Chief Equity Officer (Director I) - Open Until Filled

Full Job Description

Job Appointment: Full-Time, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Work Schedule: In-person
Work Location: Portland, Oregon
Benefit: Please check our benefits tab for an overview of benefits for this position
Language Pay Premium Eligible: This position is or may be eligible for Language Pay Differential for qualifying employees.

Application Material: Please click APPLY to submit your application via the Motus online portal. You will need to attach a resume and cover letter.


Position Summary:

The Chief Equity Officer (Director I) serves as the City’s senior executive responsible for shaping, implementing, and advancing citywide equity strategies, policies, and cultural transformation efforts.

Reporting to the City Administrator, this position leads the Office of Equity and Human Rights and serves as the City’s chief advisor on equity, civil rights compliance, accessibility, and anti-discrimination practices.

This leader works across all bureaus and offices to operationalize equity in governance, budgeting, workforce practices, community engagement, and service outcomes.

The Chief Equity Officer represents the City in regional, statewide, and national equity forums, builds meaningful partnerships with community organizations, and ensures legal and ethical compliance with civil rights and accessibility mandates.

The role requires a strategic systems thinker, a culturally grounded relationship-builder, and an experienced executive who can inspire change in a complex political and organizational environment.

What you'll get to do:

• Organizational Leadership & Management

  • Provide executive leadership to the Office of Equity and Human Rights, including strategic planning, organizational direction, budget oversight, staffing, and operational management.

  • Lead a multidisciplinary team responsible for Civil Rights Title VI compliance, ADA Title II accessibility work, partnering with Indigenous people, workforce equity, policy development, training, and community engagement initiatives.

  • Partner with the City Administrator, deputy city administrators, and bureau directors to integrate equity into decision-making, policy development, budgeting, and leadership practices.

  • Develop and maintain internal systems, performance measures, and accountability structures that track progress toward citywide equity outcomes.

  • Foster a positive, inclusive, and trusting workplace culture that supports employee development, psychological safety, and cross-functional collaboration.

• Policy, Strategy & Legal Oversight

  • Oversee the City’s compliance with civil rights, anti-discrimination, and accessibility laws, including Title VI, ADA Title II, and related federal and state mandates.

  • Direct the development and implementation of citywide equity frameworks, programs, tools, and reporting structures.

  • Serve as a strategic advisor to the mayor, city administrator, deputy city administrators, and council on equity implications of proposed legislation, policies, and initiatives.

  • Coordinate equity impact analyses and provide clear recommendations to inform inclusive decision-making.

  • Represent the City in legal, regulatory, and policy-related forums, working closely with the City Attorney’s Office and partner bureaus.

• Community Engagement & Public Representation

  • Serve as one of the City’s primary ambassadors for equity, representing the Office of Equity and Human Rights in regional and national spaces.

  • Build strong, trust-based relationships with culturally specific organizations, community partners, civil rights advocates, Indigenous communities, and accessibility communities.

  • Ensure community voices—especially those from historically and currently marginalized groups—inform City programs, policies, and priorities.

  • Engage with Council offices, civic leaders, and public stakeholders to advance shared equity goals and respond to community needs with transparency and accountability.

• Equity, Inclusion & Workforce Transformation

  • Lead initiatives to embed equity principles in hiring, promotion, training, workplace culture, and leadership development across all bureaus.

  • Oversee implementation of Workforce Equity initiatives and citywide employee engagement strategies.

  • Support bureaus in addressing structural inequities, institutional barriers, and disparate outcomes affecting employees and community members.

  • Champion trauma-informed, culturally responsive leadership practices that strengthen belonging and reduce harm.

  • Ensure the Office of Equity and Human Rights programs and tools are accessible, community-informed, and grounded in best practices.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

The ideal candidate is a senior, enterprise-level leader who will advance equity as a durable operating discipline across the City of Portland.

• Lead equity as a core enterprise function, embedding it into governance, budgeting, workforce systems, policy development, service delivery, and technology decisions
• Design, implement, and enforce citywide equity standards, metrics, and accountability systems that endure through political, legal, and leadership change
• Exercise executive authority to hold bureaus and leadership accountable for measurable equity outcomes, with expectations cascading from elected officials through management
• Collaborate with Human Resources to advance internal equity, workforce retention, and psychological safety by addressing pay equity, classification accuracy, advancement pathways, and protection from retaliation
• Demonstrate fluency in public-sector and unionized environments, partnering effectively with labor relations to navigate complex labor relations with credibility
• Translate equity commitments into operational tools and daily decision-making, moving beyond training and planning to implementation and sustained follow-through
• Apply strong data fluency and ethical stewardship, using evidence to drive decisions, defend equity investments, protect sensitive information, and demonstrate outcomes
• Build and sustain trust-based relationships with culturally specific, immigrant, refugee, and historically marginalized communities, ensuring community input informs City action
• Navigate political and legal constraints with executive presence, sound judgment, and discipline, speaking truth to power while maintaining effectiveness and credibility
• Lead with a trauma-informed, restorative, and process-centered approach, balancing collaboration, facilitation, and enforcement as required
• Serve as a system-builder and unifier, reducing silos across bureaus and strengthening long-term equity infrastructure and capacity

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & ACCESSIBILITY

The City of Portland is committed to dismantling systemic inequities, improving equitable service delivery, and creating a workplace where every employee feels valued, safe, and supported.

The City honors the histories and lived experiences of its diverse communities and partners closely with those most impacted by inequity to shape its policies and priorities.

The City is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, and other protected classifications in accordance with local, state, and federal law.

To learn more about the City of Portland, visit: https://www.portland.gov

Have a question?
Contact Information:
Dreshawn Vance,
Motus VP of Executive Search
dreshawn@motusrecruiting.com

Requirements

The City of Portland strongly encourages applications from all interested individuals, even those who may not meet all listed qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience leading and implementing equity, inclusion, racial justice, anti-racism, or civil rights initiatives at a programmatic or systems level.

• Experience navigating complex organizational environments and driving equity-centered change, including facilitating transitions and supporting cultural or structural transformation.

• Experience supervising and developing staff, building healthy and effective teams, and supporting employee well-being in environments experiencing change or organizational instability.

• Experience developing, implementing, and evaluating equity-related policies, accountability systems, and data-informed strategies that produce measurable organizational change.

• Experience communicating and advocating for equity-focused strategies with diverse stakeholders, including executive leadership, elected officials, labor partners, affinity groups, community organizations, and staff at all levels.

• Experience establishing and sustaining collaborative, trusting partnerships with culturally specific communities, labor organizations, internal bureaus, and external agencies to advance shared equity outcomes.

• A bachelor’s degree in a related field or a combination of education and professional experience that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the role. A degree may be substituted with an equivalent number of years of relevant professional experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Minimum of 4 years’ experience in a management position.
• Experience leading equity, civil rights, organizational change, or cultural transformation efforts within large, complex organizations.
• Demonstrated success in executive leadership roles overseeing diverse teams and programs.
• Strong ability to navigate politically sensitive environments, build cross-sector partnerships, and maintain trust under pressure.
• Demonstrated experience working with culturally specific communities, Indigenous communities, disability communities, and historically marginalized groups.
• Familiarity with public administration, municipal government operations, policymaking, and budgeting.
• Skilled communicator with the ability to synthesize complex issues, influence decision-making, and represent the organization clearly and thoughtfully.
• Commitment to trauma-informed practices, accessibility, and inclusive leadership.

Qualifications

STEP 1: Apply online HERE

Required Application Materials:

Cover letter: Details are key!

The city uses a merit-based system, so your cover letter should be thorough and specifically address each qualification listed in the "To Qualify" section of the job announcement.

Your cover letter can exceed one page, to ensure you are able to provide the detailed information for every qualification.

Follow the instructions, as a subject matter expert will be evaluating your details to confirm that you meet the minimum requirements.

Resume

Optional Application Materials:

• If you would like to request Veteran's Preference, please submit your Veteran documents (ex, DD214-Member 4, VA Benefit Letter, etc.) by the closing date of the recruitment.

Application Tips:

• Your cover letter can exceed one page, to ensure you are able to provide the detailed information for every qualification. A subject matter expert will be evaluating your details to confirm that you meet the minimum requirements.
• Your résumé should support the details described in your cover letter.

Additional Information

Click here for additional information regarding the following:

• City of Portland Core Values
• Recruitment Process - Work Status
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Veteran Preference
• ADA, Pregnancy, and Religious Accommodations