Organizational Ombuds

The Organizational Ombuds reports directly to the Chancellor and serves as a facilitator for faculty, staff, and, when appropriate, students across the college campuses and district service center to foster a positive campus climate and environment. This position facilitates an accessible, independent, impartial, and informal process for problem resolution through active listening, providing information, making referrals to other campus resources, and identifying options and alternatives for constituents from varying backgrounds and lived experiences, while maintaining the highest levels of professionalism, neutrality, confidentiality, and sound judgment.

WORK SCHEDULE
Work Schedule This is a full-time, 12-month position, administrative exempt position.

• Establish, manage, and direct the operational objectives and work plans of the Office of the
• Ombudsperson.
• Exercise oversight of the Ombuds Office and Peer Mediation Program.
• Provide overall leadership to the district in conflict resolution.
• Provide advice and training to managers/supervisors on managing interpersonal conflict, and facilitating a resolution through conflict management processes.
• Provide confidential, independent, informal, and impartial conflict resolution services an adheres to the standards and practice as described by the International Ombuds Association.
• Design and manage the inaugural peer conflict services program, including program services, assessment, recruitment, and training of peer participants.
• Manage difficult, complex, and/or politically sensitive cases.
• Mitigate risk by resolving disputes before they result in formal grievance or litigation.
• Develop, modify, and execute policies that affect operations and may also have a district-wide effect.
• Develop and manage the budget for the Office of Ombuds.
• Manage and direct the Ombuds Office in providing confidential, independent, informal, and impartial conflict resolution services to the Peralta Community College District Communities in compliance with professional standards of practice and code of ethics, functions with autonomy, and provides feedback on systemic issues.
• Manage the accountability and stewardship of human, financial, and often physical resources in compliance with departmental and organizational goals and objectives.
• Oversee the daily responsibility for program administration and management, providing impartial, informal, and confidential conflict resolution services to one or more constituencies, including faculty, staff, and students (when appropriate).
• Use counseling, conflict resolution, and mediation techniques and skills, works with individuals and/or groups to present a variety of options for resolving conflicts, including complex and challenging cases
• Responsible for program administration and management, including establishing priorities, goals, objectives, and work plans, and managing the peer conflict services program.
• Exercise judgment in selecting methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining results.
• Design and conduct training sessions, group facilitations, and outreach programs.
• Serve as an institutional resource for other campus offices in resolving complaints.
• Conduct conflict resolution needs assessments for campus departments and develops tailored training on conflict resolution, along with district-wide initiatives on effective communication during conflict, behaviors in the workplace, mediation, conflict management, and related topics.
• Advise senior campus administrators about issues, patterns, and trends that are affecting the welfare of the Peralta Community College District office and campus communities.
• Serve as a resource for key stakeholders in formulating or modifying policy and procedures and raise issues that might surface as a result of a gap between the stated goals of the institution and actual practice.
• Provide early warning of new areas of organizational concern, upward feedback, and critical analysis of system needs for improvement.
• Act as liaison between individuals or groups and the campus administrative structure, serving as an informal facilitator for communication and referral agent.
• Create and provide strategic oversight, development, and daily operations of a peer-led conflict service initiative.
• Design and implement the structure and scope of the Peer Conflict Services Program.
• Serve as an information and communication resource, recipient of feedback, advisor, informal mediator, and change agent.
• Supervise and evaluate the performance of assigned staff.
• Performs other related duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Possession of a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in a related area, four
• (4) years in conflict/dispute resolution, mediation, facilitation, or related experience.
• Five years of successful full-time experience in administrative or management positions in education, business, industry, or government.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in the principles of conflict resolution.
• Knowledge of California and federal laws and regulations for community colleges.
• Knowledge and proficiency in the operation and use of personal computers utilizing various software applications (i.e., word processing, spreadsheet and database management software) including email and the Internet.
• Evidence of sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, gender, cultural, disability, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students, faculty, staff, and community. (E.C. 87360(a)).

Desirable Qualifications

• Possession of an advanced degree in a related discipline from an accredited college or university.
• Advanced mediation training or certification (e.g. International Ombuds Association).
• Demonstrated leadership and relevant management experience in a California community college or other higher educational environment.

Environmental Demands

• Occasional work performed alone.
• Constant work around other people.
• Function in an office environment performing work of primarily a sedentary nature with some requirement to move about the district and the community.

Other Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Typical physical abilities for this position are:
Prolonged sitting, standing, walking, reaching, twisting, turning, kneeling, bending, squatting and
stooping.
Moderate to heavy usage of hands in grasping, repetitive hand movement and fine coordination in
keeping records and preparing reports using a computer keyboard.
Speech and hearing to communicate effectively in group settings and by telephone to students,
faculty, staff, and others.
Near and far vision in reading written reports and work-related documents.
Acute hearing is required when providing phone and personal service.

MENTAL REQUIREMENTS
Ability to work and cooperate with faculty, students, managers, the public and employees at all
levels to exchange ideas, information and opinions.