Disability Rights Director

Equal Rights Center

The Equal Rights Center (ERC) is a civil rights organization that identifies and seeks to eliminate unlawful and unfair discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations in its home community of Greater Washington, D.C., and nationwide. The ERC’s core strategy for identifying unlawful and unfair discrimination is civil rights testing. When the ERC identifies discrimination, it seeks to eliminate it using testing data to educate the public and business community, support policy advocacy, conduct compliance testing and training, and, if necessary, take enforcement action. 

The ERC is hiring a Disability Rights Director (DRD) who will report directly to the ERC’s Deputy Director. The DRD will be responsible for developing and implementing all strategies and investigations related to the disability rights program of the organization. This spans member engagement & relationship building, investigation research, implementation and management, and advocacy and enforcement. Though they will not initially supervise someone, supervision of test coordinators is a possibility as the program grows. A successful candidate will be self-motivated, independent, and excited to envision ERC’s disability rights program area with the help of ERC’s leadership. 

This position features core job duties that require regular in person work in the ERC’s service area, so a successful candidate must live in or be willing to move to the greater Washington, D.C. region. Occasional travel may be required for this position.    

Core duties will include the following: 

• Identify, design, manage, and in some cases, coordinate all systemic, research, and complaint-based testing investigations relevant to issues impacting individuals with disabilities, including but not limited to:  

o Analyzing and reviewing testing investigation results; preparing testing analysis and referral memos for follow-up action as necessary; 

o Preparing test reports & results for grantors and for publication in outreach materials; 

o Collaborating with and managing relationships with attorneys, experts, and consultants who work in disability rights to advance investigations;  

• Develop and maintain relationships with other disability rights and civil rights organizations focused on issues affecting individuals with disabilities; 

• Work closely with the Deputy Director and Executive Director in the development of fundraising and grant materials to support testing projects; negotiate contracts as necessary to support testing projects; 

• Manage membership recruitment and engagement activities focused on accessibility and disability rights, including management of ERC’s Accessibility Advisory Group; 

• Research and report on best practices and developments in investigation strategies that test new accessibility technology;   

• Consult with Fair Housing staff on disability related intakes, which may include: 

o Additional investigation, like civil rights testing or site surveys; 

o Advocacy, including submitting then following up on reasonable accommodation and/or modification requests; 

o Serving as a non-attorney advocate through the administrative complaint process; and,

o Providing referrals to other service providers and/or attorneys; 

• Assess the structure and components of ERC’s disability rights program and make recommendations to the Deputy Director and Executive Director about changes; 

• Assist Training and Compliance staff with developing disability related contract deliverables involving training, subject matter expertise, compliance testing/site surveys, and content development; 

• Provide training and presentations about disability rights; 

• Represent the ERC in external meetings focused on accessibility and disability rights; 

• Develop written content about accessibility and disability rights;  

• Maintain subject matter expertise about accessibility and disability rights; 

• Identify disability rights resources and staffing needs, as appropriate; 

• Other duties as assigned. 

In addition, the DRD will be expected to:  

• Provide advice and expertise to staff leadership regarding disability right matters, including disability related implications of internal policies and procedures; 

• Participate in ERC Quarterly Board Meetings and staff additional Board Committees, as requested.   

Minimum Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution or equivalent experience; 

• Five-years experience with civil rights laws and best practices pertaining to accessibility and disability rights;  

• Program and project management experience;  

• Knowledge of and relationships with other disability rights focused organizations (national and based in the Greater Washington area); 

• Critical thinking skills;

• Self-motivated with the ability to exercise sound judgment and resourcefulness; 

• Eagerness to take on a leadership role;

• A demonstrated passion for disability rights and accessibility; 

• Knowledge about a wide range of disability rights and accessibility issues;  

• Highly detail oriented; 

• Sound expertise in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel; 

• Demonstrated ability to establish and manage relationships with organizations and people;  

In addition to the minimum requirements, the ideal candidate will have:

• Experience managing litigation and/or other enforcement activities; 

• Demonstrated leadership ability; 

• Experience supervising staff; 

• Experience with civil rights testing or site surveys; 

• Experience with client-based advocacy (and/or self-advocacy); and/or

• Experience with Salesforce.

The successful candidate will: Be comfortable and effective working in a hybrid work environment where the majority of staff interaction happens virtually, enthusiastic about problem solving and learning new skills, enjoy working with people of diverse backgrounds (e.g., race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and social economic status, etc.), and have excellent organizational and time management skills. 

The Equal Rights Center is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

The Equal Rights Center is a barrier, drug, and smoke-free workplace. 

Salary and Benefits

The salary for this position ranges from $90,000 to $110,000, and the final offer will be based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience. The ERC offers a generous benefits package that currently includes:

·        Health insurance (fully paid by the employer, 80% premium paid for employee’s dependent     children)

·        Employer paid vision and dental insurance

·        Employer paid life and long-term disability insurance

·        Generous paid leave consisting of:

o  Vacation: starting at 15 business days/year;

o   Sick leave: 12 business days/year;

o  Personal leave: Three days/year;

o  At least 12 paid holidays per year.

·        SIMPLE-IRA plan with matching contributions

·        Employment Assistance Program

·        WMATA SmartBenefits

Please email a cover letter and resume to employment@equalrightscenter.org

using the email subject line “Disability Rights Director”. Applications will be

reviewed on a rolling basis.