DIRECTOR OF RACE AND EQUITY
A BOLD & PROGRESSIVE LEADERSHIP
OPPORTUNITY
The City of Oakland, California, is conducting a national search
to fill the newly created position of Director of Race and Equity.
This strategic and resourceful Director will operationalize a newly
created department charged with transforming the way Oakland
city government delivers services toward achieving equitable
opportunities for all Oakland residents. The Director will join a
newly energized executive leadership team committed to providing
excellent services to the entire Oakland community.
The recently established Department of Race and Equity is a deliberate
step toward advancing racial and social equity in Oakland.
Oakland city government can serve a unique role toward ensuring
that all people have access to the opportunities necessary to satisfy
their essential needs, advance their well-being, and achieve their full
potential. The Director of Race and Equity position will play a pivotal
role in moving the organization toward the successful advancement
of racial and social equity within Oakland.
THE CITY AND COMMUNITY OF
OAKLAND
The City of Oakland is a dynamic city with 50 distinct and
eclectic neighborhoods, 17 commercial districts, an increasingly
vibrant downtown, a strong economic base, world-class arts and
entertainment venues, superior cultural and recreational amenities,
and a rich multicultural heritage. Oakland is the eighth largest
city in California with an estimated population of 413,775 (2014
U.S. Census Bureau). The city serves as the administrative seat of
Alameda County and the center of commerce and international
trade for Northern California.
Oakland is one of the most diverse and ethnically integrated urban
cities in the nation, with major representation from Hispanic and
Latino, Asian, African-American, and Caucasian residents speaking
over 125 languages and dialects. The city is also home to the
third-largest LGBT community among the 50 largest U.S. cities.
The city’s rich diversity is celebrated and shared through annual
festivals including the Black Cowboy’s Parade, Fruitvale’s Dia de los
Muertos, Oakland Chinatown StreetFest, Oakland Pride, and Art &
Soul. Oaklanders love their city and Oakland enjoys a tradition of
working closely with the entire community, and truly represents an
ideal place in which to live, work and play.
Oakland’s landscape is a picturesque mix of coastline to the west
and rolling hills to the east, which provide unparalleled views of
the San Francisco Bay. Oakland has more parks and open space
per capita than any other city in the Bay Area. Oakland is at the
heart of the East Bay Regional Park District, a splendid system of
65 parks covering more than 119,000 acres and 29 regional
hiking trails stretching 1,200 miles in Alameda and Contra Costa
Counties. Jack London Square, the waterfront area, and beautiful
Lake Merritt are destinations enjoyed by both residents and tourists.
Sports enthusiasts enjoy year round professional events including the
Oakland Raiders, Warriors, and A’s.
Oakland has emerged as a major economic force in the region. As
a center for international trade, the Port of Oakland is the nation’s
fifth busiest container port. The Oakland International Airport is
served by 12 major domestic and international airlines. Oakland
is home to several corporate headquarters including Clorox, Kaiser
Permanente, Pandora, Sungevity, Cost Plus World Market, Dryer’s
Grand Ice Cream, and Revolution Foods. Uber recently announced
its purchase of an office building and will locate 2,000-3,000
employees in Oakland. High quality educational opportunities
abound as six major universities, including U.C. Berkeley, are within
a 40-mile radius.
CITY GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE
The Mayor is elected at-large for a four-year term, and is head of
the executive branch. Oakland’s legislative body is the City Council
and is comprised of eight Council members. One Council member is
elected “at-large” while the other seven Council members represent
specific districts. All Council members are elected to serve four-year
terms.
The Mayor appoints the City Administrator who is responsible for all
city operations and is supported by two Assistant City Administrators.
The City Administrator has overall responsibility for day-to-day
administrative and fiscal operations of the city including hiring of
Department Directors.
DEPARTMENT OF RACE AND EQUITY
The Oakland City Council established the Department of Race and
Equity (DRE) on June 30, 2015. The DRE is established to advance
racial and social equity by providing technical and administrative
programs to intentionally integrate the “fair and just” principle in all
that the city does in order to achieve equitable opportunities for all
people and communities. The DRE will lead an inter-branch team
to facilitate accountability and coordination of all city branches,
departments, agencies, and offices regarding the implementation of
the fair and just principle within the city. The FY 2015-16 operating
budget includes funding for two positions – the Director and one fulltime analyst position.
DIRECTOR OF RACE AND EQUITY
The Director of Race and Equity is an at-will management-level position reporting to the City Administrator with day-to-day reporting to
a Deputy or Assistant City Administrator. The Director is responsible
for developing and providing overall management and direction
of the DRE’s programs to effectively apply equity and social justice
practices within all branches, departments, agencies and offices of
Oakland city government. The position is the expert technical advisor on city-wide matters of equity and disparities. The Director will
collaborate with other city department directors and employees to
facilitate an organizational culture that institutionalizes the use of an
equity lens designed and implemented to address systemic disparities existing in the delivery of city services.
Specific responsibilities include:
1. Collaborate with and provide technical assistance to City
departments to create awareness, understanding, and
effective use of an equity lens in developing and implementing
programs to achieve fair and equitable outcomes.
2. Provide leadership, guidance, and support to internal
and external partners in the delivery of equity policy and
programs.
3. Develop and recommend performance indicators and
progress benchmarks to ensure accountability related to
the delivery of city services to achieve fair and equitable
outcomes. Collect, analyze, and present data measuring
equity program efforts.
4. Provide development and expert analysis of proposed
legislation and regulations related to equity and social justice
issues. Participate in industry and governmental activities to
influence legislation and regulatory change consistent with
the city’s interests and needs.
5. Plan, direct, and evaluate the work of the DRE. Develop and
manage the department budget, ensuring implementation of
sound fiscal and personnel management, including proper
internal controls.
• Develop, recommend, and implement training to help
employees in all departments understand and embrace the
mission, goals and strategies of the DRE and the intentional
implementation of the “fair and just” principle.
• Conduct an environmental scan of service delivery in the city
to identify disparities and gaps in service.
• Explore and recommend various vehicles for ongoing
community and employee input relative to race and equity
initiaves or programs.
• Create a city-wide racial equity action plan that encompasses
equity tools and provides a blueprint of systems and structures
for each department to operationalize equity.
• Inform budget decisions and propose policy that prioritizes
the use of an equity lens to advance and support equitable
service delivery to the community.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate for Director of Race and Equity will be an innovative, visionary leader with outstanding people and management
skills. The ideal candidate will have direct and effective experience crafting and developing race and equity initiatives, effecting
organizational change, and facilitating collaborative and inclusive
working environments. The successful candidate will be politically
astute, but apolitical, with a high level of sophistication and cultural competence in working effectively with diverse stakeholders
in highly political environments. The successful candidate will possess excellent oral and written communication skills, and be quick to
understand how the city functions and the department’s role within
the city. This individual will be a smart, humble, data-oriented and
outcome-driven problem solver with an explicit commitment to advancing racial equity and social justice solutions.
The candidate will have:
• A passion for advancing racial equity and social justice
solutions;
• A demonstrated commitment to community building and
engagement;
Top Priorities
• In partnership with the City Administrator and other key
stakeholders, develop and establish the mission, goals,
strategies and peformance measures of the department.
OAKLANDNET.COM
• An understanding of systemic and institutional racial bias;
• Experience working with or in a public or governmental
organization serving large complex urban environments;
• Experience and a working understanding of the effective
methods of organizational and institutional change;
• Experience operationalizing an organization or department;
• Adept at implementing and achieving solutions that are
grounded in performance metrics and measurable outcomes;
• Experience with public policy development and
implementation;
• Sensitive to the interests of a wide-range of stakeholder
groups, strategic partners, elected officials, and administrative
colleagues;
• Organizational and fiscal management skills noted for
transparency and clarity;
• A leadership style that is decisive yet flexible and authentic;
• A set of values characterized by humility, innovation,
compassion, collaboration, service excellence, and
responsive leadership; and
• High emotional intelligence, personal and professional
integrity, and a sense of humor.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
The following qualifications are guidelines, as the appointing authority has broad discretion in filling positions in this classification.
Education:
A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in sociology, education, public administration, ethnic studies, communication or a closely related field. A Master’s degree or other advanced
degree in a related field is highly desirable.
Experience:
At least five years of demonstrated success in the administration of
community, government, educational or social justice programs;
and at least three of which were in a managerial, supervisory or
program administration capacity. Experience working in a public
agency is strongly preferred.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
The salary for this position is $115,072 to $172,608 depending on
experience and qualifications.
The City of Oakland also offers an attractive benefits package that
includes participation in CalPERS (California Public Employees’ Retirement Systems) with a pension formula of 2.5% @ 55 (for Classic
PERS members) and 2% @ 62 for new PERS members. Employees
currently contribute 8% of pre-tax wages.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To be considered, please submit your resume and cover letter with
current salary information electronically to dir.dre@thehawkinscompany.com by February 12, 2016. Resumes received by February
12, 2016 will receive first consideration. The position is open until
filled.
THE HAWKINS COMPANY
8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd., #110-216
Los Angeles, CA 90045
www.thehawkinscompany.com
For additional information or questions, please contact Bill Hawkins
at 310-348-8800, bill@thehawkinscompany.com or Ms. Brett Byers
at 323-403-8279, brett@thehawkinscompany.com
The City of Oakland is an equal opportunity employer, values workforce diversity and
seeks to create an environment and culture that embraces employee differences. All
qualified applicants are considered in accordance with applicable laws prohibiting
discrimination on the base of race , religion, color, gender, age, national origin, sexual
orientation, physical or mental disability, marital status or veteran status or any other
legally protected status.
Select photos by Greg Linhares, City of Oakland.