Equity Director

WASHINGTON UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSIONRespect. Professionalism. Integrity. Accountability.Help protect the consumers of Washington state!Equity DirectorRange of Consideration: The starting salary offer will be determined based on the successful candidates’ qualifications within the salary range of $109,354 – $125,196 annually, Exempt Management Service (EMS) - Band 3.This recruitment is open until Friday, October 17, 2025, at 11:59pm.UTC reserves the right to make a hiring decision and/or choose to close or extend this recruitment at any given time.The Opportunity: The Equity Director plays a critical leadership role in advancing the Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) mission in providing strategic planning and expert guidance to Executive Leadership team and staff on equity centered practices.The director leads the agency in developing, maintaining, and advancing equity and inclusion goals.Hybrid: Although this is a hybrid opportunity, the successful incumbent must reside within Washington state and must be available to report to the Lacey, Washington headquarters building as needed.Travel: Local travel, mostly within Thurston County, is required to attend training and meetings. Travel may be required throughout the state or nation for recruitment or training activities.Who We Are: Our mission is to protect the people of Washington by ensuring that investor-owned utility and transportation services are safe, equitable, available, reliable, and fairly priced.We protect consumers by regulating the rates, services, and practices of private or investor-owned utilities and transportation companies to ensure they are safe, equitable, reliable, and affordable.What We Offer Our Employees:UTC fosters an environment of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, while striving to hire and retain a workforce from the communities we serve.We place importance on a healthy balance between personal and professional lives; offering flexible work schedules, wellness programs, and mobile/telework opportunities.Through the state, our employees (and their families) are offered options for medical, dental, vision and basic life insurance.We offer enrollment into the state retirement programs and a deferred compensation plan.Full-time and part-time employees are entitled to paid holidays and one paid personal holiday per calendar year.Some of what you’ll do:Providing consultation and technical advisement to leadership and staff on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) best practices.Create, implement and monitor the Equity Strategic Plan Develop policies, proposals, and recommend resolutions to support language accessibility and other equity-centered strategies and priorities.They will design training initiatives on various equity-related topics to increase awareness and support of our equity and inclusion values while maintaining compliance with applicable laws.Participates with agency and statewide enterprise level equity and inclusion collaborations on behalf of the agency.Provides leadership and technical expertise serving as a resource on equity, diversity, and disproportionalities for the work force.Provides consultation and guidance in policy reviews for a pro-equity and anti-racist lens.Develops strategies to promote a shared understanding of equity and approaches supporting the organization’s environment; ensuring we foster a culture that is inclusive, innovative, and willing to take risks.Serves as a change agent to provide solutions and resources, and coordinates outreach relationships with community organizations, and collaborative partnership with the Tribes.Provides support to internal employee resource groups by partnering with team members to develop strategies and goals to support their work.Additional duties include, but aren’t limited to the following:Serve as a senior advisor and agency expert to leadership and teams on DEI topics, best practices, and engagement. Provide guidance and resources on integrating DEI commitments into policies and practices.Manage contracts for training and coaching, work with the contract team and HR staff to establish goals for training and coaching.Supervises or leads projects or committees of agency-wide or statewide significance related to DEI initiatives.Assess equity and cultural humility and responsiveness training needs for agency staff and executive leadership.Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:Bachelor’s degree from an institution that can demonstrate accreditation recognized by either the US Dept. of Education, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), or a foreign equivalent in the social sciences, human resources, business or related disciplines, and two years working experience leading, developing, coordinating or implementing projects or programs that focus on diversity and inclusion, equity, employment disparities, social justice, community engagement and/or working with historically marginalized communities or Tribes.OR At least six years’ working experience leading, developing, coordinating or implementing projects or programs that focus on diversity and inclusion, equity, employment disparities, social justice, community engagement and/or working with historically marginalized communities.Knowledge, Skills, and AbilitiesCultural Humility and Responsiveness - this position requires an understanding and appreciation of cultural differences and fosters an inclusive environment that respects diverse perspectives and experiences.Leadership - Strong ability to guide and influence organizational culture and practices, advocate for DEI at all levels, and facilitate munication - Proficient in communicating effectively across all modalities starting with active listening and including DEI goals and strategies clearly and effectively, both internally and externally, fostering dialogue and understanding.Analytical Ability - Expertise in analyzing data related to diversity metrics and outcomes, assessing the effectiveness of DEI initiatives, and identifying areas for improvement.Training and Development– competence in designing and delivering educational programs and workshops to raise awareness and equip employees with necessary DEI skills.Problem Solving Skills– demonstrating strong and effective soft skills including the ability to address challenges and barriers with awareness and sensitivity to the environmental, social, political, and economic challenges of our state’s historically marginalized communities.Desired QualificationsHigh-level of experience working on issues of justice, diversity, inclusion, and equity, including deep awareness and analysis of systems of oppression, power, and privileges, and use of research-based strategies to transform municate clearly and effectively with a variety of audiences with strong written and verbal communication skills (including active listening) to be applied to a broad variety of audiences and situations.Knowledge of and successful implementation of diversity, inclusion, and equity work with diverse groups, teams, and/or organizations.Ability to commit to social change work, energy equity, and environmental justice.Ability to provide leadership and commitment to furthering a vision of supporting diversity, equity and inclusion throughout all aspects of the agency and our work with those we serve within Washington State.Broad knowledge and experience working in high conflict situations and demonstrating sensitivity in navigating and maintaining relationships.How to Apply:Letter of Interest - describing how you meet the position qualifications and why you believe you are the ideal candidate.Resume - detailing your applicable competencies, experience and education.References - At minimum, three (3) professional references with current telephone numbers and email addresses must be included with your application; one (1) contact MUST be your current or most recent supervisor.The State of Washington is an equal opportunity employer. We want to make sure you have an equal opportunity to join our team. Our commitment is making sure current and future employees are treated fairly and equally without regard to age, sex (including gender identity), race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, or religious or political affiliation.For more information about the UTC, please visit: and #J-18808-Ljbffr

Created: 2025-10-06