Program Manager / Director for Gender Equity in Infrastructure

Location: Washington DC (Remote) | San Francisco, CA (Hybrid)

The Opportunity

The Program Manager or Director for Gender Equity in Infrastructure will lead ERA’s work managing and coordinating national, state, and local workforce equity initiatives designed to ensure the recruitment and retention of women, and especially women of color, on projects funded by federal infrastructure funds.

The Manager/Director will work with a wide variety of stakeholders at the federal, state and local level (government agencies and officials/policy makers, nonprofits, labor and related affiliates, and industry contractors and subcontractors) to advance an equity and inclusion agenda in these infrastructure investments. The Manager/Director will also provide technical assistance to ERA’s national, state, and local gender justice partners and oversee/direct/manage ERA’s day-to-day equity in infrastructure work. This newly created role will report to ERA’s National Legal Director.

The Manager/Director will have the following major responsibilities:

• Engage and represent ERA with a diverse set of federal, state, and local stakeholders to advocate for and track the implementation of equity principles on federally funded infrastructure projects around the country.
• Represent ERA and lead ERA’s work in various equity in infrastructure coalitions.
• Conduct research on targeted projects funded by federal infrastructure funds to find and follow the flow of money and contracts on these projects, including tracking project status and the investment of outside public and private funds.
• Identify and recruit local organizations and nonprofits with a gender-focused mission to join committees and working groups addressing equity in community infrastructure.
• Help ERA state and local nonprofits partners identify opportunities to provide input on and advocate for equity.
• Identify key decision makers and facilitate connections for ERA’s state and local nonprofit partners with these decision makers.
• Identify needs for, coordinate, and provide technical assistance to support equity-focused policies and practices for ERA partners and key stakeholders. This may include guidance on preventing gender and racial discrimination, improving recruitment and retention of women and women of color, promoting respectful workplaces, and equitable practices in recruitment, unions, and government contracting.
• Identify opportunities to engage in the Project Labor Agreement / Community Benefits Agreement negotiation process and help ERA state and local partners advocate for good equity language in the same.
• Advocate for access to hiring, hours worked, and retention data by demographics, contracts and related documents. This may include submitting and advocating for federal and state Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
• Conduct research to identify problem contractors and subcontractors, document and share issues with relevant stakeholders, and, when necessary, facilitate referrals for legal enforcement.
• Identify and work with ERA’s communication team to memorialize success stories, and, as needed, engage with the media.
• Coordinate and collaborate to create/develop resources (policy briefs, fact sheets, talking points, toolkits), speak at public events, and participate in/host meetings to share information about equity in infrastructure, including best practices and lessons learned.
• Prepare reports for funders demonstrating ERA’s impact advancing gender equity in infrastructure, and assist in identifying opportunities for and securing funding (including federal, local and state) for ERA and its local gender justice partners.
• Negotiate, draft and manage consulting contracts and memorandums of understanding on ERA’s behalf, and help manage ERA’s re-granting process.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:

• At least 10 years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated evidence of excellent collaboration and coordination skills with a diverse set of national, state, and local stakeholders, including government agencies and officials/policy makers, nonprofits, labor and related affiliates, industry contractors and subcontractors.
• History of successful advocacy for equitable workplace and/or workforce policies.
• Knowledge of policies and best practices related to women and workforce development, women in male-dominated careers, equal employment opportunity, programs that build economic security for women, and/or gender equity.
• Experience in one or more of the following: workforce development programs, equal employment opportunity initiatives, programs to build economic security for women and other underserved populations.
• Strong and creative research skills required, with the previous use of government information request vehicles (e.g., FOIA) being a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Great judgment and political acumen.
• Strong history of complex project management experience.
• Ability to effectively digest, manage and communicate a great deal of detailed, complex information.
• Demonstrated experience developing presentations and publications.
• Ability to take initiative and to work both independently and collaboratively on multiple projects and tasks, prioritizing multiple responsibilities and meeting deadlines and deliverables with precision and accuracy.
• Commitment to and passion for ERA’s mission of gender justice.
• Willingness to work outside of traditional work hours and to travel up to 25% of the time.
• Candidate must have a valid authorization to work in the United States. ERA is unable to sponsor work visas. ERA will also not provide relocation assistance.

Compensation & Benefits

The Program Manager/Director of Gender Equity in Infrastructure position has a salary range of $110,000-150,000. The specific title and salary will depend on the candidate’s years and depth of experience.

ERA offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical and dental plan options and employer-paid life and disability insurance benefits. Voluntary benefits include vision insurance, life and accidental insurance, critical illness and pre-tax flexible spending account. ERA also offers a generous 403b match with 100% vesting from the first day of participation. Employees also receive a generous amount of sick and vacation leave as well as additional seniority-based leave every 5 years of employment.

About ERA

Equal Rights Advocates (ERA) is a national civil rights leader mobilizing the power of women for gender, racial, and economic justice to build just workplaces for women, especially women of color. ERA’s efforts focus on law reform, narrative change, and strategic enforcement.

ERA also leads Equal Pay Today, a nationwide network of organizations focused on eradicating the long-standing gender wage gap impacting the economic security of women, families, and communities of color. This wage gap contributes to the long-term economic insecurity of women and families. Women lose up to $400,000 over the course of their careers, and this wage gap keeps women in the cycle of poverty. ERA is seizing an extraordinary moment to propel this work forward.

The recent passage of the most transformative federal economic legislation in a generation - The Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will disburse trillions of dollars into states and local governments across the country. This has the potential to create millions of good jobs and reshape the American workforce. All three of these laws seek to make these new jobs accessible to women and people of color, and most of the opportunities will be in industries long dominated by men. ERA is leveraging its decades of experience to ensure that these investments create high-quality jobs for all working people and do not leave women behind.

ERA’s home base is in San Francisco, California, with team members also located in Washington D.C. and other locations. For more information on Equal Rights Advocates, please visit its website.

How to Apply

Please submit a résumé, cover letter (addressed to the Hiring Manager, Melvina Ford) describing your interest in this particular position by clicking APPLY. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please note that final round candidates will be asked to provide professional references.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

ERA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer that will consider all applications equally without regard to sex, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, medical condition, religion, sexual orientation, differing ability, veteran status, marital status, arrest or conviction record, or any other characteristic protected by law. Applicants with differing abilities will be reasonably accommodated during the search process. If you need an accommodation during the hiring process, let us know.

ERA’s Equal Opportunity Employer Policy applies to all aspects and phases of employment. Through this commitment, ERA strives daily to maintain an equitable and accessible work environment that is supportive to all and free from discrimination.