Director, Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

RECRUITMENT BROCHURE -https://www.rockvillemd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/56882/Director-JEDI-Recruitment-Brochure

This position is open until filled.  The first review of resumes will begin on December 13, 2024. 

Director, Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
 
About the City of Rockville
The City of Rockville operates under a Council-Manager form of government. The Mayor and Council serve as the legislative body for the City of Rockville. All policy ordinances must have the Mayor and Council’s approval before becoming law. This critical decision-making position focuses community attention on the Mayor and Council. The Mayor and Council’s public meetings provide a forum in which policy proposals are deliberated, debated, and ultimately decided. The Mayor and Council appoint and direct the work of the City Manager, City Attorney and City Clerk/Director of Council Operations.
 
The City of Rockville is regarded as one of America’s leading small cities for work, for play and for life. It is the vibrant, highly educated, business-friendly home to some of the most prominent biomedical and technology companies and is adjacent to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.
 
Rockville is a city that remembers and reveres its roots, its commitment to citizen-centric public service, to the planet and to the connectivity of its neighborhoods and residents. Rockville is a place one can truly and proudly call "my hometown." It is a place that looks and feels like home, where people and government work to maintain the intimacy and warmth that “hometown” connotes. A place where, despite our differences, neighbors know and care about each other and the community they share.
 
About the Community
Rockville, population 67,000, is Maryland’s fourth largest city, comprising 13.5 square miles. It is located 15 miles northwest of the nation’s capital along the I-270 corridor. Rockville has been rated among the best places to live in America. The city serves as the County seat of Montgomery County and is regarded as one of America’s leading small cities for work, for play and for life. It is the vibrant, diverse, business-friendly home to some of the most prominent biomedical and technology companies and is adjacent to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.
 
Gorgeous parks, within a 10-minute walk of every residence, and active recreation centers contribute to the quality of life prized by Rockville residents promoting participation by people of all ages in diverse, interesting, and high quality recreational and leisure opportunities. Rockville takes great pride in its more than 1,000 acres of parkland within 67 parks. The city owns or maintains an award-winning senior center, swim and fitness center, mansion, performing arts theatre, nature center, three community centers and provides the community with thousands of recreation programs and services as well as special and community events for all ages and abilities. Rockville residents are actively engaged in the community and have high expectations of recreation and parks services.
 
Rockville is a city that remembers and reveres its roots, its commitment to citizen-centric public service, to the planet and to the connectivity of its neighborhoods and residents. Rockville is a place one can truly and proudly call "my hometown." It is a place that looks and feels like home, where people and government work to maintain the intimacy and warmth that “hometown” connotes. A place where, despite our differences, neighbors know and care about each other and the community they share.
 
About the Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
The Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion was formally established in October 2024. The Office will look within all aspects of City government to closely examine policies, practices, budget allocations, and programs that may perpetuate institutional racism and systemic inequities for various historically excluded groups.
 
The Mayor and Council recognizes that racial inequity is institutionalized with systematic racism in the policies and practices in governmental institutions. Systemic and institutionalized racism is so commonly accepted in our laws, rules, policies, behaviors, attitudes, and practices that it establishes and imposes statistically significant perpetual hardship, and even shortened life spans for persons of color. The Mayor and Council also recognize that issues of racial and ethnic equity must be addressed proactively and deliberately in the course of decision-making to increase the success for all groups. As such, on July 12, 2021, the Mayor and Council adopted Resolution 10-21 thus endorsing and committing to the establishment of government policies and practices that promote racial and ethnic equity and social justice.
 
The Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion will be charged with leading the efforts of operationalizing Resolution 10-21.
 
About the Position
The City of Rockville, Maryland is recruiting the Director of our newly established Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The director will work in partnership with City leaders, City Manager, Deputy City Manager, department heads, and other City staff to engage the community stakeholders to establish equity, diversity and inclusion as shared values across the community and the City of Rockville as an organization. The Director will collaborate with city departments, City boards and commissions such as the Human Rights Commission, and Community Policing Advisory Board, other cultural and social advisory taskforces, and the community to advance policies and actions that remove barriers within City government programs and operations.
The Director develops, manages, and monitors the City’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies and actions, and will serve as a change agent who provides leadership and vision to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within the City of Rockville and the community. This position reports to the Deputy City Manager.

Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement comprehensive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Community strategies that align with the City’s strategy and goals.
Program Development: Design and deliver innovative programs and initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion and build community across the organization.
Metrics and Reporting: Continually reevaluate baseline and target diversity and representation metrics and related metrics for measuring the effectiveness of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Community initiatives. Oversee reporting to senior leaders, regulators, and other internal and external stakeholders as required.
Community Engagement: Build and maintain relationships with community organizations, stakeholders, and partners to support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Community initiatives.
Promote Cultural Competency: Foster a culture of continuous learning about human differences. Provide training and professional development opportunities to staff on topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Policy Development: Review and update organizational policies to ensure they reflect best practices in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Collaboration: Work closely with community leaders and colleagues across the organization to integrate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion principles into all aspects of City operations and programs. 
Advocacy: Serve as an advocate for inclusive and equitable initiatives within the organization and across the community.

Education and Experience:
 Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Organizational Development, Leadership, Diversity, or other closely related program; or five (5) to seven (07) years of relevant, or any equivalent combination of education and experience. 
Experience: 

• working directly within a focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and/or Belonging in a senior management role;
• with strategic planning, policy development, process improvement, performance management, and/or program evaluation; and
• working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.  

• Expertise in the professional discipline of inclusion and inclusion management as it relates to societally significant differences including, but not limited to, race and ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual-orientation, age, religion, disability, socio-economic status, political affiliation, country of origin, and immigration status.
• Experience creating and executing inclusion and equity strategies.
• Excellent operational/analytical skills.
• Experience leveraging data to measure success of existing initiatives and inform opportunities for new initiatives.
• Understanding of best practices and trends in diversity, equity and inclusion, with a strong track record of translating into an actionable strategy and driving action across various teams.
• Experience building trusted relationships with senior leaders.
• Ability to advocate and influence to increase leadership commitment and accountability for inclusion efforts, creating an environment of belonging and addressing areas of improvement for all team members.
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