Chief of Equal Employment Opportunity

About the role

The Chief of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) oversees and implements policies and procedures related to EEO, affirmative action (AA), and non-discrimination in the workplace. Serving as NJ TRANSIT’s designated EEO/AA Officer, this role has direct access to the President and Chief Executive Officer on EEO/AA compliance matters. The Chief ensures NJ TRANSIT maintains systems promoting compliance with federal and state laws, investigates complaints of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, develops and delivers compliance training, and collaborates with management and Human Resources to foster a fair and inclusive work environment.

Responsibilities

• Serves as NJ TRANSIT’s designated EEO and AA Officer with direct access to the President and CEO regarding EEO/AA compliance, investigations, and risks.
• Develops and implements corporate-wide strategies to ensure compliance with federal and state employment discrimination, EEO, AA, religious reasonable-accommodation, and anti-retaliation laws.
• Coordinates with officials responsible for Title VI, transportation accessibility, and other civil-rights programs while maintaining accountability for employment EEO/AA functions.
• Acts as NJ TRANSIT’s representative and spokesperson for civil rights and AA issues with regulatory agencies, committees, trade associations, and community organizations.
• Prepares, reviews, and certifies EEO/AA programs, reports, audit responses, corrective-action plans, workforce analyses, and regulatory submissions.
• Ensures EEO/AA goals are integrated into NJ TRANSIT’s mission and strategic plans, monitoring progress without establishing unlawful quotas or preferences.
• Collaborates with HR and departments to evaluate recruitment, outreach, selection procedures, and workforce development for inclusivity.
• Reviews and provides documented concurrence or nonconcurrence for all external hires and internal promotions before final offers or personnel actions.
• Maintains current knowledge of EEO/AA laws and advises officials on implications for NJ TRANSIT policies and practices.
• Directs an impartial, timely, and thorough internal EEO complaint and investigation program covering discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and failure to accommodate.
• Oversees responses to EEO/AA complaints, audits, and litigation, coordinating with the Office of the Attorney General, HR, and other departments while preserving investigative independence.
• Recommends and monitors remedial and corrective-action plans arising from complaints, investigations, or systemic concerns.
• Provides guidance to executive management, supervisors, and employees on EEO/AA compliance, nondiscriminatory practices, and workplace risk.
• Develops, delivers, and monitors EEO/AA, anti-discrimination, harassment-prevention, and related training for management and employees, evaluating effectiveness.
• Directs the EEO Department’s personnel, budget, case assignments, consultants, training, data systems, and strategic priorities.
• Facilitates mediation and voluntary resolution processes without compromising investigative independence or legal requirements.
• Develops and implements NJ TRANSIT’s EEO policy statement and written EEO Program in compliance with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirements.
• Assists in collecting and analyzing workforce, hiring, and promotion data to identify areas for corrective action, set goals, and develop programs.
• Designs and monitors internal audit systems to measure program effectiveness and progress.
• Reviews nondiscrimination plans with managers and supervisors to ensure policy understanding.
• Concurrently approves hiring and promotion processes.
• Periodically reviews employment practices, complaint policies, reasonable accommodation policies, and union agreements with HR.
• Reports semiannually to the President and CEO on departmental progress, contractor compliance, and systemic concerns.
• Serves as liaison between NJ TRANSIT, regulatory agencies, and community groups representing protected classes.
• Investigates EEO discrimination complaints, including harassment, retaliation, and failure to accommodate.
• Provides EEO training for employees and managers and advises on training and professional development opportunities.
• Audits EEO policy postings to ensure compliance and updates.
• Oversees NJ TRANSIT’s reasonable-accommodation process for consistency and compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Labor Relations, Public Administration, Business Administration, Business Administration Law, Compliance, Organizational Management, or a related field.
• A Juris Doctor, master’s degree, or relevant advanced professional certification is preferred but not required.
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible experience in EEO/AA, civil-rights compliance, employment investigations, employment law, or workplace compliance, including at least five years of managerial experience.
• Experience in a public agency, transportation organization, federally funded recipient, large unionized employer, or complex multi-location organization is strongly preferred.

Skills

• Advanced knowledge of federal and state EEO, anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, anti-retaliation, AA, and reasonable-accommodation laws, including FTA requirements.
• Ability to preserve investigative independence, neutrality, and confidentiality while collaborating with HR, legal, and leadership teams.
• Strong leadership, management, organizational, analytical, conflict-resolution, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to manage multiple complex and sensitive matters, meet deadlines, and respond to urgent issues.
• Excellent written and oral communication, interpersonal, presentation, and reasoning skills for interacting with executive leadership, regulators, and stakeholders.
• High degree of professional integrity, impartiality, discretion, and commitment to confidentiality and due process.

This Position Supervises

• Sr Director EEO/AA, Investigation
• Sr Director EEO/AA, Compliance Training
• Executive Assistant II
• Additional investigative or training personnel as assigned

Benefits

• Retirement Plans:
  • 401(a) - Retirement plan with a 6% employer contribution
  • 401(k) - Retirement savings plan with up to a 3% company match
  • 457(b) - Deferred Savings Plan

This position is subject to Executive Order No. 2 (Murphy, Jan. 17, 2018), requiring annual filing and public posting of a Financial Disclosure Statement (FDS).