Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Justice and Inclusion- American Rivers (Washington, D.C)

JOB SUMMARY:
The Diversity, Equity, Justice and Inclusion VP (DEJI VP) is an integral member of the American Rivers team, serving the Diversity, Equity, Justice and Inclusion Staff Committee (the Committee), Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Board Committee (Board Committee) and the organization. DEJI Director is responsible for providing strategic guidance and implementation activities for the organization’s diversity, equity and inclusion plan and initiatives through their role in leading the Committee, staffing the Board Committee and advising American Rivers’ CEO and Executive Team. They play an important role in inspiring enthusiasm and momentum in American Rivers’ work to cultivate diversity, promote equity, and foster inclusion.
This is a full-time, exempt position that facilitates cross-programmatic DEJI teaming opportunities for staff across the organization, as well as leadership opportunities for staff outside of the traditional program and/or departmental structure. The DEJI VP reports to the President and CEO of American Rivers.

This position requires collaboration and a commitment to modeling inclusion, justice, and equity. The DEJI VP will, (i) Chair and provide leadership to the Staff Committee on specific issues; (ii) work directly in collaboration with the Staff and Board Committees in their roles in the implementation of the DEJI plan; (iii) in consultation with the Staff Committee, act as the spokesperson for the Staff Committee; (iv) at the request of the Staff Committee and/or the CEO, act as an intermediary between the Staff Committee and the CEO; (v) provide advice and counsel on issues related to DEJI to the CEO or other staff; and (vi) serve as a bridge between the DEJI work of the Staff and Board Committees.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES
STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP
• Work with American Rivers’ leadership to play a key role in setting the strategic direction of the organization’s work in general and on diversity, equity, and inclusion, identifying new workstreams and partners.
• Promote American Rivers’ DEJI priorities within the organization and with external groups and partners, encouraging staff to develop diverse coalitions and partnerships and partners across the field.
• Identify topics for American Rivers’ work products regarding diversity, equity and inclusion, including white papers, analyses, and other written material, and play a lead role in co-authoring, editing, and recruiting contributing authors.
• Work with the Conservation Policy and Government Relations team to provide insights and recommendations on legislative and regulatory issues impacting American Rivers’ DEJI agenda.
• Provide strategic leadership in the implementation of the organization’s DEJI plan.
• Develop opportunities for the entire organization to engage in the advancement of DEJI work– for example, develop workgroups that convene participants from across the organization.
• Provide strategic oversight of the organization’s diversity work both inside and outside the organization, catalyzing and facilitating organizational culture change and providing key leadership around the development of internal culture and policies on DEJI learning and compliance.

ROUTINE DUTIES
• Work closely with the fundraising team to meet existing funder commitments and develop avenues for new growth.
• Represent American Rivers in relevant convenings with the public, media, and other outside groups and individuals.
• Work with the American Rivers’ Board Committee and DEJI to coordinate implementation of the organizational DEI plan.
• Develop and manage a comprehensive portfolio of relationships among external diversity-related organizations, especially those in the environmental advocacy field.
• Work with relevant staff to harmonize training and development with recruitment, retention and advancement goals for broader success in diversity and inclusion outcomes.
• Serve as an enthusiastic leader with a demonstrated commitment to DEJI.
• Act as a point of contact for organization-wide DEJI work and inquiries, including fielding internal and external requests for review, feedback, surveys and other requests related to DEJI.
• Partner with Human Resources, serving in an advisory capacity on tools used for recruitment, retention and performance management.
• Coordinate budgeting and management of DEJI-specific revenue and expenditures, as needed.
• Work with the DEJI Committee to track and report progress on DEJI metrics and outcomes on a biannual basis for board and staff with periodic comparisons to the census data.
• Serve the DEJI Committee by scheduling and facilitating meetings, circulating notes/updates to the Committee and staff, and maintaining DEJI files in Sharefile.
• Work with staff to ensure that management and equity/inclusion approaches are unified and inclusive.
• Serve as the main point of contact with DEJI consultants, as needed.
• Coordinate and support the overall functioning and collaboration of DEJI subcommittees.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
• Pragmatic problem-solver
• Experience and in-depth knowledge of the racial justice, environmental and climate justice, equity and social movements
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and successfully achieve intended outcomes Strong research, writing and oral presentation skills
• Exceptional communication skills and demonstrated ability to find common ground among diverse perspectives
• Ability to work in an evidence-based organizational environment
• Six+ years of relevant professional work experience
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
• Passion for leading a diverse staff and a commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive work culture
• Willingness to implement a strategy and approach, with the ability to recognize the need to course-correct as necessary
• Current knowledge of best practices in promoting an inclusive workplace, including effective approaches to recruitment and retention
• An advanced degree in a related field or equivalent experience in a related discipline
• An understanding of, and a deep appreciation for, the mission and day-to-day work of American Rivers, as well as an understanding of the challenges faced by the environmental field, both internally and externally
• High tolerance for experimentation, and the ability to learn from failure
Salary is commensurate with experience based on experience, education, work history and professional skills. American Rivers offers an outstanding benefits package to all its full-time employees, including generous vacation time, health and dental insurance, 403(b) retirement plan, and pre-tax transportation, medical expense and child-care accounts. Please note this is a summary of our benefits; for more detailed information please refer to the full policies or contact the Human Resources department.
American Rivers is an Equal Opportunity Employer. AR does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by the law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications and merit.