About the Opportunity
The City of Gainesville’s Equal Opportunity Charter Office exists to ensure that our city is fair and empowering to the full diversity of its citizens.
The Equal Opportunity Director leads and directs the City’s efforts related to improving workforce diversity and inclusion; diversity awareness; affirmative action; access to appropriate City services, programs, and activities; and other programs that support equal opportunity and cultural diversity. The E. O. Director will be responsible for maintaining an effective relationship with other charter offices, elected officials, the community, and other key stakeholder groups.
The Office of Equal Opportunity is responsible for receiving and investigating complaints of discrimination alleging unlawful practices in employment, housing, credit or public accommodations within Gainesville's city limits.
The City of Gainesville has a council/manager form of government with a directly elected mayor. The Equal Opportunity Director is one of six charter officers appointed by, and serving at the will of, the City Commission. The other Charter Officers include: City Manager, General Manager for Utilities, City Auditor, City Attorney, and Clerk of the Commission.
Experience and Education:
Graduation from an accredited four year college or university with major course work in an area which prepares individuals for successful organizational leadership, along with at least 10 years experience in Equal Opportunity, Equal Opportunity Law, Diversity Management, Affirmative Action, Human Resources, Employee Relations, Community Organizing, Social Justice, Education, or a related area preferred. A Master’s Degree or Law Degree is a plus.
Previous experience in developing and implementing EO programs in a large organization; knowledge of Federal and State Statutes and regulations governing EO/AA and other relevant programs; and familiarity with unionized workforces and collective bargaining agreements is preferred.
Our ideal candidate:
• Has demonstrated progressive community leadership by engaging the community in problem identification and leading the development of creative and effective solutions.
• Is a very strong communicator, both internally and externally; is approachable and comfortable communicating with individuals at all levels, across the organization, and throughout the community.
• Embraces diversity beyond traditionally protected classes, including marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability, or gender identity.
• Has demonstrated vision in strategically moving organizations and communities forward using creative and entrepreneurial techniques.
• Has demonstrated creative and effective solutions in achieving educational equity and encouraging economic development that touches all parts of the community.
• Has strong consulting and influencing skills, and ability to work in a highly matrixed environment.
• Has proven success in leading culture change by understanding organizational needs and constraints, identifying and leveraging best practices, and benchmarking against internal and external success measures.
• Has proven ability to conduct needs assessments, develop and implement customized programs/solutions, and to define and measure success of complex organizational interventions.
Compensation and Benefits:
Compensation will be based on education and experience. We offer excellent traditional benefits such as health insurance, life insurance, paid leave, a pension plan and a deferred compensation plan, plus we offer unique benefits such as an on-site medical staff to save employees time and money by preventing trips to the doctor, and wellness programs to keep our employees healthy and happy.
The Equal Opportunity Department:
For more information about our Equal Opportunity Department, including our Mission, Policies, Affirmative Action Plan, Frequently Asked Questions, etc., visit us on-line at
http://www.CityofGainesville.org, choose “Government” and then select “Equal Opportunity”.