Legal Career Center

The City Attorney’s Office is an innovative, nationally recognized municipal law office working to protect and advance the rights and interests of the City and County of San Francisco and its residents. With just over 300 talented and dedicated employees, the Office provides the highest quality legal services to the Mayor, Board of Supervisors, and other elected officials and department heads, as well as to the approximately 100 departments, boards, commissions, and offices that comprise the City and County of San Francisco’s government. Our work empowers City leaders with effective, responsive, and creative legal solutions and representation so they can deliver critical public services for the betterment of the San Francisco community and our affirmative advocacy enhances the lives and well-being of the City’s residents and visitors.

This new role of Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is a key position on the Office’s Leadership Team and will be a leader, advisor, and advocate, focused on infusing diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) into all Office programs and activities.

Partnering with the Executive Team and Senior Staff, the Director will develop, recommend, and drive approved strategies, programs, and actions for a comprehensive Office-wide DEI program, structure, culture, and practice, working in collaboration with the Office’s Racial Equity Task Force (“RETF”), Affinity Groups, and employees to develop recommendations for DEI strategies, programs, and actions.  Building off the Racial Equity Framework developed by the City’s Office of Racial Equity and the Office’s Racial Equity Action Plan (“REAP”), this person serves as the organizational leader to build consensus around the principle that DEI requires ongoing self-awareness, self-reflection, and learning, and intentional and active engagement and participation from all Office employees.  

The Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion must be inspiring, collaborative, courageous, and an innovative leader with outstanding people and management skills, cultural competence, and experience building trusted relationships and facilitating difficult and sensitive discussions.  This person needs to be a team player with an upbeat, positive attitude, who has experience dealing with a wide variety of different personalities and doesn’t mind diving into the details or pulling back to see the bigger picture.  The Director will be someone who thrives on setting goals, demonstrating progress, and moving things forward by themselves and within a collaborative team, and someone who will root recommendations in research, data, best practices, and employee feedback. 

The Director will serve as a member of the Office’s Executive Team, and report to the City Attorney and Managing Attorney.  This is an exempt (i.e., at will) appointment.

Specific responsibilities include:

• In partnership with the Executive Team and Senior Staff, develop strategies to integrate and embed DEI principles and oversee the continuous alignment of an equity framework for Office decisions, programs, policies, and procedures.    
• Build a comprehensive DEI Program for the Office, that supports the Office’s REAP and incorporates emerging trends and best practices for DEI programs. 
• Take ownership of the DEI Program budget and roadmaps to ensure progress towards long-term visions and goals. Work with the Office’s Chief Financial Officer to determine financial resources dedicated to and budget impacts of the Office’s DEI efforts and initiatives. 
• Ensure ongoing metric evaluation of DEI Program progress and use data to understand areas of opportunities for necessary changes on DEI objectives and goals.
• Partner with the RETF, Affinity Groups, and all Office employees, including through employee surveys and meetings, to develop DEI recommendations.
• Coordinate with the Managing Attorney on collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data to inform DEI efforts.
• Serve as co-Chair of the RETF, along with a RETF member co-Chair, and work with the RETF to develop recommendations within the RETF’s ambit.
• Partner with the Office’s Affinity Groups to support their work building safe spaces and supportive communities within the Office.
• Develop and execute designated aspects of the Office’s REAP, and support the Managing Attorney in overall REAP updating, management, and implementation, in collaboration with the RETF where applicable.
• Research and implement a training program for all levels of staff, including the Executive Team and Senior Staff, on DEI awareness and best practices, including but not limited to, inclusive leadership practices and how to recognize, support and appreciate individual differences.
• Partner with the Managing Attorney, Human Resources Team, and RETF to strengthen outreach, recruitment, and hiring strategies and efforts to attract, hire, retain and promote diverse candidates at all levels of the Office, including building on recommendations from the RETF.
• Oversee steps to expand and deepen external partnerships, memberships, and networking relationships with diverse bar associations, professional organizations, and educational institutions to ensure broad outreach to a diverse pool of applicants for positions in the Office; assist in representing the Office at these organizations and also at other events such as job fairs and community outreach events.
• Collaborate with the Managing Attorney and Human Resources Team to ensure the Office has clear, equitable and accountable protocols for disciplinary actions.
• Work with the Managing Attorney and Human Resources Team to analyze salary standards and data to ensure salary parity.
• Review Office policies, structures, and practices, assess and analyze the extent to which they support or hinder the Office’s DEI priorities, and recommend changes that will embed an equity lens and enhance Office culture for a positive, respectful, anti-racist, anti-biased, identity-affirming work environment.
• Research and recommend ways to bring an equity lens to the Office’s legal advice and counsel, investigations, and litigation practices. 
• Evaluate and assess Office procedures related to procurement and contracting to ensure integration of DEI strategies, goals, and objectives; make recommendations to the City Attorney and Managing Attorney related to findings.
• Represent the Office at City interdepartmental/agency task forces, teams, and working groups that build effective partnerships, engage in initiatives, and engage with racial equity leaders across the City to support and achieve broad community DEI efforts.
• Ensure the Office’s compliance with the City’s Language Access Ordinance.
• Serve as a DEI subject matter expert and resource within the Office.
• Perform other DEI duties as assigned.