Careers

Title: Muslim Student Life Coordinator

Department: Office of Religious & Spiritual Life

Duration: 9 months

Employment Status: Non-Exempt, Part-Time, 20 hours/week

Job Summary

Reporting to the Director of Religious and Spiritual Life, the Muslim Student Life Coordinator will provide guidance to Muslim students, support the Muslim Student Association, and collaborate with the Office for Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL) to develop educational, spiritual, and cultural programs, organize prayer services, and facilitate interfaith events that support the Muslim community at Oxy. The Coordinator will advocate for Muslim students, engage with various campus constituencies to foster an inclusive campus climate, and address instances of anti-Muslim bias.

Job Duties

• 30% - Counsel Muslim students on religious, spiritual, ethical, vocational and personal matters. This includes engaging in an extensive outreach campaign to identify Muslim students and help them identify how their religious values and beliefs can inform their life choices through weekly meetings and other educational opportunities. - (Essential)
• 25% - Provide guidance to students leading Occidental College’s Muslim Student Association as they implement programs to help students grow intellectually, religiously, and spiritually or host events to enable students to practice their faith in community with other students. - (Essential)
• 25% - Plan regular prayer services (frequency based on student interest), text studies and holy day prayer services and celebrations. This includes working with the Occidental community to ensure that Muslim students can properly engage in Ramadan rituals including iftars or break the fast meals. - (Essential)
• 10% - Advocate for Muslim students across the institution. This includes working with the Director for Religious and Spiritual Life and senior campus leaders to advocate for college policies and practices that promote respect for Muslim students and educating the larger community about the unique needs, beliefs, practices and concerns of Muslim students. This also includes serving as an affiliate member of the Bias Education Support Team and other appropriate campus committees. - (Essential)
• 10% - Collaborate with the ORSL professional staff and campus partners to plan and host programs that promote interfaith understanding, spirituality, and spiritual wellness, with a particular focus on engaging Muslim and Jewish student communities. Provide a visible Muslim presence at interfaith events such as the Interfaith Thanksgiving Lunch and Interfaith Baccalaureate Service, and represent the Office for Religious and Spiritual Life at key campus events—including Convocation, Commencement, and special interfaith services, vigils, or programs responding to campus, national, or global events. Attend ORSL staff meetings, Division meetings and other committee meetings as appropriate. - (Essential)

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in religious studies, theology, or Islamic studies or equivalent experience.
• Two years of relevant experience working in a campus setting. Demonstrated ability to speak effectively to both small and large diverse groups, preferably composed of college-aged individuals.
• Ability to read and understand the Quran. The ability to speak Arabic.
• A demonstrated interest in providing religious, spiritual, educational and vocational support to Muslim undergraduate students. Comfort with one’s Muslim identity and able to support students as they seek to incorporate their religious and spiritual identity into their sense of self.
• Knowledge of issues facing Muslim undergraduate students.
• Ability to develop meaningful relationships with students and to help them plan activities to support Muslim students on campus.
• An appreciation for Occidental College’s values of equity, diversity and inclusion and the intersectionality of identities and a commitment to interfaith cooperation.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google drives/folders/forms, Adobe Acrobat, Web Editing, and social media applications or any combination of productivity programs applicable to position responsibilities.
• Demonstrated ability to be detail-oriented and thorough; skilled at anticipating and preventing potential problems and handling a wide variety of tasks with efficiency and accuracy.
• Strong commitment to a quality work product.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate verbally, in writing and electronically.
• Effective interpersonal skills as evidenced in the ability to collaborate with a variety of constituencies.
• Demonstrated commitment to justice, equity, inclusion & diversity.
• Demonstrated skill in adapting to and performing work effectively in high-volume, high accountability, confidential environment with multiple and changing priorities.
• Effective organizational, logistical, time management and planning skills with the ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks/projects simultaneously, prioritize and fulfill the functions of an office in a timely manner.
• Ability to self-motivate and work independently.
• Ability to provide effective leadership and training, and to work effectively and professionally across functions, disciplines, levels, and with diverse groups.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Islamic Studies and Leadership, Islamic Education or Islamic Chaplaincy.

EXPECTED HIRING RANGE:  $29.00/hr