About Position

KCHA seeks an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) professional with strong experience who can serve and lead in this newly created role. The Senior Director will be the Authority’s first dedicated Senior Director of EDI, reporting to KCHA’s Executive Director, and be a member of the executive leadership team.

The incumbent will be accountable for developing an organization-wide strategy to embed EDI into every aspect of KCHA’s work, acknowledging a range of intersectional identities and placing an intentional emphasis on racial equity. The incumbent will champion EDI ideals and help the organization to live out EDI values in its work every day. The Senior Director will perform complex executive and administrative work in planning, organizing, directing, and coordinating the Authority’s shared vision for EDI to enhance and achieve the Agency’s mission, vision, and strategic goals. The hired Senior Director will begin in the role with one direct report (to be created/ filled). After an early assessment, the Senior Director will present a plan inclusive of required budget and resources necessary to accomplish the goals and fully realize the organization’s EDI aspirations.

KCHA’s Executive Director Stephen Norman will partner with the Senior Director of EDI to ensure organizational commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization. KCHA is quite diverse in its representation as an agency; however, BIPOC are not uniformly distributed throughout all levels of leadership. Further, there is an intentional focus on ensuring that all elements of KCHA are equitable and diverse, including residents, the Board, community partners, practices and policies, housing programs offered, and initiatives. Equity must be at the heart of everything KCHA does. It is front and center in our mission. The new Senior Director, based on their early assessments, will build out the department and initiatives after coalescing the input provided from previous KCHA efforts and blending with their own expertise to build a best-in-class EDI program.

Additionally, the Senior Director will serve as the senior level sponsor to KCHA’s REDI (Race, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) workgroup. Formed in 2019, the REDI workgroup focuses on the mission to help educate and shape organizational culture, practices, and procedures through an equity lens. The REDI workgroup is comprised of 12 members who serve in various positions across the Authority and serve as ambassadors throughout the organization. The Senior Director and the REDI workgroup will collaborate to achieve the goal of educating and influencing the Authority to eliminate racial disparities.

How to Apply

Due to the COVID-19, KCHA is operating under strict safety precautions. Offices are closed to the public and most work is being completed online, via email and/or phone. Staff are meeting in person only when necessary. The Executive Team is observing the same health and safety protocols as all staff. The interview process for this role will be managed by KEES, and all precautions will be taken to minimize contact and maximize safety. Based on timing of the process and health and safety conditions in early 2021, an in-person interview(s) may be a part of the final hiring process.

This position offers a market-rate competitive salary ($122,300 – $177,313) with strong benefits. Relocation assistance is offered. All inquiries will be held in strict confidence.

King County Housing Authority is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

To assure confidential tracking of all applicants, no applications will be accepted via email. ALL INQUIRIES WILL BE HELD IN STRICT CONFIDENCE.

This search is being managed by Heather Eddy, President and CEO, and Kiana Martin, Project Coordinator of KEES. Questions may be addressed to kmartin@kees2success.com.

Full Job Description: https://www.kees2success.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Opportunity-Guide_2021_KCHA_Sr-Dir-EDI.pdf (PDF)