Workforce Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect (DEIR) Manager (WMS Band 2)

The Human Resources Office (HRO)within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Workforce Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect (DEIR) Manager (WMS Band 2) position.

This position is located in our Headquarters Office in Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

As the Workforce DEIR Manager, you will play a crucial role in the development and implementation of Ecology's DEIR Strategic Plan.

You will support the agency by influencing, co-developing and putting into action HR strategies to :

• Increase the diversity of our workforce.
• Improve equity in policies, practices, and processes that affect the workforce.
• Cultivate and promote a work culture of belonging and thriving.

In this role, results are accomplished through collaborative relationships with agency leaders, Ecology’s DEIR Design Team and HR team members.

Agency Mission : Ecology's mission is to protect, preserve and enhance Washington's environment and to promote the wise management of our air, land, and water for the benefit of current and future generations.

Program Mission : The mission of the Human Resources Office (HRO) is to develop successful employees, promote healthy and productive relationships, ensure a safe work environment and recruit great talent to achieve Ecology's Mission.

The amount of time needed to be in the office will depend on your in-person meeting schedule. Applicants with questions about schedule flexibility are encouraged to reach out to the contact person listed below in other information.

Work schedule is dependent upon position and office needs.

Application Timeline : This position will remain open until filled, we will review applications on July 8 , 2024. In order to be considered, please submit an application on or before July 7 , 2024 .

If your application isn't received by this date, it may not be considered. The agency reserves the right to make a Hire any time after the initial screening date.

Ecology employees may be eligible for the following :

About the Department of Ecology

Protecting Washington State's environment for current and future generations is what we do every day at Ecology. We are a culture that is invested in making a difference.

We are committed to becoming a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and respectful workplace and are actively taking steps to make progress.

Our agency-led initiatives include implementing our pro-equity anti-racism (PEAR) strategic action plan as well as recommendations from our diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR) Agency Organizational Assessment.

We are also working to operationalize new and revised anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, workplace accommodation, DEIR policies and procedures, and bring DEIR learning and development resources to our workforce.

Join a team that is highly effective and collaborative, with leadership that embraces the value of people. To learn more, check out our .

Ecology cares deeply about employee wellness; we go beyond traditional benefits, proudly offering :

• A healthy life / work balance by offering flexible schedules and telework options for most positions.
• An Infants at Work Program that is based on the long-term health values of infant-parent bonding and breastfeeding newborns.
• Continuous growth and development opportunities.
• Opportunities to serve your community and make an impact through meaningful work.

Our commitment to DEIR

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR) are core values central to Ecology’s work. We strive to be a workplace where we are esteemed for sharing our authentic identities, while advancing our individual professional goals and collaborating to protect, preserve, and enhance the environment for current and future generations.

Diversity : We celebrate and appreciate diversity; our unique perspectives and abilities enrich us all and lead to innovative approaches and solutions.

Equity : We champion equity, recognizing that each of us need different things to thrive. Inclusion : We intentionally create and hold space so that we all have meaningful opportunities to participate and contribute to Ecology’s work.

Respect : We treat each other with respect and dignity, acknowledging the inherent worth of our diverse perspectives and lived experiences, even in times of uncertainty and disagreement.

We believe that DEIR is both a goal and an action. We are on a journey, honoring our shared humanity and taking steps to demonstrate our commitment to a vision where each of us is heard, seen, and valued.

Duties

What makes this role unique?

The Department of Ecology is beginning to process the results of an almost year-long organizational assessment on diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect in the workplace.

As we deepen our understanding, we will incorporate the results and our organizational learning in our strategy development.

This position will serve as a consultant, thought leader, trusted advisor, and subject matter expert for workforce diversity and inclusion practices spanning the employee lifecycle.

What you will do :

Research and identify best practices for attracting, hiring, onboarding, engaging, developing, and retaining a diverse workforce and develop strategies that adapt and integrate those practices into Ecology’s processes and practices.

Provide expert-level advice and consultation to agency executive leadership, agency program leadership and the HR team on strategies that support and further workforce diversity and equity efforts to create a workplace culture that centers inclusion, respect and belonging for all.

Supervise one Senior HR Consultant focused on integrating diversity and belonging strategies into how we onboard, orient and connect with new employees to improve employee experience and foster belonging.

Lead the development and implementation of an HR consultation model for using employee engagement, new hire and exit survey data to identify areas for improvement in onboarding and new employee engagement and belonging and measuring progress.

Serve as a co-advisor to the Ecology DEIR Design Team with Ecology’s Organizational Equity Manager. Partner with the team’s Executive Sponsors to promote its priorities.

Identify and connect the team to internal and external resources. Cultivate and role model a culture of giving and receiving feedback.

Utilize positional privilege to elevate Design Team member feedback and advocate for inclusive decision making for decisions affecting the workforce.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications :

Nine (9) years of experience and / or combination of experience and education.

Experience : Advising and consulting on workforce diversity and inclusion, organizational change management, or organizational culture change.

Professional experience must include :

• Two years of experience working with organizational leadership to influence organizational level strategy and policy.
• Two years progressive experience advancing equity, inclusion, and belonging in a complex and medium-sized or larger organization (500+ employees).
• Two years of experience managing project(s) with organization-wide impact.

Please note : Experience in each of the areas may have been gained concurrently.

Years of required experience indicated below are full-time equivalent years. Full-time equivalent experience means that any experience where working hours were less than 40 hours per week will be prorated in order to meet the equivalency of full-time.

We would calculate this by looking at the total hours worked per week, divide this by 40, and then multiply by the total number of months worked.

Examples of the proration calculations are :

• 30 hours worked per week for 20 months : (30 / 40) x 20 months 15 months full-time equivalent
• 20 hours worked per week for 12 months : (20 / 40) x 12 months 6 months full-time equivalent

Education : Involving a major study in diversity, equity and inclusion, social sciences, business administration, organizational effectiveness & development, organizational change management, learning & development, project management, human resources, environmental and social justice, public administration, environmental sciences, or closely allied field.

All experience and education combinations that meet the requirements for this position :

Possible Combinations

College credit hours or degree - as listed above.

Years of required experience - as listed above.

Combination 1

No college credit hours or degree

9 years of experience

Combination 2

30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter credits.

8 years of experience

Combination 3

60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter credits (AA degree).

7 years of experience

Combination 4

90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter credits.

6 years of experience

Combination 5

A bachelor’s degree.

5 years of experience

Combination 6

A master’s degree or above.

3 years of experience

Desired Qualifications :

• Successfully leading a team through change in a complex environment and tending the human side of change.
• Exceptional ability to take broad, ambiguous, and complex challenges and / or opportunities and develop them into actionable plans with clear milestones and goals, with minimal guidance.
• Demonstrated skill and ability to serve as a resource and to facilitate difficult conversations to address and diffuse interpersonal issues and conflicts between employees, including but not limited to micro-aggressions, unconscious bias, stereotype threats and intercultural communication.
• Experience leading or managing in an agency or organization with more than 1000 employees or members.
• Certification as a Diversity Professional (CDP) or Diversity Executive (CDE).

Note : Having some (or all) of this desired experience may make your application more competitive in a highly competitive applicant pool.