Human Rights and Equity Administrator - Office of Human Rights and Equity

Howard County:
Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community.
 
Howard County Government:
Howard County Government is a leader in innovation, best practices and sustainability. It is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country. In 2024, Howard County Government received a record-breaking 63 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) – the most awards in the state of Maryland, and the fifth highest in the nation, as compared to more than 3000 counties. NACo Achievement Awards are the premier national honor to recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents, improve existing programs, upgrade working conditions, and enhance citizen participation and public policy making.
 
What are we looking for?
We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations.
 
What you'll like most about working at Howard County Government:

• We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government.  
• We have a highly talented, diverse, and inclusive workplace. Your input will not only be heard, but it will be encouraged!  
• We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical, retirement, and wellness programs. 
• As a member of the Howard County Government team, you'll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.

Include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Administer and enforce the Howard County Human Rights Law.
 
Investigate complaints of discrimination to determine whether a violation of the Howard County Human Rights Law has occurred.
 
Work to eliminate violations of the Human Rights Law by conference, conciliation and persuasion.
 
Make annual reports to the County Executive and the County Council providing a statistical summary of the number, type and disposition of complaints received by the Office.
 
Make monthly reports to the Commission briefly describing the factual situation of new cases, and the status and disposition of all other cases.
 
Make periodic reports to the County Executive, County Council and the Human Rights Commission on the Office's involvement in discrimination education programs and on the extent of its cooperate efforts with governmental and community agencies to combat discrimination.
 
Supervise the development, implementation and evaluation of the Department's communications and public outreach strategies, to include web sites, publications, community events, and social media.

Oversee the internal operations of the Office to ensure effective organizational practices; includes use of technology, program evaluation, creation and updating of nondiscrimination education programs.
 
Organize hearings, forums, and make regular presentations within the County and region to address community concerns of discrimination and human rights violations.

Serves as Executive Secretary of the Human Rights Commission.
 
Perform other duties and responsibilities directed by the Chief Administrative Officer and/or County Executive.
 
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Manages subordinate positions in the Office of Human Rights. Is responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of this unit. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

Bachelor's Degree and five (5) years' experience in human relations or a related field, one year of which shall have dealt with investigating and/or conciliating complaints of discrimination, and two years of which shall have included managerial or administrative experience.
 
PREFERRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
 Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Master's degree, at least five (5) years of experience in civil rights, human relations, public administration.

Ability to analyze complex objectives, evaluate alternatives and make creative recommendations.

Prior budget experience preferred.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.

The employee frequently is required to sit.

The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; and use hands to finger, handle, or feel.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.

The noise level in the work environment is usually low although there is other staff in the work area.

LANGUAGE SKILLS, MATHEMATICAL SKILLS AND REASONING ABILITY:
Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, and/or boards of directors.

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common financial reports, and legal documents and scientific and technical journals.

Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community.

Ability to write speeches and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format.

Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference.

Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations. Apply basic budgeting principles.
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.

Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with abstract and concrete variables.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

TO APPLY:  You must complete an employment application online to be considered for this recruitment. Resumes cannot be substituted for completion of the job application work history. No paper applications will be accepted. 

Selected candidates may be subject to drug screening, background screening, and reference checks.       

At time of application, please submit a copy of any college degree, coursework, licenses, or certifications that you have referenced on your application. Applicants who have education obtained outside of the U.S. may need to provide proof of the equivalent U.S. education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service, such as the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (http://www.naces.org) or World Education Services: International Credential Evaluation (https://www.wes.org/).

Howard County Government is not sponsoring employees in application of the H-1B Visa or providing an extension of an existing H-1B Visa. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Howard County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. The County prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, ancestry, creed, national origin, disability status, genetics, marital status, military service, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Applicants requiring accommodations during the hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources directly at  HiringPreference@howardcountymd.gov. Requests for accommodations should not be attached to the application.