Director of Racial and Social Justice
Somerville, Massachusetts
To read the full position description and review application instructions, click download.
The City of Somerville seeks a Director of Racial and Social Justice. Reporting directly to the Mayor, the Director of Racial and Social Justice works to eliminate institutional and structural racism and its intersections with other forms of oppression, including sexism, heterosexism, classism, and ableism. The Director is responsible for organizing community-led processes to identify strategies to dismantle systemic racism and social inequality and for working with residents, community organizations, elected officials, and City staff to implement those strategies. The Director will work within the City to establish operational, management, and leadership structures rooted in racial and social justice. The Director will build a business plan for creating and ultimately leading an Office of Racial and Social Justice (RSJ), which will work within the City and the community to change the institutional and structural systems that create racial and social disparities and to achieve racial and social justice.
Somerville is a city located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, just two miles north of Boston. Occupying slightly over 4 square miles, its population of almost 79,000 and a myriad of immigrants from all over the world make Somerville the most densely populated community in New England, and one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the nation. Rich in both history and culture, the city houses numerous intriguing sites, businesses, and restaurants for every style. Somerville has received national recognition as a model of innovation and efficiency for their 311-customer service helpline, and “SomerStat” – a data-driven style of managing government services. Somerville has been recognized as “the best run City in the Commonwealth.”
This is an excellent opportunity for an individual looking to make a difference through innovative government service. The new Director will define a role that has only been recently created. They will have the opportunity to collaborate with leaders across key City departments. The successful candidate will be collaborative in nature, and work with City leadership to implement a vision for the future that is consistent with the community’s values. The Director of Racial and Social Justice will have proven experience supervising staff and leading programs that build racial and social equity and inclusiveness. The Director will be a strong relationship builder; be able to effectively communicate at all levels of the organization; hold confidentiality; and be accessible and approachable.
TO APPLY
The City of Somerville is being supported in this search by Tamar Datan, Catherine Seneviratne, and Andres Marcuse-Gonzalez of NPAG. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Applications including a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, your resume (in Word format), and where you learned of the position should be sent to: somerville-drsj@npag.com. In order to expedite the internal sorting and reviewing process, please type your name (Last, First) as the only contents in the subject line of your e-mail.
The City of Somerville is an equal opportunity employer and proudly values diversity.
Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Our Lead
Tamar Datan
Senior Advisor
Tamar joined NPAG in 2015, as its first Senior Advisor, with 30 years of nonprofit experience as a board member, officer, funder, chief executive, program manager, consultant, advocate, and advisor.