Job Posting Title:
Assistant Dean for Expressive Activity Support and Engagement
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Hiring Department:
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
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Position Open To:
All Applicants
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Weekly Scheduled Hours:
40
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FLSA Status:
Exempt
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Earliest Start Date:
Mar 02, 2026
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Position Duration:
Expected to Continue
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Location:
UT MAIN CAMPUS
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Job Details:
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.
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Employment Eligibility:
Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.
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Retirement Plan Eligibility:
The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.
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Background Checks:
A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.
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Equal Opportunity Employer:
The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.
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Pay Transparency:
The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.
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Employment Eligibility Verification:
If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.
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E-Verify:
The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:
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Compliance:
Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.
The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.
Legal & Compliance (2)