With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and opportunities in more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia is the sixth largest city in the United States and one of the largest employers in Southeastern Pennsylvania. As an employer, the City of Philadelphia operates through the guiding principles of service, integrity, respect, accountability, collaboration, diversity and inclusion. Through these principles, we strive to effectively deliver services, to resolve the challenges facing our city, and to make Philadelphia a place where all of our residents have the opportunity to reach their potential. 

Agency Description

The Managing Director’s Office (MDO) is a cabinet-level office with oversight of the City’s operating departments. MDO works to ensure government efficiency and coordination across city government. MDO plays a major role in creating new policies and making sure they are enacted successfully.

Within the Managing Director’s Office, the Office of Criminal Justice (OCJ) advances the Kenney administration’s goals of criminal justice reform by developing partnerships between City agencies, criminal justice partners, nonprofit organizations, and community members. OCJ serves as the mayor’s appointee to Philadelphia County’s Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB) and is the point of contact for various local, state, and federal justice partners.

The Racial Equity Manager is a valued member of the Project Management team for the Safety and Justice Challenge in Philadelphia. The Safety and Justice Challenge is a citywide effort to reduce the size of the local jail population and reduce the rate of racial, ethnic, and economic disparities in the criminal justice system. (https://www.phila.gov/programs/philadelphia-safety-and-justice-challenge/).

The Racial Equity Manager is tasked with providing leadership, subject-matter expertise, and staff support to the ongoing efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in Philadelphia’s criminal justice system. The Racial Equity Manager will report to the Safety and Justice Challenge Project Manager. They will also take direction from the chair(s) of the Racial and Ethnic Disparity Workgroup and serve as a liaison with the other SJC Workgroups.

The Racial Equity Manager will oversee the planning, implementation, and tracking of specific projects, as well as the development of a cohesive strategy that can span the entire reform effort. The primary ongoing responsibility of the Racial Equity Manager is the management of projects and initiatives related to the racial and ethnic disparities strategy of the Safety and Justice Challenge Reform Plan- including the cross-system implicit bias training, disparity data diagnostic, and initiative review series. The Racial Equity Manager is responsible for supporting the collaborative work of the Racial and Ethnic Disparity Workgroup as well as the ongoing efforts of the individual criminal justice partner agencies to change policies and practices that will decrease disparities.

Essential Functions: 

Despite the recent decline in Philadelphia’s local jail population, incarceration in Philadelphia is still marked by racial and ethnic disparities. People of color (non-white population) account for 89% of the jail population, but only 55% of the city’s population. While the jail population has gone down 38% over the past three years, disparities have not changed since the City committed to reform in 2015.

The Safety and Justice Challenge is a data-driven, comprehensive reform effort to reduce the size of the local jail population and reduce the rate of racial, ethnic, and economic disparities in the criminal justice system. In the second phase of the SJC, Philadelphia will redouble its efforts to reduce disparities through focused policy and practice changes and establish a measurable benchmark for success over the next two years. The Racial Equity Coordinator will be responsible for:

• Managing the implementation of existing initiatives of the Racial and Ethnic Disparity Workgroup including the cross-system implicit bias training, disparity data diagnostic, and initiative review series. (https://www.phila.gov/programs/philadelphia-safety-and-justice-challenge/reform-plan/).
• Coordinating meetings of the Racial and Ethnic Disparity Workgroup as well as participating in other Safety and Justice Challenge Workgroups and Committees to ensure that racial disparities are being addressed across the reform effort.
• Developing a measurable benchmark of success for Philadelphia’s racial and ethnic disparity reductions and a strategic framework to meet those goals in collaboration with the SJC Racial and Ethnic Disparity Workgroup and Implementation Team.
• In collaboration with the SJC Research Team, conducting research and analysis of the racial and ethnic disparities within the criminal justice system and using that information to recommend strategic solutions.
• Reviewing and assessing existing policies, procedures, programs, and services of the local criminal justice system to identify opportunities to reduce racial and ethnic disparities at various decision points.
• Assisting in the development and implementation of policies, procedures, programs and services that diminish the overrepresentation of people of color in the criminal justice system.
• Translating broader goals and strategies around reducing racial and ethnic disparities into concrete policy and practice changes.
• Providing training support and implementation support across the SJC reform effort specific to reducing racial and ethnic disparities.
• Representing the City of Philadelphia and the SJC Implementation Team on issues related to race and ethnicity and the criminal justice system at external events and meetings.
• Performing any additional duties as described by the Office of Criminal Justice related to the objective of reducing racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system.

Salary: $65,000- $70,000

This is a grant-funded position. As such, the position is only guaranteed for two years. Continued employment beyond this time frame is subject to the availability of funds.

Qualifications: 

• Completion of an advanced degree at an accredited college or university in law, criminal justice, social work, public health, public administration, or similar areas of study required, five years of related working experience in a large jurisdiction preferred.
• Experience establishing and implementing diversity or racial equity initiatives.

Salary: $65,000- $70,000

This is a grant-funded position. As such, the position is only guaranteed for two years. Continued employment beyond this time frame is subject to the availability of funds.

Please submit all resumes and inquiries by January 15, 2018.

Philadelphia residency is not required at the time of application. Once hired, employees have six months to move into and maintain residency in the City of Philadelphia as a condition of employment.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age,disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to pchr@ phila.gov. For more information, go to: Human Relations Website at: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations