Director, Religious Life & Spiritual Life

The Director of Religious and Spiritual Life leads initiatives that support students in exploring meaning, purpose, values, and religious and spiritual identity within a liberal arts environment. The role develops programs and partnerships that promote interfaith understanding, religious literacy, and respectful dialogue across diverse beliefs. Serving as an educator and connector, the Director collaborates with campus and community partners, advises student organizations, and integrates spiritual life into the broader student experience. The position contributes to holistic student development and prepares graduates for thoughtful engagement in a pluralistic world.

Essential Functions:

Develop and implement programs and initiatives that support students' exploration of meaning, purpose, identity, and ethical questions within a pluralistic campus environment, including opportunities for dialogue around life's "big questions" related to belief, vocation, belonging, and worldview. Provide one-on-one and small group engagement with students navigating spiritual exploration, identity development, life transitions, and questions of belief or values. Advise and support student organizations representing diverse religious, spiritual, and secular identities, fostering student leadership development, collaboration among groups, and respectful dialogue across differences in belief, tradition, and perspective. Lead interfaith initiatives and educational programs that promote religious literacy, mutual understanding, and inclusive engagement for students of all faith traditions and those with no religious affiliation. Collaborate with campus partners across Student Life, academic departments, and other university units to integrate religious and spiritual exploration into the broader student experience and support faculty and staff advisors working with student faith or worldview organization. Establish and maintain relationships with local faith leaders, congregations, and community organizations; convene community partners to strengthen collaboration between the university and surrounding communities; and facilitate opportunities for students to engage with local faith communities and service initiatives. Provide leadership and oversight for significant campus traditions and events connected to reflection, community gathering, and interfaith engagement, including programs such as Lessons and Carols, Interfaith Week, and Baccalaureate. Manage operations associated with Religious and Spiritual Life, including oversight of facilities and multi-faith spaces, budgets, program logistics, communications, supervision of staff and student employees, and assessment of programs to support strategic planning and continuous improvement. Service in on-call rotation.

Level of Education:

Master's degree in Higher Education, Religious Studies, Theology, Divinity, Student Affairs, Counseling, Social Work, or a related field.

Work Experience:

Required:

3 years demonstrated experience working with college students or young adults in educational, community, or religious/spiritual contexts. Experience working with diverse religious, spiritual, and secular communities in a pluralistic environment. Demonstrated commitment to supporting students from varied religious, spiritual, cultural, and worldview backgrounds, including students who identify with no faith tradition. Strong interpersonal, facilitation, and communication skills, including the ability to engage diverse campus and community stakeholders. Ability to build collaborative partnerships across campus and with community organizations. Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends to support student programming and campus events. Valid driver's license and ability to travel locally to engage community partners.

Preferred:

5 years professional experience in higher education, student affairs, interfaith engagement, or religious and spiritual life programming. Experience designing and facilitating interfaith dialogue, bridge-building initiatives, or programs promoting religious literacy and pluralism. Experience advising student organizations and supporting student leadership development. Demonstrated experience planning and leading significant campus events or traditions involving multiple stakeholders. Experience building partnerships with community organizations, faith communities, or civic groups. Denison University is an independent, coeducational, residential college of liberal arts and sciences. Founded in 1831, Denison is one of the earliest colleges to be established in the old "Northwest Territory," west of the Allegheny Mountains and north of the Ohio River. Denison University is a leading liberal arts college where faculty and students collaborate in research, civic engagement, & cultivation of independent thinking. As a leader among the nation's top residential liberal arts colleges, Denison has earned a reputation for academic rigor that is rivaled only by its commitment to preparing students for a lifetime of personal, professional and civic success. Denison is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

Title IX Notice:

Sex discrimination is prohibited by federal law through Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Denison does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education programs or activities that it operates including admissions and employment. For Denison's official Notice of Non-Discrimination, please visit https://denison.edu/forms/non-discrimination-notice. You can learn more about Title IX at Denison at https://denison.edu/campus/title-ix. Job seekers who may need a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should contact the Office of Human Resources at (740) 587-6299 or by email at HR@denison.edu.