Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Manager III

Come make a difference and join team Metro! King County Metro seeks an expert race equity practitioner to serve as the Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EIB) Manager III . This position will ensure Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) initiatives within Metro are aligned and integrated with King County's equity goals and approaches. Metro’s EIB team works to deliver on a long-standing vision to become a racially just, equitable and inclusive department. EIB is committed to improving the lives of the workforce by systemically developing and retaining a more diverse and supported workforce and operationalizing belonging at all levels of Metro: leadership, management, and staff. EIB’s Values are: Personal growth and spirit; interdependence and collective liberation; collaboration and solidarity; love and joy; emergency and curiosity; challenging status quo, justice, and humility. This role will continue to refine and deepen the strategic direction of the EIB portfolio of pro-equity tactics and outcomes by continuing to develop and implement the Metro EIB Workplan, supporting the development and implementation of Division Racial Equity Action Plans and build internal coalitions of practitioners and organizers committed to race equity. As the leader of the EIB team, you will actively work to build the capacity of leaders, employees, and partners to create conditions for a healthy and thriving workforce. Position Information This recruitment will be used to fill one (1) Career Service Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Manager III classification vacancy. Who May Apply We are accepting applications from all qualified individuals including current King County employees and the general public. Applying our ACTIVATE values: being Accountable, Collaborative, Timely, and Impactful; how we Value Employees; staying Accessible; building what’s Trusted; and acting Equitably, is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County employees. As an Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Manager III you will: Leadership, Team Management, and Coaching Supervise, support, and develop the members of the EIB team. Provide consultation, coaching, and support for employees and leaders to be innovative and adaptive in providing racially equitable programs and/or services. Ensure work units and teams are informed and empowered to make thoughtful and strategic decisions that support the department’s ESJ goals. Equity Expertise, Conflict Navigation, and Harm Response Deliver high-quality and timely support to leaders and employees experiencing racialized and gendered harm. Facilitate and hold space with leadership and workgroups at Metro to advance racial and gender equity. Advance disability and digital equity by supporting ADA-aligned departmental planning and accountability. Facilitate department-specific trainings and workshops to strengthen outreach, engagement, and equity learning. Identify opportunities to improve equitable access to services, programs, and resources. Strategic Planning, Evaluation, Metrics, and System Improvement Assess the effectiveness of institutional equity goals and advise Metro leadership on identifying the right outcomes. Align departmental equity goals and workplans with countywide values, frameworks and enterprise equity priorities. Conduct Equity Impact Assessments and track department-level equity performance measures. Communicate new/updated programs, policies, and processes to department leadership and employees. Develop and monitor budget to appropriately allocate resources. Relationship-Building, Collaboration, and Stakeholder Engagement Develop trusted and durable relationships with Metro leaders, teams, employees and partners. Provide direct support to Metro’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), Equity Champions, and other emerging employee-led efforts. Establish internal coalitions across and within divisions with Metro partners such as Organizational Health, EEO, Labor, and Human Resources to advance enterprise-wide goals. Collaborate with internal and external partners to cultivate a culture that prioritizes equitable, inclusive and just outcomes for all communities. Lead community engagement efforts to identify service barriers and strengthen equitable access. Partner with department leadership and human resources to drive ESJ action plans throughout the department. We are looking for candidates who have Preferably a minimum of seven years of increasingly responsible experience in racial equity, social justice, organizational development, or a related field, including three years of leadership or supervisory experience OR a combination of education, training, professional experience, and/or community or lived experience that provides the equivalent background required to perform the work of this position. Excellent organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage complex and multi-disciplinary projects to completion. Knowledge and demonstrated experience with change management methodology, facilitation, and conflict resolution. Possession of a high level of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and an ongoing engagement to self-exploration related to race, power, and privilege, including performing a power analysis. Aptitude to navigate through challenging situations with honesty, tact and diplomacy, while fostering a meaningful engagement. Strong critical thinking skills with the ability to analyze power, identify manifestations of racism and oppression, and support leadership growth areas. Demonstrated experience dismantling institutionalized racist practices in a community, business, government, or political setting. Facilitation, mediation, and conflict resolution skills with a specific focus on racialized conflict. Experience creating processes and systems to document, report, and monitor equitable outcomes. Strong analytical skills, including quantitative and qualitative analysis with the ability to translate metrics, research, and trends into strategy and improvement opportunities. Imagination and demonstrated creativity to develop and support new processes that complement more equitable outputs and outcomes. Ability to clearly communicate new and updated programs, policies, and processes to diverse audiences, ensuring understanding across all levels of the organization. Demonstrated ability to work with diverse individuals with varying opinions and backgrounds and handle politically sensitive inquiries. Experience working with a diversity of stakeholders, such as unions, elected officials, leadership and workers. Skill in communicating effectively with employees to inspire culture change regarding communities who have historically been harmed, neglected, or excluded. Experience engaging and involving historically marginalized employees in leadership development and organizing for change. Experience in budget development and resource allocation, including monitoring expenditure and aligning financial decisions with organizational equity goals. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 including Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, and OneDrive. Highly competitive candidates will have (desired, but not required) Knowledge of King County’s Equity Inclusion and Belonging Principles, concepts, and the ESJ Strategic Plan. Knowledge of King County Metro’s workforce, operations, mission, and policies; ideally with experience in equity, inclusion and/or social justice initiatives. Evidence of prior leadership that notably impacted systems of oppression and/or institutional racism. Professional experience in a non-profit or public organization. Knowledge and experience navigating a unionized environment. Other Position Information Work Location This position requires a minimum of 3 days per week onsite to support team collaboration, coaching, and in-person leadership presence, consistent with King County Metro's hybrid work expectations for supervisory roles. The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson, Seattle, Washington 98104. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. Work Schedule The position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not overtime eligible. The typical workweek is 40 hours per week, Monday – Friday. Union Representation The position is not represented by a union. Class Code 2323300 - EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING MANAGER III Safety Responsibilities for Managers Fully support Metro Transit’s Safety Policy and its proper implementation. Create a positive safety culture where employees are engaged in safety practices and processes. Resolve hazards and safety concerns within their purview. Ensure that SMS is implemented and executed within their area(s) of responsibility. Ensure that performance of SMS is measured and documented in all areas. Needs necessary for employees to perform job duties are communicated to the Accountable Executive and considered in resource requests. Provide time necessary for employees to receive sufficient training. Establish accountability and corrective actions. King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here. King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age except by minimum age and retirement provisions, pregnancy, status as a family caregiver, parental status, marital status, military status or status as a veteran who was honorably discharged or who was discharged solely as a result of the person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, citizenship or immigration status, genetic information, or other protected class. However, to the extent that distinction or differential treatment on the basis of citizenship or immigration status is authorized by either federal or state law, regulation, or government contract, it is not an unfair practice. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation. #J-18808-Ljbffr King-County,-W