Swarthmore College: Diverse Job Opportunities in a Vibrant Academic Community

Swarthmore College, a highly selective liberal arts institution nestled in the suburbs of Philadelphia, offers a wide array of job opportunities. With a rich history spanning over 150 years, Swarthmore is dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive community of thinkers and doers. The college's Quaker roots instill a commitment to service and the common good, making it an ideal environment for individuals seeking meaningful work. Swarthmore's idyllic, 425-acre arboretum campus features rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails, enhancing the quality of life for its employees.

Supporting Campus Operations and Community Life

Several positions focus on maintaining the college's operational efficiency and ensuring the safety and well-being of its community members.

Custodial Crew Lead

The Custodial Crew Lead provides daily leadership, guidance, and functional supervision to a team of custodians with assigned college buildings and facilities. This is a working lead role, performing custodial duties alongside the crew while ensuring all work is completed according to established standards and safety protocols.

Assistant Director, Swarthmore Campus & Community Store

The Assistant Director, Swarthmore Campus & Community Store, supports the overall operation and strategic priorities of the store. This position oversees daily operational processes, including reporting, e-commerce management, purchasing, inventory control, internal departmental orders, and customer service. The Assistant Director manages and trains sales associates and student employees, coordinates store priorities with the Director, and ensures a high level of service to the campus community and external customers.

Environmental Technician

Under limited supervision, the Environmental Technician maintains cleanliness levels in campus facilities, performing general cleaning duties in restrooms, common spaces, dorms, and academic areas. Currently, the college is hiring for pooled/part-time roles, scheduled to work 16 hours per week on the 1st shift.

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Associate Director of Public Safety Operations

The Associate Director of Public Safety Operations is responsible for overseeing the department's daily operations, ensuring the safety and security of the college's students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The Associate Director leads, manages, and evaluates all campus safety personnel, programs, and services. They provide effective leadership in times of crises, conflict, and other challenges facing the safety of the campus. The Associate Director promotes restorative justice practices, conflict resolution mechanisms, and community-building efforts to strengthen relationships and foster a harmonious campus climate.

Community Resource Lead, Department of Public Safety

The Community Resource Lead for the Department of Public Safety (DPS) is an integral part of the support and resource network on campus. The Community Resource Lead is responsible for shift oversight, building positive community relationships within each shift and with campus partners during response and operational activities. The Community Resource Lead also responds to routine and emergency calls for service, including but not limited to conducting initial and follow up investigations as appropriate, responding to medical incidents, both fire and intrusion alarms, and supporting staff in response. They are also responsible for the efficient and effective operation of the multi-faceted Swarthmore College Communication Center. The Community Resource Lead ensures that personnel are dispatched to a variety of routine and emergency incidents and may be the initial point of contact with the Department of Public Safety.

Entry-Level Emergency Preparedness and Training Coordinator

Swarthmore College is seeking an Entry-Level Emergency Preparedness and Training Coordinator to support campus safety through emergency preparedness, response planning, fire and life safety initiatives, and training coordination.

Executive Director of Swarthmore Dining

Under the general direction of the Associate Vice President of Campus Services, the Executive Director of Swarthmore Dining oversees and manages all Swarthmore Dining operations. These include Residential Dining, Retail, Catering, Student-run, and any other programs and initiatives led by Swarthmore Dining. The Executive Director is responsible for long-term strategic planning in financial, operational, marketing, and facilities areas, while also managing these functions daily.

Supporting Academic and Artistic Pursuits

Swarthmore College provides numerous opportunities to support its academic and artistic endeavors.

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Assistant Music Director

Reporting to the Artistic Director (AD), the Assistant Music Director (AMD) conducts and rehearses the younger members of the chorus (grades 3-5; 50-60 children) throughout the school year and summer, and prepares the groups for 10-12 concert performances per year.

Animal Care & Research Technician

The Animal Care & Research Technician (ACRT) will be responsible for working with staff, faculty, and students to maintain the day-to-day operations of vertebrate and non-vertebrate labs in the Psychology and Biology Departments. The core responsibilities of the ACRT are focused on animal husbandry, including daily health and welfare checks, providing food, water, and enrichment, and changing animal cages. In addition, the ACRT will also assist with research activities as directed by the PIs, including curricular support for laboratory-based courses (e.g., research practica). While the primary supervisor of this position is the chair of the Psychology Department, the ACRT will take direction from the Animal Facility Specialists and faculty in Psychology and Biology. The position will require flexible time management and acquisition of new competencies as the animal facility and research projects change over time. The ACRT is expected to learn how to perform all duties listed below and to use this knowledge to help train students as needed. This is a part-time, 17.5 hour per week position that will be required to work some weekend days and some holidays, including winter break, as part of their regular schedule.

Culinary Associate

As a member of the Dining Services department, the Culinary Associate will work in any of the following stations depending on the schedule or need of the department roles: Cook, Pizza Cook, Commissary or Baker. Ensuring the timely meal production for a college dining program under the direction of the Executive Chef or Executive Sous Chef. Preps ingredients and cooks or bakes menu items according to standard recipes. Ensures that food production meets the departmental standards of quality, taste, creativity, presentation, and variety. Responsibilities include assisting with execution of menu items, food safety and the proper sanitation of all kitchen equipment.

On-Call Production Technician

The Lang Performing Arts Center (LPAC) integrates the arts into Swarthmore’s curriculum. The space houses many facilities which cater to the needs of the college’s artistic spectrum. The LPAC is versatile in its function: rehearsals, gallery installations, readings, film screenings, classes and performances are all simultaneously hosted within the building, making it a gravitational hub of campus activity. Under supervision, the On-Call Production Technician performs tasks for a variety of programs and events.

Opportunities in Health and Wellness

Swarthmore College emphasizes the health and well-being of its students, offering positions in healthcare and counseling services.

Registered Nurse

The Registered Nurse is a 9-month, full-time position, providing primary and acute health care to students as a member of the collaborative Student Health Center team. The Registered Nurse provides professional services in the physical and psychosocial health care and concerns of students. Responsibilities include: assessing health status, performing triage, and creating plans for therapeutic regiments; following medical protocols for plans of care; education and information students and others on campus on health needs or issues and treatments.

CAPS Social Work Fellow and Postdoctoral Resident

The CAPS Social Work Fellow will gain experience with each of the primary functions in a college counseling center including direct individual and group clinical services, outreach programs, crisis support, and faculty/staff consultation. The CAPS Postdoctoral Resident will gain experience with each of the primary functions in a college counseling center. Swarthmore College Counseling & Psychological Services supports the campus community by offering direct individual and group clinical services, outreach programs, crisis support, and faculty/staff consultation. CAPS infuses each of these functions with cultural humility and attunement to diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility.

Horticultural and Environmental Stewardship

Swarthmore's commitment to its arboretum campus is reflected in the opportunities available within the Scott Arboretum & Gardens.

Scott Arboretum & Gardens Public Horticulture Internship

The Scott Arboretum & Gardens Public Horticulture Internship offers a unique opportunity for individuals pursuing a career in public horticulture with a variety of aspects of public horticulture built into the position. The intern will have opportunities to meet and work with a variety of professionals in the Philadelphia region, an area rich in public gardens. Work activities to include working with gardening staff and volunteers (three mornings/week); special project development and area garden work; participates in summer intern field trips and educational programming at the Scott Arboretum & Gardens.

Summer Horticulture Internship

The Summer Horticulture Internship offers a unique work experience in a campus arboretum well-suited to an individual interested in a career in ornamental/public horticulture. On-the-job training includes exposure to garden maintenance, plant records and curation, plant propagation, and volunteer interaction. Summer interns rotate with gardening staff affording exposure to all areas of the Scott Arboretum & Gardens including a sustainable rose garden, intimate garden settings of the Cunningham House, Pollinator Garden, and Harry Wood Garden, green roofs, and seasonal container gardening featuring unusual annuals and tropical plants. The internship is a minimum of 10 to maximum of 28 weeks; typically starting in March to May and ending August to October.

Scott Arboretum Summer Education Internship

The Scott Arboretum Summer Education Internship offers a unique view into public horticulture education. This role offers opportunities to learn about and experience programming for adults, youth, and families, as well as communications, interpretation, and membership. Main responsibilities include assisting with the Chester Children’s Chorus Arboretum Summer class, supporting educational programming including tours, trips, workshops, conferences, and developing interpretive materials. The intern will also participate in field excursions to visit area gardens throughout the summer. The internship is a minimum of 10 to maximum of 28 weeks; typically starting in March to May and ending August to October.

Research Opportunities

Swarthmore College actively engages in research across various disciplines, providing opportunities for researchers and scholars.

Experimental Research Postdoctoral Position in Physics

Swarthmore College invites applications for an experimental research postdoctoral position in the Smith Materials Lab led by Associate Prof. Hillary Smith in the Physics Department. They are looking for a highly motivated researcher with a PhD in materials science, physics, applied physics, mechanical engineering or closely related field. This DOE-funded position is for a research project aimed at investigating dynamics in glass-forming liquids. Ongoing projects study a variety of glasses including metallic, oxide, molecular, and chalcogenide glasses. Neutron scattering experiments, with a focus on quasielastic and inelastic measurements, are performed at national user facilities, particularly the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The postdoctoral fellow will be encouraged to lead the project, collaborate with the PI and undergraduate students on high-impact publications, and present at key conferences in the field. The Smith Materials Lab is an interdisciplinary group of undergraduate students and research staff that thrives on teamwork and welcomes diverse candidates to join us. The successful candidate will have excellent communication skills and a keen interest in developing leadership and mentoring skills. The successful candidate will work closely with undergraduate students at Swarthmore College. Therefore, demonstrated teamwork ability and experience in mentoring is required.

Interdisciplinary Research Project Position

This NSF-funded position is for an interdisciplinary research project aimed at investigating how short-range forces generate long-range order in extreme tissue deformations using Hydra as an experimental system. Hydra is uniquely suitable for in vivo biomechanics studies due to optical transparency and amenability to chemical, physical, and genetic perturbations. Its simple anatomy makes it amenable to mathematical modeling. This position combines both experiments and modeling. The position is research focused but offers options for teaching and mentoring undergraduate students. Thus, this position is especially well-suited for individuals interested in a career at a primary undergraduate institution. It will provide opportunities for gaining teaching experience and guidance in developing a competitive research program amenable to undergraduate research.

Temporary and Part-Time Roles

Swarthmore College also offers temporary and part-time positions to support various departments and initiatives.

Part Time Temporary Position

This part time, temporary position for the Swarthmore Campus and Community Store, will assist in order fulfillment and customer support for the store.

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