Director

Overview

The Director of Supplier Diversity will manage the Department of Supplier Diversity (DSD), a department within the Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Cabinet. They will work closely with the Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion and will collaborate with representatives from the Administration and Finance Cabinet, including the Procurement, Auditing, and Budget departments, to implement reforms to the City’s procurement processes as well as develop initiatives that create opportunities for small, minority-, women-, and other disadvantaged-owned businesses to bid on City contracts, hold City departments accountable to achieving MBE and WBE utilization goals, and promulgate standards and best practices for equitable procurement such that the City achieves its aspirational goals. The Director will oversee the staff of the Supplier Diversity Program and the central staff of DSD, which includes the Deputy Director, the Deputy Director of Administration and Finance, and the Deputy Director of Certification.

The ideal person will be a strong project manager as well as a self-starter who is able to work independently and creatively with confidence and a strong passion for economic equity. They must be high-energy, action-oriented, results-driven, a problem solver, humble and collaborative, and unapologetically committed to social justice and economic opportunity for all communities across the City of Boston.

A successful Director of Supplier Diversity will execute the following roles and responsibilities as well as other duties as assigned:

Responsibilities

Overall Responsibilities

• Advise the Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion on policy issues related to supplier diversity and equitable procurement strategies.
• When relevant, attend high-level meetings with or on behalf of the Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion and business owners, residents, advocates, and other key stakeholders to support access to City contracting opportunities for small, local, MBEs, WBEs, and DBEs.
• Support the Supplier Diversity Program Manager and staff in directing the implementation of the Supplier Diversity Plan.
• Work with the Deputy Director of Administration and Finance to develop and submit an annual budget for the Department, including requests for new investments.
• Remain abreast of relevant legislation or changes to laws and regulations that affect the delivery of critical services provided by the Department of Supplier Diversity.
• Work with the Deputy Director of Administration and Finance to fill critical roles within the Department.
• Foster a workplace culture of inclusivity, respect, teamwork, and excellence.
• Perform related work as required.

Program Delivery

• Engage in strategic planning such that the Department both meets goals set forth in an Executive Order Promoting Equity in Public Procurement (2016) and An Executive Order Establishing Equitable Procurement Goals in Support of Minority and Woman-Owned Businesses (2021).
• Collaborate with representatives from the Administration and Finance Cabinet and the Procurement, Auditing, and Budget departments to advance reforms to the City’s procurement processes, including but not limited to areas such as process reengineering, organizational change management, policy development, and implementation.
• Administer the Contracting Opportunity Fund program and ensure it supports the Department in meeting its goals.
• Collaborate with representatives from the Procurement Department to develop specific goals for city contracts and city departments that will help the City achieve its overall aspirational goals.

Progress Tracking

• Work with policy staff to track and produce analytical research about local issues and national trends to inform decision-making on supplier diversity and workforce diversity issues.
• Develop relevant metrics to track, evaluate, and measure the effectiveness and impact of new and existing programs, projects, and initiatives.
• Prepare and submit regular and ad hoc reports on the status of active programs, projects, and initiatives.

Minimum Entrance Qualifications

The City of Boston recruits self-organized and self-motivated people who are passionate about transformative leadership and solving problems and who have a strong commitment to creating economic equity across all communities. A successful team member will possess most or all of the following:

Experience

• At least seven (7) years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, professional work experience in communications, policy implementation, business development, workforce development, marketing, or a related field.
• A bachelor’s degree in public administration, management, communications, marketing, or a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required experience. A master’s degree in the above-listed fields is preferred but not required.

Knowledge

• Familiarity with state and local government operations, processes, and organizational structure, including but not limited to the strong-mayor/city council form of government, Commonwealth of Massachusetts legislative process, and Massachusetts General Laws concerning procurements.
• Strong passion for economic equity, the Cabinet’s mission, and eliminating the racial wealth gap.
• Creative and strategic thinking.
• Demonstrated knowledge of city services preferred.
• Knowledge and ease of working on small and entrepreneurial teams.

Skills

• A self-organized and self-motivated problem-solver.
• Comfort with ambiguity and a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent time and project management, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent writing, editing, organizational, customer service, and research skills.
• Fluency in Microsoft Office, Google Drive, Zoom, Slack, Asana, Apple iOS, and other workplace technologies.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including staff, colleagues, departments, partners, and business and civic leaders.
• Strong prioritization skills, performing multiple tasks seamlessly and with impeccable attention to detail.
• Excellent oral and written communication and organizational skills.
• Direct management experience preferred.

Abilities

• Ability to be flexible and adapt to a changing work environment and schedule.
• Ability to learn new software and databases.
• Ability to consistently meet deadlines with efficiency and accuracy.
• Ability to work independently and with professional discretion.
• Ability to travel within Boston as needed (within the changing guidelines of COVID-19).
• Ability to work with a broad range of people while managing differing priorities and needs.
• Ability to build and lead coalitions of stakeholders from government, nonprofit, and for-profit business sectors.
• Ability to exercise good judgment and focus on detail as required by the job.

BOSTON RESIDENCY REQUIRED

Terms:

Union/Salary Plan/Grade: Non-Union / CDH

Hours per week: 35