Director of Equity and Belonging

The Pittsburgh Glass Center and Contemporary Craft have been longtime partners in a larger cohort with a shared Chief Financial Officer.  With shared values related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) and a need for staffing in the area, the two are joining forces to create a second shared position, the Director of Equity and Belonging.

About Pittsburgh Glass Center 

Established in 2001, Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC) is a nonprofit, public-access education center; an art gallery; a state-of-the-art glass studio; a community builder; and a hub for innovation and creativity.

We cultivate an inclusive and welcoming environment that encourages everyone, from the casually curious to the master artist, to learn, create, and be inspired by glass. We share our passion for glass locally and globally to advance a more diverse, vibrant, and accessible glass art community.

The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees, board members, instructors, students, and audiences invest in our work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and achievement as well.

Our guiding principles of creativity, collaboration, sustainability, diversity and excellence enable us to extend our region’s extraordinary glass legacy far into the future.

About Contemporary Craft

Presenting contemporary art in craft materials by international, national, and regional artists since 1971, Contemporary Craft offers innovative exhibitions focused on multicultural diversity and contemporary art, as well as a range of hands-on workshops, community engagement programs, and a store.

Contemporary Craft has held firmly to the belief that art has the power to change lives. We believe in development, expression, and preservation of art and culture of all communities, groups, and individuals, and we strive to create a community where all voices are equally valued and welcomed to engage. We understand that diversity goes beyond language, ethnicity, race, and religion, and characteristics such as gender and expression, sexual orientation, and includes ability and age. We are committed to advancing our mission by being anti-racist and championing social justice. We are an ally to the LGBTQIA community and other communities that have been historically marginalized and underserved.

Through thought-provoking exhibitions, hands-on experiences, and carefully curated offerings in our store, we create inclusive opportunities for people of all diverse perspectives to fully engage and experience our organization.

About the Role - (Shared) Director of Equity and Belonging 

We are seeking a dynamic, experienced, and entrepreneurial professional to lead our efforts to infuse equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) throughout our collective operations, as well as to ensure HR best practices. This role is part EDIA practitioner and coach and part HR Manager. 

You will serve as a thought partner to each executive team and staff in designing and building best-in-class organizations, collaborating with our organizations to support and nurture our most important asset: our people. Collectively this role will support 33+ full-time staff, 8+ part-time staff, and 2 non-profit Boards, each approximately 25 members.

Your responsibilities will include:

Strategic Leadership

• Strategize with leadership on how to implement EDIA best practices and cultural competency within each organization.
• Manage a compensation philosophy, ensuring that compensation among the two partners is competitive and internally consistent and works to continually evolve.

Staff & Community Engagement

• Develop and coordinate an annual schedule of shared professional development and EDIA training opportunities utilizing outside partners and subject matter experts.
• Partner with senior staff to develop and lead meaningful staff engagements — including staff retreats and meetings — that strengthen relationships, build culture, and fuse staff around mission, strategies, and work plans. 
• Create and oversee surveys and assessments to evaluate staff wellness and engagement.

Human Resources

• Provide counsel on people-based best practices and serve as a knowledge resource for policies around personnel and organizational cultural matters within the two organizations.
• Play a significant leadership role in ensuring sound equitable HR procedures are in place within each organization.
• Oversee recruiting practices for the two organizations, with a goal to enhance each organization’s ability to attract a diverse candidate pool and demonstrate commitment to EDIA principles. (With limited exceptions this position will not screen or interview candidates.)
• Provide guidance and coaching while serving as the first resource for hiring managers’ questions on equitable hiring.
• Ensure that employee handbooks include anti-oppressive and anti-racist assurances and policies so that the handbooks are inclusive.
• Play a significant part in the employee performance review process.

These action items are here to paint a picture of what you may do on a given day. There is flexibility in this list, and it may not be exhaustive; we are excited to finalize it with the right candidate. 

What this position is NOT: payroll processing, benefits administrator, or daily HR manager for either organization. 

You will have the following skills and qualities:

• Working for racial equity. Consistently integrate a deep understanding of key racial equity concepts into work projects and interactions by addressing structural implications and disproportionate impacts of policies, activities, and decisions on race, class, and other group identities within the context of job responsibilities and projects. You bring a robust equity analysis to all you do, starting from a self-awareness of your own group identities, to the ability to make decisions and coach others to create just outcomes.
• Nonprofit talent experience. You have a track record of success in talent recruitment, management, and organizational development. You have the ability to coach and mentor on best-in-class talent management and organizational development practices. 
• Advanced racial equity skills. You have a sophisticated understanding of how race dynamics impact supervisory relationships, organizational culture, partnerships, and overall work and can demonstrate a history of successfully intervening in problematic dynamics and deepening and institutionalizing a racial justice approach and practices. 
• Strategic decision making. You thrive in a rapid growth environment where you quickly press forward with big ideas. However, you understand this often requires recognizing when to take a step back and create proactive strategic plans that empower your team members. You know how relationships drive the implementation of new systems.
• Effective collaborator. You’ve successfully worked across cultural lines on a dispersed team, and you have the ability to operate in complex situations. You can easily gain trust from team members and are known for supporting them to ensure they are set up for success.
• Emotionally intelligent. You are self-aware and perceptive. You nurture relationships and can work and communicate well with all kinds of people. You are optimistic, empathetic, flexible, curious, and well-respected by all who work with you, irrespective of title.
• Experience with and/or passion for the arts. You are excited to work across two Pittsburgh arts organizations. You are committed to learning and understanding the missions of the organizations and understand the unique opportunities and challenges of arts nonprofit organizations. 
• A Team Player. Nothing is beneath or above you. You are quick to always lend a hand, or two! You are able to earn influence without authority and naturally seek to support both small projects and large strategic goals.
• Flexible. You can manage a diverse set of team needs and aren't afraid to step outside your job description or comfort zone to help the team reach its goals. You're comfortable with shifting schedules and don't expect every day to go "as planned."
• Highly Ethical. You will be asked to make sensitive and critical judgment calls, and as such, you are known for your integrity; you take that reputation seriously. You always choose to make the right decision versus the easy decision. You know what information is sensitive, and you will protect it accordingly. 

What You’ll Need

• 4+ years of overall professional experience, preferably relating to EDIA and/or HR.
• The ability to shift seamlessly between strategic, big-picture thinking and operational, nuts-and-bolts systems building.
• A track record of embedding equity throughout HR practices, transforming organizations to be inclusive and just, and supporting teams with a rich mix of partners across race, gender, sexual orientation, and other group identities.
• You can practice discretion and have the ability to maintain confidentiality as needed. 
• SHRM certification and/or comparable certifications preferred, or a willingness to seek certification.

Compensation and Location

While this position supports both organizations, you will officially be an employee of Pittsburgh Glass Center. Benefits include: employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance, 2% employer match on retirement contributions after one year, and paid holidays, vacation, sick, and volunteer time off. In addition, you will receive access to both entities, including free classes at Pittsburgh Glass Center and Contemporary Craft, for example. 

This role must be based in Pittsburgh, though we are very open to candidates who need to relocate and can offer a small relocation allowance. 

The hiring range for this position is an annual salary range of $65,000-$75,000 per year. The final salary within this range will be determined based on relevant experience.

The Application Process

Pittsburgh Glass Center and Contemporary Craft  have engaged Equitable Hiring Group to support this hiring process. To apply, please complete the short form to the right. We are accepting applications on a rolling basis.

When you apply, we kindly ask you to remove your schools from your resume. There is no need to reformat your resume and leave your degree as is; simplify it to “B.A. Economics,” for example. Just remember to remove any undergraduate and graduate school name references where possible. This “bias-reduced” process is aimed at opening this opportunity to more candidates, reviewing applicants on performance assessments instead of resume proxies (e.g., where you went to school).

This evaluation process will follow practices shown to reduce bias in decision-making and may be different from other application processes you have experienced.

The overall evaluation process will look to follow this anticipated cadence:

• Selected candidates asked to complete short answer questions
• Video interview with staff
• Finalist candidates will be asked to complete a paid, timed, trial assignment
• Finalists will participate in a multi-team member panel
  • Candidate references will also be checked at this step
• Offer extended

If you have any questions about the opportunity, please feel free to email [email protected].