Intercultural Champion

The Opportunity

The Intercultural Champion elevates and brings focus to the development of institutional intercultural competence to meet the learning needs of an increasingly diverse student body and the development of a global campus.

The incumbent is a resident expert in the development and implementation of intercultural and global learning initiatives across SAIT.

The incumbent supports and enables institutional and cross-divisional strategies and initiatives to advance intercultural and global learning and, supporting SAIT’s Strategic Plan of becoming a Global Campus.

As the resident expert, the incumbent champions intercultural development and competence across SAIT, including coaching and advising staff on how to manage and overcome intercultural barriers to learning across campus. The incumbent also serves on cross-functional councils and committees to support the advancement of international and intercultural strategies and priorities.

The Role

• Intercultural Support Strategy (ISS) and intercultural subject matter expert
• Co-chair Intercultural Support Strategy working group
• Ensure international student learning goals are woven into ISS
• Report on the SAIT’s intercultural goals and initiatives annually
• Gather insights and feedback from leadership teams to shape future strategic planning endeavors, fostering a collaborative approach to organizational development.
• Connect departments to external intercultural services and stakeholders within the Calgary community to drive the intercultural initiatives further on campus
• Develop Training Workshops- Advise and Coach staff
• Act as a campus subject matter expert when it comes to intercultural knowledge and training- main point of contact for all SAIT departments and Schools to identify intercultural skills gaps and subsequently propose an action plan to the leadership to respond to any barriers or gaps in intercultural competence
• Develop workshops and trainings for SAIT staff regarding overcoming intercultural barriers to service provision and advancing the development of a more inclusive and global campus
• Coach staff on how to navigate and address racial micro-aggressions inside and outside of the classroom
• Liaise and advise with Community Conduct and Ombudsperson teams on interpreting cases involving intercultural conflict or misunderstanding
• Conduct research on Intercultural and Global skill development/ Grant writing
• Partner with SAIT internal and external stakeholders to undertake research on intercultural learning techniques and strategies within post-secondary education
• Act as a main subject matter expert to support various grant writing initiates from the intercultural perspective
• Undertake research on intercultural campus development within post-secondary education
• Undertake research on using an intercultural lens to address academic issues such as the academic and non-academic misconduct among international students
• Disseminate research data and showcase the work SAIT is doing on a national level in various topics (International Education, Teaching and Learning, Academic Integrity, among others)
• Promote and Coordinate Intercultural Training
• Develop communication plans to promote and engage PERS 148: Introduction to Effective Intercultural Communication—SAIT’s 6-week intercultural communications course—SAIT staff and students
• In partnership with leadership groups across campus, establish training targets in each department
• Attend department leadership and program meetings to raise awareness of intercultural learner needs, as well as int’l student learner gaps, and promote PERS 148, PERS 149 (Intercultural Leadership)
• Facilitate and coach train-the-trainer sessions for Transcultural Communication Workshops

Qualifications

• Minimum
• An undergraduate degree in one of the following areas (not restricted to, but preferred): Education, International Studies, Sociology, Social Work. Masters in a related field would be an asset.
• Ability to project manage and meet deadlines in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills and able to work effectively with a variety of stakeholders
• Must be able to effectively manage competing priorities
• Working with diverse populations along with evidence of strong intercultural competency
• Preferred
• Certification of an Intercultural Course, or Equity, Diversity & Inclusion preferred
• Experience living, working or studying abroad preferred.
• Skills Required
• Strong coordination and facilitation skills
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills
• Strong organization and time management skills
• Knowledge and understanding of contemporary issues related to equity such as intercultural understanding, anti-racism, cultural safety, human rights, language rights, and cultural retention

Job Classification: Information Officer II

Salary Range: $74,859.20 - $85,404.80

Hours per week: 40hrs

Position End Date: March 31st, 2025

Posting End Date: Aug 16th, 2024