Exploring Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Jobs & Careers

“I encourage everyone to pay attention to the issues that matter to you, from jobs and the economy to education and our schools, to criminal justice reform. Whatever it is that you care about, make sure you use your voice.” - 2 Chainz

Despite the many laws and regulations that prohibit racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination, these issues still exist in various work environments. With this in mind, many companies have recruited new talent to ensure that all of their employees feel welcomed at work. Within the last couple of years, Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) jobs have emerged across several job boards, with companies looking for candidates who can assist with developing equality and assuring comfortability within the workspace. 

With the opportunity to help create or restructure a company’s work environment, several professionals have even pivoted to or began working diversity, equity and inclusion jobs, which is a fairly new career field. 

The Need for DEI Jobs

Businesses often create a DEI department that handles any form of discrimination, as well as promote inclusion amongst the executive team and its employees. Over the last few years, there has been a spike in these careers. As reported by Indeed, between September 2019 and September 2020, job postings in DEI rose by 53.6% on their site. Some may attribute the spike in this career field to the increased protests against police brutality and other forms of injustice across America. With the Black Lives Matter movement, many companies are looking for ways to show that they are inclusive and compassionate about issues that affect marginalized groups.

Explaining DEI Roles and Responsibilities

Careers in DEI are best explained by separating each aspect of the field. Diversity involves employees removing any conscious or unconscious bias or barriers that may exist in a company’s work environment. This can include companies hiring individuals who can enforce equal pay and promotional opportunities, as well as hiring diverse individuals with different backgrounds. 

Equity is quite similar to diversity, in that the DEI employees review a company’s policies and practices to ensure that they are fair to all current and prospective employees. In addition, DEI employees facilitate equity by making sure that companies acknowledge and address any structural inequalities within the workplace. Companies must be aware of the advantages and disadvantages employees may have against each other based on race, gender, income, or religion. 

Lastly, inclusion is facilitated by DEI employees by ensuring that all of the company’s staff feel respected and included within the work environment. Inclusion assures that companies develop comprehensive groups and products within the workspace that respect every employee’s perspective, background, and give them a sense of belonging. Most companies know that continued success requires creating inclusive work environments. 

A fairly new addition to DEI is “belonging.” Many companies, particularly tech, are adding “belonging” to their DEI job titles. Belonging is defined as people feeling as though they can be themselves at work without needing to put on a facade or another persona to impress their co-workers or executives. 

Photo by SHVETS production from Pexels

Types of DEI Jobs and Duties

With DEI being a fairly new career field, there are several job positions people can apply for. DEI jobs are in high demand right now and may be very competitive to attain for potential candidates. Here’s a list of DEI job titles and descriptions provided by ONGIG from their Diversity Titles Hierarchy:

• Chief Diversity Officer

  • Chief DEI Officer

  • Chief Culture Officer

  • Chief Equality Officer

  • Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

• Vice President of Diversity

  • VP of DEI

  • VP of Culture

  • Director of Culture

  • Director of Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging

  • Director of Supplier Diversity

  • DEI Lead

• Diversity (or Inclusion) Manager

  • DEI Manager

  • Diversity Program Manager

  • Employment Equity Manager

  • Equality Manager

  • Culture Manager

  • Supplier Diversity Manager

• Individual Contributors

  • Diversity Coordinator

  • Diversity Business Partner

  • Diversity Consultant

  • Diversity Trainer

  • Inclusion Specialist

  • Equality and Diversity Auditor

  • DEI Analyst

• Entry Level 

  • Diversity Assistant

  • DEI Intern

  • Diversity Program Assistant

  • Diversity Initiatives Intern

Within these positions, DEI employees can expect to facilitate some of the following duties:

• Oversee employee discrimination and harassment complaints

• Create and facilitate new diversity programs

• Address issues faced by minority employees within an organization

• Review a company’s existing data and process to assist in implementing new objectives, goals, and strategies

• Create company policies that encourage equality and diversity

• Write job descriptions that include inclusive language and network with potential candidates from underrepresented communities

• Collaborate with company leaders and teams to discover the best practices for DEI

• Host DEI events for underrepresented communities

• Conduct DEI training for the executive team and other employees

• Investigate civil rights violations and actively works to resolve them with the involved parties

For recent college graduates or professionals needing a career change, DEI is a great chance to explore a new and ever-growing career field. Almost every day, there’s a news story on someone suing their current or former employer for discrimination, which shows that DEI careers and departments are needed. With the growth of this field, there will be a vast change in work cultures across the country.

Are you a Black professional looking to learn more about DEI jobs and careers?
Use the Career Insights tool at The HBCU Career Center to explore this field.