Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect (DEIR) Engagement Coordinator (Management Analyst 3)

State of Washington•Thurston County – Lacey, WA

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Ecology is hiring a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect (DEIR) Engagement Coordinator (Management Analyst 3) within the Human Resources Office. This position plays a role in advancing the Department of Ecology’s mission by strengthening diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR) across the agency. As a member of the Human Resources Office and the DEIR and Workforce Experience Team, you will help shape an inclusive employee experience and foster a workplace where employees feel heard, valued, and connected. You will serve in both a strategic and highly collaborative capacity, ideal for someone passionate about employee engagement, organizational culture, and meaningful systems change. In this role, you will design and facilitate opportunities for employees to contribute ideas, share perspectives, and influence decisions. You will also directly support the development and implementation of agency-wide DEIR strategies, policies and state directives. A core part of the job is leading and strengthening the DEIR Design Team, an employee group focused on improving the employee experience. As the Coordinator, you will guide the Design Team’s operations, facilitate meetings, develop sub-groups, and elevate recommendations to decision-makers. This is a unique opportunity to turn employee engagement into real organizational outcomes.

Requirements

Seven years of experience and/or education related to the duties of the position.
Demonstrated skill to lead cross-functional teams or workgroups by setting clear direction, facilitating collaboration, aligning members around shared goals, managing group dynamics, and delivering measurable results.
Demonstrated skill in managing multiple projects simultaneously, prioritizing tasks, and ensuring timely completion of deliverables.
Demonstrated skill to develop and facilitate employee discussion formats—such as focus groups, listening sessions, and workgroups—that apply psychological safety principles, encourage diverse perspectives, manage group dynamics effectively, and translate feedback into actionable outcomes.
Facilitating conversations that are used to engage, inform and strategize as it relates to diversity of perspectives and identities, equitable policies and practices, inclusive culture, and respectful behaviors.
Demonstrated skill to apply concepts of diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect into practical application in work activities, including evaluating policies, processes, and decisions for equitable impact; identifying systemic barriers; fostering inclusive engagement and participation; and promoting respectful, culturally responsive workplace interactions.
Demonstrated skill to conduct research, analyze quantitative and qualitative data, identify trends and themes, and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
Education involving a major study in business administration, public administration, law, public health, social science, race, gender, or sexuality studies, Humanities, Human Resource Management, organizational change, social justice, Behavioral Science, Industrial Relations, Public Relations, International Relations, Equity Studies, Communications, environmental, biological, chemical, physical, or natural resources or a related field.

Nice To Haves

Experience playing a key role in workplace diversity, equity, inclusion, respect (DEIR) initiatives, employee resource groups, business resource groups, or similar opportunities.
Skills in organizing and prioritizing complex work, developing and implementing structured plans, coordinating competing deadlines, and leading groups effectively to achieve defined objectives.
Skills in communicating clearly in written and verbal formats, actively listening to understand diverse perspectives, asking clarifying questions, and receiving input and identifying responsive action.
Experience evaluating proposals and elevating informed recommendations to decision-makers.
Skills with building relationships and collaborating across a diverse workforce community to cultivate an environment of engagement, belonging, respect, empathy, active listening, and trust.
Experience developing communications or educational content related to DEIR.

Responsibilities

Lead the employee-led DEIR Design Team by coordinating meetings, developing agendas, advising sub-groups, and elevating proposals to leadership.
Develop and maintain sustainable mechanisms for collecting feedback from Design Team members and from larger workforce on issues and recommendations coming from the Design Team.
Encourage active participation from Ecology’s workforce and sustain momentum in DEIR initiatives by identifying engagement and participation strategies and barriers.
Using knowledge of DEI, partner with the DEIR Design Team and sub-groups, the HR Training Team, and other business partners to develop and maintain a sustainable mechanism for educating Ecology’s workforce on DEIR topics to promote learning and development.
In collaboration with Executive Communications, develop communications and oversee agency-wide events which may include cultural holidays, awareness or celebration months, belonging events and similar occasions.
Consult with HR teams and Executive Communications to support the development and implementation of sustainable feedback mechanisms for the workforce to provide feedback to HR teams.
Support the evaluation and implementation of employee recognition at Ecology as led by the DEIR and Workforce Experience Team.