Director of the City Manager's Office of Racial and Social Equity

About the role

The City of San José seeks a forward-thinking, results-driven executive who brings both a bold vision and a pragmatic approach to advancing racial and social equity in a complex municipal environment. The ideal candidate understands that today’s equity work requires not only commitment, but measurable impact translating values into sustained systems change, operational excellence, and improved outcomes for communities.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and evaluate equity-focused strategies, policies, or programs with clear, measurable outcomes.
• Embed equity into core government functions such as budgeting, policy development, and service delivery.
• Use data, performance metrics, and evaluation frameworks to drive accountability and continuous improvement.
• Engage and build trust with diverse communities, including immigrant and refugee populations, people with disabilities, and translate community voice into policy and practice.
• Influence executive leadership, align departments, and operationalize equity across systems.
• Navigate complex stakeholder environments and competing priorities, serving as a trusted advisor and thought partner to executive leadership.
• Lead organizational change at scale, including fostering an inclusive, high-performing workforce and advancing equity within the City organization itself.

Requirements

This position requires a deep understanding of the regional and local landscape, including the intersections of race, immigration, disability, gender, and various inequities. Experience embedding equity into core government functions such as budgeting, policy development, and service delivery is essential. Strong data and performance metrics skills are required, along with the ability to engage and build trust with diverse communities.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in municipal government, nonprofit, or related field.
• A proven track record of designing, implementing, and evaluating equity-focused strategies, policies, or programs with clear, measurable outcomes.
• A demonstrated ability to embed equity into core government functions such as budgeting, policy development, and service delivery.
• Experience using data, performance metrics, and evaluation frameworks to drive accountability and continuous improvement.
• Experience engaging and building trust with diverse communities, including immigrant and refugee populations, people with disabilities, and translating community voice into policy and practice.
• Experience influencing executive leadership, aligning departments, and operationalizing equity across systems.
• Ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments and competing priorities, serving as a trusted advisor and thought partner to executive leadership.
• Experience leading organizational change at scale, including fostering an inclusive, high-performing workforce and advancing equity within the City organization itself.

Skills

• Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a diverse and inclusive environment.
• Experience with data analysis and performance metrics.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills.

Benefits

The City of San José offers an attractive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive defined benefit retirement plan with full reciprocity with CalPERS.
• Health Insurance – The City contributes 90% towards the premium for the lowest-priced non-deductible plan.
• Dental Insurance – The City contributes 100% of the premium of the lowest-priced plan for the lowest-priced plan.

Pay

The annual salary range for this position is $211,592 - $342,739. Placement within this range will be dependent upon the qualifications and experience of the individual selected.

Schedule

The City of San José offers a flexible schedule to accommodate the needs of the employee and the department.