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Position: Ombudsperson
Date: 01/01/04
Position Code: 2553
EEO Code: 102
Job Summary:

Reporting to the Director, the Ombudsperson is primarily responsible for confidential, informal complaint handling. In addition, coaches and helps educate Vice Presidents, Department Chairs and other managers in the area of leadership or management development. An ancillary responsibility is to act as a resource in the conduct of the assessment of allegations of scientific misconduct and inquiries and investigations into such allegations. In conjunction with those primary responsibilities, advises the Director and Vice Presidents regarding employee and student relations matters and recommends policies and programs designed to enhance the professional and academic climate at the Institution. Neutrality, independence, accessibility, objectivity, confidentiality and discretion are essential to the nature of this position.
Major Duties:
The Ombudsperson acts as a confidential and informal complaint handler. The basic purpose of this role is to foster values such as fairness, equity, justice, equality of opportunity and respect. The Ombudsperson follows the University and College Ombuds Association Standards of Practice. As such the Ombuds is designated as neutral and does not intervene in a situation without permission of the parties involved. However, should a client speak of intending serious harm to him or herself or others or confess to serious misconduct or a crime, must use personal discretion in determining whether or not this information should be carried forward.

The primary manner in which the Ombudsperson operates is to provide options to the client or complainant. These options may include but are not limited to actively listening and supporting the client, providing information on policies or practices, developing options for the client to take in order to resolve the situation, referring the client to an appropriate office or individual, assisting the client in constructing a verbal or written approach to the individual with whom s/he is in conflict, intervening by approaching the other party as a "shuttle diplomat," conducting an informal fact gathering process, mediating between the complainant and the other party, developing a generic approach to resolve a situation, recommending a specific action be taken or changes to policies or practices be made when a practice or policy is creating unintended problems and issues.

In order to perform these functions, must avoid perceived and actual conflict of interest situations; be extremely discreet in handling sensitive information; until and unless given permission to act otherwise, maintain confidentiality regarding the identities of individuals who consult with him/her as well as the information the clients present; have access to any Institution record without having to justify the rationale for access; and have access to any individual associated with the Institution in the conduct of his/her duties.

Management/leadership Development:

Uses various management development tools to work with and coach Vice Presidents, Department Chairs and other managers in good practices with regard to people management and leadership. While this coaching is primarily one-on-one, it may also entail training and education programs or seminars conducted by outside consultants well versed in academic management issues.

Scientific Misconduct:
With regard to scientific misconduct, acts as one of the primary internal resources available to facilitate the conduct of an inquiry or investigation into an allegation of scientific misconduct. This may include responsibility for adherence to the procedures set forth in the Policy on Scientific Misconduct and its related procedures; assisting complainants and respondents with regard to policy interpretation and presentation of allegations or responses thereto; assisting inquiry and investigation committees or any other Institution personnel in complying with the policy and procedures and with applicable standards imposed by government or external funding sources; and assisting the Director and/or the Director for Research in carrying out their responsibilities with regard to the Policy. May also be responsible for securing files of all documents and evidence in a confidential manner. Available to assist the Director in reporting to the appropriate agency as required by regulation and apprising the agency of any developments during the course of an investigation that may affect current or potential funding for the individual(s) under investigation or that the agency needs to know to ensure appropriate use of Federal funds and otherwise protect the public interest.
Desired Education/Experience for Hiring:

Bachelor's degree with 8 to 10 years experience in conflict resolution, employee relations, human resources or related field; advanced degree desirable. Preferable degree(s) would be in psychology, sociology, dispute resolution, or law. Demonstrated knowledge of regulations affecting scientific misconduct, and the ability to relate to and effectively interact with all constituents are essential.