With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and opportunities in more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia is the fifth largest city in the United States and one of the largest employers in Southeastern Pennsylvania. As an employer, the City of Philadelphia operates through the guiding principles of service, integrity, respect, accountability, collaboration, diversity and inclusion. Through these principles, we strive to effectively deliver services, to resolve the challenges facing our city, and to make Philadelphia a place where all our residents have the opportunity to reach their potential. 

Agency Descriptions:

Rebuilding Community Infrastructure (Rebuild) is an initiative of the City of Philadelphia (City) to improve physical conditions in selected parks, recreation centers and libraries.  Rebuild is expected to be a $500 million initiative funded with bond proceeds, philanthropic funds, City capital funds, and state and federal grants.  Rebuild is currently scheduled to conclude in 2023.

To implement Rebuild, a new office was created within the Managing Director’s Office (MDO), the office that manages and oversees the operations of the City.  The Rebuild office is led by a senior management team comprised of an executive director and four deputy directors, each overseeing major areas of Rebuild’s work – finance & administration, design & construction, diversity & inclusion and community engagement & communications.  Each deputy director reports to the Rebuild executive director who, in turn, reports to the City’s Deputy Managing Director for Communities and Culture.  These Rebuild positions are exempt from City Civil Service requirements.

In Rebuild, the Kenney Administration has made a historic commitment to increasing access for minorities and women to work in the building trades, and supporting the growth of disadvantaged businesses in Philadelphia. The Deputy Director for Diversity & Inclusion will be dedicated to making sure that Rebuild lives up to this commitment. This person must be driven by the urgency of this work and their passion for increasing economic opportunity for all Philadelphians.

The work of the Deputy Director for Diversity & Inclusion falls into two areas: workforce development and M/WBE support. The Deputy Director is expected to dedicate the majority of his or her attention to the business inclusion and support work. He or she will also oversee the workforce development work in close coordination with the City’s Office of Workforce Development (OWD); these efforts will build on a considerable body of planning work that has already been developed. 

Responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to the following:

General:

• Lead efforts to ensure that minority and women-owned Philadelphia businesses meaningfully participate in Rebuild contract opportunities and can become more sustainable and profitable as a result.
• Oversee efforts to help Rebuild apprentice-ready program participants obtain rewarding, family-sustaining work, and coordinate those efforts with the Office of Workforce Development.
• Oversee efforts to help individuals with experience in construction obtain employment with the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (PRA).
• Lead efforts to achieve and surpass the workforce and contract participation goals for Rebuild established in legislation passed by City Council.
• Work continuously to deeply understand the building trades, economic disparities, workforce development issues, and business development issues in Philadelphia.
• Forge alliances to develop ever better approaches to increasing diversity and inclusion in the design and construction industries.

Contract participation and business development:

• Work with Rebuild’s consultant(s), the City of Philadelphia Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), the Commerce Department, and other entities to develop and implement a set of complementary business supports which may include bonding assistance, insurance assistance, access to capital/ cash flow assistance, and technical assistance/ mentoring/ peer support. The goal of these supports is to grow the capacity of M/W/DS/DBEs (and firms that are not yet certified) that work on Rebuild projects.
• Establish metrics for the development of these businesses; set goals; and regularly measure actual progress against the goals.
• Work to maximize the meaningful participation of minority and women-owned businesses in Rebuild projects and maximize the impacts of the business supports coordinated by Rebuild.
• Coordinate with OEO on a program to incentivize and support businesses in becoming certified.
• Coordinate with the City of Philadelphia Office of Risk Management on an Owner Controlled Insurance Program.

Workforce development:

• The Deputy Director for Diversity and Inclusion will manage a staff person who will be focused on implementing the following activities:
• Implement the apprentice-ready program contemplated in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Building Trades and the City of Philadelphia for Rebuild, intended to result in more minority and female apprentices.
• Work on the apprentice-ready program with the building trades, Philadelphia Works, the School District of Philadelphia, City departments, and other entities.
• Provide or coordinate supports as needed for participants to complete the apprentice-ready program successfully.
• In partnership with other City departments and other entities, create a system to refer participants who do not obtain an apprentice position to services that can best address their needs.
• Recruit individuals for the pre-apprentice program, prioritizing individuals from zip codes with high rates of poverty and unemployment.
• Work with the building trades and others to establish annual program participation goals based on apprenticeship program capacity and Rebuild labor needs and capacity. Coordinate the placement of apprentice-ready program participants in positions on Rebuild job sites or other appropriate work opportunities.
• Coordinate with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation (PPR) and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (PRA) on efforts to diversify their ranks of skilled trades employees.

Program and EOP Monitoring

• Serve as staff to the Rebuild Oversight Board and the Rebuild Economic Opportunity Plan (EOP) Oversight Committee.
  
• Coordinate with the EOP Monitor(s) for Rebuild; facilitate/ coordinate competitive selection processes for the EOP Monitor(s) on behalf of the EOP Oversight Committee.
  
• Administer contracts for EOP monitoring; communicate with Council members and staff on EOP performance; lead corrective actions as necessary.
  
• Develop standard formats for reporting on the EOP performance of project users and prime consultants and contractors.
  

Other

• In cooperation with the executive director and other Rebuild staff, coordinate with the OEO, Commerce Department, Office of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, and the Deputy Mayor for Labor.
  
• Work to increase the resources available for Rebuild’s workforce diversity and inclusion programs.
  
• Work with City Council members and staff to keep them updated on the status of Rebuild diversity and inclusion efforts, air concerns, and take corrective actions as needed.
  
• Work with the Executive Director and Deputy Director, Community Engagement & Communications to report on workforce diversity and inclusion programs to audiences of all kinds.
  
• Conduct competitive selection processes for consultants or contractors as needed; evaluate RFQ, RFI and RFP submittals and select consultant teams in coordination with MDO and others; manage contracts as appropriate.
  
• Work closely with other Rebuild deputies on all aspects of Rebuild including design and construction, community engagement, financial management, communications, evaluation, fundraising, and administration.
  
• Other duties as assigned by the Executive Director or determined during the process of implementing Rebuild.

• A Bachelor's degree is required. A Master's degree is preferred. 

Experience 

• Minimum of eight years professional, relevant experience (e.g., promoting economic opportunities, workforce development, disadvantaged business development). 
• Professional experience in Philadelphia is preferred
• Professional experience working in government or for a non-profit organization is preferred. 

Required Knowledge:

• Familiarity with workforce development or training for disadvantaged populations.
• Experience in small business development, in particular the challenges facing disadvantaged businesses.
• Building trades and construction industry in Philadelphia, and experience interfacing with labor unions.
• Processes for monitoring compliance with economic opportunity goals.

Required Skills & Abilities:

• Ability to work effectively with the public, elected officials, city staff, non-profits, press, consultants, employers and contractors.
• Ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects and priorities.
• Successful track record in consultant management.
• Highly effective at public speaking, writing, and presenting to varied audiences.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office products.

Other Requirements:

• Commitment to Rebuild principles, processes and outcomes.
• Availability to attend evening meetings and occasional weekend activities related to Rebuild.
• Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required of this position.

Successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670

 For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx