Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer

ABOUT LOS ANGELES LGBT CENTER

Since 1969, the Los Angeles LGBT Center (Center) has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBTQ individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond. Today, the Center’s nearly 800 employees provide services for more LGBTQ people than any other organization in the world, offering programs, services, and advocacy that span four categories: Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, and Leadership and Advocacy.

Each month, the Center welcomes more than 50,000 visits (more than half a million each year) from youth and adults who represent the full diversity of the LGBT community; people of all races, religions, genders, sexual orientations and ages. Through this work, the LA LGBT Center is building a world where LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer is responsible for creating, implementing, and evaluating internal and external initiatives that seek to dismantle interpersonal and systemic racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression, promote belonging among the Center’s diverse stakeholders, and shift the organizational culture to align with values. The Chief DEI Officer will establish a multi-year equity and inclusion plan and build a department to ensure its achievement. The DEI Officer and their office will be responsible for providing training, capacity building, and technical assistance to the Center’s programmatic and administrative departments to ensure equitable practices that are anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-oppressive.

The Chief DEI Officer will serve as a senior advisor to the CEO, serving as a member of the Center’s executive team, and will have shared responsibility with other executives to lead the successful achievement of the Center’s strategic plan, budget, and other cross-departmental goals or objectives. The Chief DEI Officer will also have a strong working relationship with the Board of Directors in order to support the Board in the advancement of its DEI priorities.

The Chief DEI Officer must be a collaborative, inspiring, and courageous leader who is able to communicate effectively (especially listening), translate strategy into action, and be skilled in change management. The Officer is responsible for helping to create a culture of accountability, productive conflict, and realistic expectations.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

➢ Create the Center’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office through the recruitment, management, and development of employees who contribute to the achievement of the Center’s DEI plan. This also includes leading purposeful committees of employees from departments across the Center.

➢ Build internal capacity to dismantle interpersonal and systemic racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression through agency-wide planning, policy development, training, and technical assistance.

• Develop a measurable and realistic (yet inspired) annual DEI plan focused on improving employee engagement, desiloing the organization through the centering of priority communities, and shifting organizational culture.
• Establish and oversee the implementation of core DEI training curriculum for all employees and volunteers. This includes training for new employees, as well as continuous training for existing employees.
• Work with the Center’s HR department to ensure human resource activities (including recruitment) are grounded in DEI principles.
• Lead internal programming for employees acknowledging key cultural months or milestones, including Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, and AAPI Heritage Month.
• Provide technical assistance and capacity building to programmatic and administrative departments to help directors and staff achieve DEI outcomes as outlined within the Center’s DEI plan.

➢ Strengthen and expand the Center’s relationships and reputation amongst Black, Indigenous, and all People of Color (BIPOC) as well as transgender/non-binary and women communities and partner organizations.

• Represent the Center in local and national coalitions, partnerships, and events focused on ending interpersonal and systemic racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression.
• Advise Center programming, policy, and marketing/communication departments to ensure externally-facing initiatives advance DEI priorities and best practices.
• Along with the CEO, serve as Center spokesperson on media events or other current affairs that have relevance to the Center’s DEI priorities.

➢ Serve as an executive leader within the Center who has shared responsibility for the successful achievement of the strategic plan, budget, and other goals/objectives.

• Serve as a trusted and knowledgeable advisor to the CEO, Board of Directors, and other executives on topics related to DEI.
• Actively participate in the Center’s senior management and other management groups, offering helpful input, leading agency-wide initiatives, and creating a healthy workplace.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

➢ 10 years of experience in equity and/or human resources roles, with a minimum of 5 years in a supervisory role.

➢ Minimum of 5 years of experience with managing organizational diversity and inclusion initiatives.

➢ Experience working within the LGBTQ+ community and familiarity with issues of particular relevance to LGBTQ+ people, especially BIPOC LGBTQ+ communities.

➢ Strong understanding of DEI principles and intersectionality of oppression.

➢ Exceptional communicator, including strong speaking, writing, and listening skills.

➢ A passion for the Center’s mission and work.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The salary range for this position is $175,000 – $200,000 annually. The Center offers a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as life insurance, long-term disability, an employee assistance program, and a 403(b) retirement plan.

HOW TO APPLY

The Center has retained Morten Group, LLC to conduct this search. Applicants should complete the form available at bit.ly/la-lgbt-dei, including the submission of a cover letter and resume in PDF format by the best consideration date of Monday, May 15, 2023. Cover letters will be evaluated as a writing sample.