Associate Director, Diversity Equity & Inclusion Programs

About the Organization - Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy

Since 1981, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (Parks Conservancy) has served as the nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, collaborating with the Presidio Trust, partners, donors, and the community to support the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). The GGNRA stretches across three Bay Area counties north and south of the Golden Gate Bridge and includes iconic places such as Muir Woods National Monument, Fort Point National Historic Site, Alcatraz Island, Crissy Field, Mori Point, Lands End, and the Presidio of San Francisco.

The Parks Conservancy engages at the intersection of national park sites, local communities, social justice, and climate resilience. Collaborating with partners, our staff are dedicated to enhancing public awareness and providing volunteer and educational opportunities in the parks. We are park builders, caretakers, ambassadors and educators, all working to connect people to parks in support of our vision Parks for All Forever. Join us.

About the role – Associate Director, Diversity Equity & Inclusion Programs

Our People and Culture team supports approximately 300 employees across different work sites - office, home-based, field, warehouse, retail - throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The Associate Director, Diversity Equity & Inclusion Programs plays a crucial role in fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. This position is responsible for developing and implementing Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, programs, and trainings that align with the Parks Conservancy’s mission, vision, values and strategic goals. The Associate Director will collaborate closely with the People & Culture team, leadership, and employees at all levels to create a culture where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported. This role requires building relationships with all staff and developing trusted, authentic relationships to foster a strong sense of belonging.

The Associate Director, Diversity Equity & Inclusion Programs reports to the Chief People & Culture Officer and is a primarily internal and employee focused role at the Parks Conservancy.

Your responsibilities will include:

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Programming & Engagement:

• Collaborate with internal and external partners to plan and deliver engaging and impactful activities that promote awareness, understanding, and appreciation of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
• Develop and execute an annual calendar of DEI-related programming, including events, celebrations, and communication campaigns.
• Track progress on Diversity Equity & Inclusion efforts, celebrate achievements and communicate updates to the organization.

Training & Facilitation:

• Research, identify, and help deliver high-quality DEI-related trainings and resources for staff, partners, and volunteers. This includes staying abreast of current best practices and innovative approaches to DEI learning.
• Contribute to the development and integration of Diversity Equity & Inclusion content into existing training curricula, including manager onboarding, leadership development, and other relevant programs.
• Facilitate workshops, dialogues, and learning experiences that encourage critical thinking, empathy, and bridge-building across differences.
• Ensure that all training and facilitation activities are accessible and create a safe and brave space for participants to engage authentically with DEI topics.

Affinity Groups:

• Design and implement a comprehensive program for employee resource groups or affinity groups. This includes providing guidance on group formation, leadership development, and resource allocation.
• Support and empower affinity groups to organize events, provide feedback to the organization, and contribute to a more inclusive environment.

Strategic Planning & Leadership:

• Help to shape the organization's long-term Diversity Equity & Inclusion vision and strategy, which may include chairing the DEI committee.
• Responsible for managing Diversity Equity and Inclusion budget in collaboration with People and Culture leadership team.
• Partner with all staff to develop and lead meaningful staff engagements — including staff retreats and meetings — that strengthen relationships, build culture, and unite staff around mission, strategies, and work plans.

Data & Demographics:

• Partner with the People & Culture Team to revamp the process of staff demographic data collection. This may include reviewing current methods, recommending new tools/systems, and ensuring compliance with relevant data privacy regulations.
• Develop and maintain systems for tracking and reporting on key demographic data. Analyze data to identify trends, progress areas, and improvement opportunities in Diversity Equity & Inclusion initiatives.

External Engagement & Response:

• The Parks Conservancy works in close partnership with National Park Service employees here in the Bay Area. This role will serve as a liaison between the National Park Service and the Parks Conservancy, supporting joint efforts and opportunities to advance Diversity Equity and Inclusion across our organizations.
• Monitor external events and societal trends that have implications for DEI.
• Work with the People & Culture leadership team to develop appropriate responses and engage with employees on relevant external events.

You will have the following skills and qualities:

• • Working for racial, gender, and disability equity: You consistently integrate a deep understanding of key equity concepts into work projects and interactions by addressing implications and impacts of policies, activities, and decisions on race, gender, disability, class, and other group identities. You bring a robust equity analysis to all you do, from self-awareness of your own group identities to the ability to make decisions and coach others to create just outcomes.
  • Advanced equity skills: You have a sophisticated understanding of how systemic inequities impact supervisory relationships, organizational culture, partnerships, and overall work and can demonstrate a history of successfully intervening in problematic dynamics and deepening and institutionalizing a racial justice approach and practices within an organization.
  • Strategic decision-making: You thrive in a rapid growth environment where you quickly press forward with big ideas. However, you understand this often requires recognizing when to step back and create proactive strategic plans that empower your team members. You know how relationships drive the implementation of new systems.
  • Effective collaborator: You've successfully worked across cultural lines on a dispersed team and can operate in complex situations. You can easily gain trust from team members and are known for supporting them to ensure they are set up for success.
  • Emotionally intelligent: You are self-aware and perceptive. You nurture relationships and can work and communicate well with all kinds of people. You are optimistic, empathetic, flexible, curious, and well-respected by all who work with you, irrespective of title.
  • Passion for Parks: A genuine interest in and enthusiasm for the mission of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. This includes an appreciation for the natural environment, cultural heritage, and recreational opportunities offered by our parks.

What You'll Need:

• • 7+ years of overall professional experience, preferably relating to DEI and/or HR.
  • The ability to shift seamlessly between strategic, big-picture thinking and operational, nuts-and-bolts systems building.
  • A track record of embedding equity throughout HR practices, transforming organizations to be inclusive and just, and supporting teams with a rich mix of partners across race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and other group identities.
  • A high capacity to manage one's own emotions and to identify the emotions of others in order to support staff; ability to facilitate challenging and courageous conversations about race/racism, ableism, and other topics.
  • While experience in leading trainings and facilitating difficult conversations is welcome, it is not required. We are seeking candidates who are comfortable being at the front of the room and have a willingness to learn and grow in this area. Mentorship and training opportunities will be provided to support the successful candidate in developing these skills.

Compensation and Location

The Parks Conservancy provides its employees with a competitive salary that is benchmarked with other nonprofit organizations in the Bay Area. Benefits include a competitive suite of medical, dental, and vision plans, up to 3 weeks' paid vacation plus one week of personal days, plus holiday (11) and sick days (12).

This position is full-time, and you must already be based in or willing to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area. This position requires at least 2 days per week onsite (ideally 3), either in office (Fort Mason) or visiting our employees on location at our incredible park sites (for example, Alcatraz, Muir Woods, and Crissy Field).

The starting compensation for this position is a non-negotiable annual salary of $100,000 (Grade 18). To ensure equity across all candidates, we will not negotiate salary with anyone.

Health and Safety:

It is the goal of the Parks Conservancy to create and maintain a safe and healthy workplace. We work to mitigate hazards and risks that may cause harm to employees, consistent with state and federal laws. Employees play an active role in creating a safe and healthy workplace and are expected to comply with all applicable health and safety rules.

Physical Requirements and Work Environments:

• • Work is primarily performed sitting and standing
  • Regularly sits or stands at a desk 6-8 hours per day
  • Walking
  • Reaching
  • Ability to travel to work locations across the San Francisco Bay Area, including Alcatraz, Muir Woods, Golden Gate Bridge, Lands End, Crissy Field, Presidio, and other outdoor worksites.

The Application Process

The Parks Conservancy has engaged Equitable Hiring Group to support this hiring process.

Individuals who apply by Tuesday, January 21st, will be given priority; therefore, we encourage you to submit yours soon!

When you apply, we kindly ask you to remove your schools from your resume. There is no need to reformat your resume and leave your degree as is; simplify it to "B.A. Economics," for example. Just remember to remove any undergraduate and graduate school name references where possible. This "bias-reduced" process is aimed at opening this opportunity to more candidates, reviewing applicants on performance assessments instead of resume proxies (e.g., where you went to school).

This evaluation process will follow practices shown to reduce bias in decision-making and may be different from other application processes you have experienced.

The overall evaluation process will look to follow this anticipated timeline:

• Late January: Selected candidates will be asked to complete a short answer questionnaire.
• Early February: Selected candidates will participate in a video interview with Parks Conservancy staff.
• Mid-February: Selected candidates will be asked to complete a paid, timed trial assignment.
• Late February: Selected candidates will participate in a video panel interview with multiple team members.
• Early March: Selected candidates will be invited to Fort Mason for an in-person meet & greet and a one-on-one interview with the hiring manager.
• Mid-March: Offers will be extended to finalists.

If you have any questions about the opportunity, please email abe@equitablehiringgroup.com.

The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Recruitment, placement, and promotions are conducted without regard to an individual's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical handicap, veteran status or sexual orientation, or any other classification protected by Federal, State, and local laws & ordinances. We will consider qualified candidates with criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.