Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

About EAB

At EAB, our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We harness the collective power of 1,600+ schools, colleges, and universities to uncover and apply proven practices and transformative insights. And since complex problems require multifaceted solutions, we work with each school differently to apply these insights through a customized blend of research, technology, and services. From kindergarten to college and beyond, EAB partners with education leaders, practitioners, and staff to accelerate progress and drive results across three key areas: enrollment management, student success, and institutional operations and strategy.

At EAB, we serve not only our partners but each other—that’s why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their community. See how we’ve been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards.

For more information, visit our Careers page.

The Role in Brief:

Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

As part of our mission, EAB strives to fulfill our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Promise (https://eab.com/careers/diversity-and-inclusion/). We seek a dynamic, experienced leader to serve as Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), playing a critical role in shaping and sustaining an inclusive and equitable culture at EAB and partnering with our executive team to help EAB live out our DEI promise to its fullest potential.

Reporting to the Chief Talent Officer, the Head of DEI will influence at the C-suite level and partner with business and functional leaders to advance and evolve DEI vision, strategy, and initiatives spanning the three pillars of our DEI promise: cultivating talent, enhancing culture, and impacting industries.

This role is based in Washington, D.C.

Primary Responsibilities:

EAB’s Head of DEI will work to advance and evolve firm strategy to fulfill EAB’s DEI Promise in the following ways.

Cultivating Talent

Leverage subject matter expertise, project management skills, and strategic thought to drive internally-facing EAB DEI initiatives across the employee lifecycle. Key current initiatives include:

• Sourcing and cultivating a more diverse pipeline of talent by rolling out DEI Recruiting Playbook (in partnership with Recruiting)
• Mitigating bias in candidate assessment via competency-based interviewing pilot and subsequent firmwide roll-out (in partnership with Talent business partners and business line leaders)
• Enhancing retention and advancement of diverse staff by:
  • Building representative, inclusive employee development cohorts that include opportunities to explore identity, the value of diversity, allyship, and equitable practices (in partnership with Learning & Development)
  • Incorporating elements of diversity, equity and inclusion into the Talent Strategic Plan of each business line to make measurable progress at the department/local levels (in partnership with Talent business partners and business line leaders)

Enhancing Culture

Champion and develop efforts to build an inclusive culture where team members can bring their full selves to work each day. Specific responsibilities include:

• Represent and steward EAB’s DEI Promise in internal forums including new hire orientation
• Partner with Learning & Development to assess DEI-related learning experiences currently in use at EAB, identify gaps, and develop holistic curriculum and plan to fill gaps, whether by directly facilitating sessions, using “train the trainer” model, or engaging external resources
• Consult with events and organizational culture teams to ensure that employee engagement calendar, events, and initiatives are inclusive for our increasingly diverse staff and are designed through the lens of these values
• Serve as primary Talent point of contact for Employee Resource Groups, their leadership teams, and their executive sponsors by convening quarterly ERG Summits and providing additional consultation as needed
• Advise executives and leaders on specific actions they must take to enhance culture; partner with Chief Executive Officer and Chief Talent Officer to develop accountability mechanisms

Impacting Industries

Provide subject matter expertise and consultation to support business lines in their market-facing work related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Past examples include:

• Developing diversity training for Enrollment Services’ creative team to ensure diversity and representation in marketing campaigns for clients
• Partnering with Technology team to articulate EAB’s DEI work in collateral related to the Moonshot for Equity initiative
• Participating as a presenter/facilitator in Technology team’s Equity Roundtable meeting

Reporting Relationship and Leadership Forums:

EAB’s Head of DEI will report to the firm’s Chief Talent Officer. The Head of DEI will serve on the Talent Leadership Team and participate in EAB’s Leaders Committee.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 8+ years’ relevant work experience, with at least 3 years in a DEI-focused role
• Demonstrated subject matter expertise in and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and an ability to engage and inspire others to demonstrate these same values
• Proven track record of strong relationship building, collaboration, project management, and ability to drive action without positional authority
• Excellent facilitation skills that incorporate practices of cultural humility and principles of effective adult learning
• Strong oral/written communication and interpersonal skills
• Entrepreneurial approach: problem-solving mindset, high accountability to driving outcomes
• Good judgment; discretion with sensitive and confidential information

Ideal Qualifications:

• Proven ability to develop and execute strategic plans/initiatives
• Experience in a corporate environment
• Experience serving as a representative of senior management
• Track record of success formally leading DEI initiatives for a complex organization
• Demonstrated thought leadership and change management skills
• Experience successfully fostering cross-functional partnerships and navigating matrixed organizations

Benefits:

Consistent with our belief that our employees are our most valuable resource, EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance; dependents and domestic partners eligible
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• 20+ days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm holidays
• Daytime leave policy for community service or fitness activities (up to 10 hours a month each)
• Paid parental leave for birthing and non-birthing parents
• Phase Back to Work program for employees returning from parental leave
• Infertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance
• Wellness programs including gym discounts and incentives to promote healthy living
• Dynamic growth opportunities with merit-based promotion philosophy
• Benefits kick in day one; see the full details here.

At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to “make education smarter and our communities stronger” we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard.

To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.