussions, speakers, and other campus programming on the intersection of religion and contemporary issues and collaborate with other departments across campus
• Assist with the ceremonial needs of the campus including planning and presiding over University events and coordinate memorials, remembrances, and vigils for the community, as needed

Student Religious Organizations

• Supervise existing student-led religious groups and support the creation of diverse religious organizations on campus
• Work collaboratively to maintain or establish a formal and beneficial relationship with the campus ministers and staff of external religious organizations with a presence on our campus
• Promote interfaith student leadership on campus and provide mentoring and leadership development opportunities for student leaders
• Support multicultural student organizations that may have religious aspects

Student Care

• Provide thoughtful pastoral care for students, faculty, staff, alumni and other members of the college community regarding emotional, religious, educational, social, professional, and civic issues
• Assist Dean of Students with supporting students and families in crisis
• Serve on the Hatters Care Committee and help coordinate university response when there is a death of a student, staff, or faculty member
• Reach out regularly to those in the community experiencing loss of loved ones
• Visit Stetson community members and their families for pastoral care while in the hospital or in times of need

Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with the Associate Director for Civic Dialogue and Action on faith related dialogue programming and the Center for Community Engagement to strengthen community partnerships
• Foster collaborations with local and regional churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious bodies to enhance the spiritual and religious needs of students, specifically volunteer chaplains and occasional pastoral counseling or services from global religious perspectives
• Partner with Financial Aid and University Grants office to ensure the distribution of scholarship funds and the continuity of the Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholars program
• Work closely with the Bias Education Support Team (BEST) process to address issues of bias related to religious and spiritual identities
• Work with University Development staff to secure additional financial resources for religious and spiritual life and seek new and creative support avenues and structures

Administration

• Supervise and provide guidance to Hillel Program Director, Associate Chaplain, Catholic Campus minister, a student employee for food insecurity, and any volunteer or affiliate campus ministers or chaplains
• Develop and manage annual religious life administrative functions including budget, website, facilities, and ongoing needed coordination with staff and departments
• Oversight of the food pantry and guidance of the pantry student leadership group
• Oversight of interfaith prayer rooms and help develop and oversee the creation of sacred space on campus
• Perform other site and position specific functions as assigned

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

The knowledge, skills, and abilities for this role include:

• Appreciation of and commitment to further an inclusive culture for those of diverse backgrounds such as ability, age, class, ethnicity, faith, gender, neurodiversity, race and sexual orientation
• Organizational and administrative ability, including supervision of staff and volunteers that is motivational and collegial
• Demonstrate outstanding interpersonal and intercultural communication skills, including public speaking

Required Qualifications:

This position requires:

• A Master's Degree or equivalent in religious studies, divinity, social work, religion, higher education, counseling, or relevant field is required
• Be ordained or hold recognized standing in a religious tradition that would permit the performance of roles related to the college chaplaincy
• Have a minimum of three years of experience working in higher education and/or possess and demonstrate transferrable skills and experience

Ideal Candidate Qualifications:

• Experience with college chaplaincy, or administrative responsibility in religious institution, student life, social service, or social justice agencies
• Experience with interfaith dialogue or interfaith relations, and demonstrated commitment to religious diversity, healthy interreligious relations, and social justice
• Have a commitment to and track record of success related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice
• Completion of Chaplaincy CPE units
• Experience with programming and leadership development for young adults

Work Environment:

Typical office environment with some occasional hours outside of the typical workday.

Work authorization sponsorship may be available for this position. However, sponsorship is contingent upon the non-applicability of the visa petition fees outlined in the relevant Executive Order signed September 19, 2025. Due to the recent federally-mandated increased financial expense, the university is not in a position to absorb this significantly increased cost of sponsorship for new H-1B petitions at this time. International candidates are encouraged to apply, but should be aware that eligibility for sponsorship will be evaluated in accordance with current U.S. immigration regulations and institutional policies.