Human Services Racial Equity Manager

Boulder County strives to uphold its Guiding Values and  Strategic Priorities (Download PDF reader)  as an organization. The Boulder County Department of Human Services (BCDHS) is committed to advancing racial equity across its programs, services, and culture. We are seeking a Racial Equity Manager to lead, develop, and coordinate efforts to enhance racial equity throughout the department. This role will work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to ensure racial equity is embedded in all areas of our work, from program design and delivery to internal policies and practices. The Human Services Racial Equity Manager position will report directly to the Director of Human Services and act as a member of the BCDHS Leadership Team.

This is a full-time, benefited position. Work schedule is Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, with flexibility available. Remote work is supported outside of required in-person weekly meetings at our office locations in Boulder, Lafayette, and Longmont.  Under FLSA guidelines, this position is exempt from overtime. 
Boulder County requires its employees to reside in the state of Colorado as of the first day of work. 

2025 Classification Range: $101,868.00 -$146,724 .00

Tentative Hiring Timeline: 

• First Round Interviews: Week of January 27th

New employees receive an 80-hour bank of vacation at the time of hire, in addition to 8 hours of both vacation and medical leave accruals each month (Must not have been employed at Boulder County during the 12 months prior to re-hire date to qualify). Boulder County offers bountiful benefits, including pension contributions. 

Boulder County employees may qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Visit studentaid.gov for more information.

Examples of Duties

Top Priorities:

• Leading Implementation of Racial Equity Policies and Goals: In collaboration with BCDHS ensure integration and continuity of racial equity policies and goals across the department.  
• Providing Training and Education: In collaboration with the county’s Office of Racial Equity, coordinate ongoing training for staff to build racial equity knowledge and competency.
• Consulting with Teams and Divisions: Providing expert guidance to ensure racial equity is considered in all aspects of program design, implementation, and evaluation.

Key Qualities:

• Courage & Humility: Ability to address difficult issues, receive and give critical feedback, and center the voices of those most impacted by systemic inequities.
• Communication:  Excellent communication, deep listening and facilitation skills.
• Collaboration: A strong collaborator who can build and maintain strategic relationships across diverse groups.
• Emotional Intelligence: Ability to navigate complex emotional situations with empathy, understanding, and a focus on collective growth.
• Adaptability: Capacity for adaptive leadership, able to adjust strategies to address emerging challenges in racial equity work.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership & Strategic Planning:
  • In collaboration with BCDHS leadership team and staff, lead the development and implementation of racial equity strategies within BCDHS that align with the county’s equity goals. 
  • As an integral part of the BCDHS Leadership Team, helps to facilitate agency-wide direction on racial equity issues, ensuring that racial equity is integrated into decision-making processes across the department.
  • Guide the department in conducting racial equity assessments to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement, including making budget recommendations regarding racial equity work.
• Collaboration and Alignment
  • Collaborate closely with Boulder County’s Office of Racial Equity (ORE) to align BCDHS philosophy, policies, and practices to ORE.
  • Participate in ORE’s initiatives to further racial equity across the county (10-20 hours/monthly). Including, Racial Equity Community of Practice, Ambassador Programming, Healing-Centered Spaces, Racial Equity Feedback Sessions, Below the Line, Racial Affinity Groups.
  • Partner with Boulder County Human Resources to help develop and implement equitable hiring, recruitment, and retention practices within BCDHS.
  • Partner with all BCDHS racial equity groups, committees, and councils to align work to support the broader racial equity goals for BCDHS and the county.  
• Training & Capacity Building:
  • In collaboration with the Office of Racial Equity, coordinate and create implementation plans for comprehensive training and education on racial equity to staff, ensuring continuous learning and growth in this critical area.
  • Co-create shared definitions related to race equity work. 
  • Facilitate dialogue, and workshops related to racial equity.
  • Champion county-adopted racial equity tools and processes including Racial Equity Impact Assessment Tools and panels.
  • Willingness to engage with Courageous Conversations about Race, Beyond Diversity, GARE, Whiteness at Work and other race equity trainings. 
  • Pursue CCAR Racial Equity Practitioner Training certificate.
  • Partnering with HR and Human Services staff to advocate for, support implementation, and provide input on restorative processes for addressing racial harm within the workplace. 
• Data-Driven Decision Making:
  • Promote the disaggregation of data by race to better assess and address disparities in program outcomes.
  • Collaborate with the department and data and performance manager to develop metrics and benchmarks to track progress on racial equity goals.
• Community Engagement:
  • Build and maintain strong partnerships with community stakeholders, particularly those from under-served communities, to ensure their voices and perspectives are included in decision-making processes.
  • Serve as a liaison between the department and external racial equity organizations, sharing best practices and resources.
• Capacity Building
  • Partner with the Office of Racial Equity and help to lead efforts within Human Services to build staff capacity and leadership to support cross-departmental racial equity work.
• Performs related duties as required.
• May be reassigned in emergency situations.

Required Qualifications

PLEASE NOTE: When completing your application describe all relevant education and experience, as applications are assessed based on the required qualifications listed. Resumes and other attachments are not accepted in lieu of completed applications and will not be reviewed in the initial screening process. Any personally identifiable information (PII) such as name and address will be redacted from applications that meet the minimum screening requirements and are forwarded to the hiring manager. If the hiring manager selects you to advance in the hiring process, your attachments will then be shared with the hiring team.
 
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:
Boulder County is looking for well qualified candidates to fill our positions. Any combination of relevant education and experience is encouraged. In this position, we are looking for a minimum of 

• 6 years of combined education and professional experience in racial equity, social justice, or related fields. 

• Commitment to Racial Equity: Deep understanding and analysis of systemic racism and commitment to working towards dismantling it across institutional, interpersonal, and internalized forms.

• Demonstrated experience leading organizational change, particularly related to racial equity and inclusion efforts.

BACKGROUND CHECK :

• A job offer is contingent on passing a background investigation

Supplemental Information

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

1. An ideal candidate will possess the following attributes, known as cultural capital: 
   • Aspirational capital - the ability to maintain hopes and dreams for the future, even in the face of real and perceived barriers. 
   • Linguistic capital - includes the intellectual and social skills attained through communication experiences in more than one language and/or style. 
   • Familial capital - refers to an understanding of community history and context and cultural practices and traditions. 
   • Social capital - can be understood as networks of people and community resources. These peer and other social contacts can provide both instrumental and emotional support to navigate through society’s institutions.
2. Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred
3.  This position requires a high degree of sensitivity and understanding of cross-sectionality and specific barriers that prevent access and engagement by people who are BIPOC, people who are LBGTQ+, living with disabilities, or whose first language may be a language other than English.
4. Experience analyzing racialized data and applying it to support advancement of racial equity initiatives and decision-making.
5. Prior experience in policy development, organizational development, or adaptive leadership in the context of racial equity.

Boulder County is a workplace dedicated to supporting individuals and families of all types and to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and respectful environment for all employees. We prohibit unlawful discrimination against applicants and employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.