City of Bellevue, WA - Director of Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The City of Bellevue is looking for a Director of Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to join our executive leadership team. A strong leader with a passion for public service, this position provides proactive advice and counsel to departments in developing people-focused strategies that align with and drive a high-performance and inclusive, engaged workplace culture. The Director reports to a Deputy City Manager and contributes as an engaged leadership team member and collaborative, strategic business partner to address organization-wide opportunities and challenges for the City. The Director also sponsors or serves as a leadership team member on several citywide committees.

The Director of Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion leads the people strategy, culture, and employee engagement for the City by integrating human resources, organizational development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion work. The Director oversees the human resources functions, programs, and services, including compensation and benefit systems, classification structures, recruitment, employee development and training, organizational culture, employee engagement, performance management, policy administration and compliance, payroll, and labor and employee relations. This role also oversees the City’s diversity, equity, and inclusion work, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and collaborates to implement the Diversity Advantage Plan. The Director integrates diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into human resources practices and policies, resulting in positive impacts across the employee lifecycle and organizational culture.

The Director is expected to model Bellevue’s One City culture and work collaboratively with other department directors and staff. The City fosters an environment of inclusion, innovation, open communication, and collaboration where ideas and feedback are encouraged, supported, and valued. The Director promotes a culture committed to providing exceptional service, upholding the public interest, and implementing the community’s vision. City employees take pride in their work, bring collective skills and qualities to the table, and embrace the values of integrity, stewardship, innovation, commitment to employees, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and exceptional public service. The Director is responsible for fostering an environment where leaders exist at all department levels, and where being innovative, collaborative, and future-focused are the norm.

The Priorities

The Director of Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will lead several initiatives and ensure the successful implementation of citywide, strategic system changes that include:

• Successfully and holistically merging the Diversity Advantage Team with the Human Resources Team.
• Implementation of the Diversity Advantage Plan 2035.
• Completion of and subsequent rollout of a job classification study.
• Evaluation and modernization of the employee performance evaluation system.
• Implementing the action plan from the 2025 Employee Engagement and Inclusion survey.

The Successful Candidate

The City of Bellevue is seeking a strategic, equity-centered, and collaborative leader who can unite human resources and diversity, equity, and inclusion into a cohesive, future-ready vision. The Director of Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion embraces the opportunity to model equity-driven human resources leadership, contribute to the strategic investment in Bellevue’s values, culture, and future, and ensure equity remains a visible and credible organizational commitment.

The Director provides a forward-looking workforce strategy, anticipating the jobs, benefits, and talent pipelines of the future. A high-level understanding of current trends and practices in equal opportunity, diversity, equity, and inclusion, community engagement, and community outreach, with a curiosity to learn from subject-matter experts, is essential. An effective communicator and active listener, the Director partners with departments across the City to develop and retain a high-performing, diverse workforce, ensuring Bellevue remains an employer of choice. With strong business and political acumen, the successful candidate thinks holistically about how human resources and diversity, equity, and inclusion affect every part of the organization, leaning in to provide proactive strategies that strengthen organizational resilience and position Bellevue as a leader in human resources and diversity, equity, and inclusion integration.

The Director of Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has deep knowledge of human resources and effectively collaborates to elevate human resources beyond its traditional transactional role by positioning it as a trusted, strategic partner. A natural convener and collaborator, the successful candidate recognizes the importance of relationships at all levels and actively partners with internal colleagues in support of a positive and collaborative organizational culture. With strong change management skills, they navigate politically sensitive contexts with clarity and courage, balancing Bellevue’s consensus-driven culture with the need for timely, decisive action. By applying data-driven decision-making and a results-driven management philosophy, the Director tracks progress, ensuring transparency and accountability through measurable outcomes.

The Director is a coach and mentor who develops staff and cultivates leaders across the organization. With a strong commitment to both legal compliance and an inclusive culture, they foster a positive, learning organizational culture that motivates employees to perform at their best while upholding Bellevue’s core values. Grounded in humility and accountability, the successful candidate inspires confidence and strengthens both the employee experience and community trust in the City of Bellevue.

Qualifications

Ten or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience in human resource management is required, including broad expertise in the various disciplines of human resources, including experience with classification and compensation, labor relations, benefits, protective leaves and ADA, employee relations, human resources information systems, alternative dispute resolution, organizational development, and talent acquisition. Prior experience supporting strategic diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts is essential. Direct experience leading and supervising a team is required. Previous experience working in labor relations and partnering with unions is highly valuable. Experience in a position of comparable scope and size to the City of Bellevue is ideal.

A bachelor’s degree in human resources, public administration, business, communications, or related field is required. Professional Human Resources (PHR) or Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR) certification is preferred, as is Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) certification. An equivalent combination of experience and education that enables success as the Director of Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will be considered.

Inside The City of Bellevue

The City of Bellevue recognizes that successful local government operations require strong, collaborative political leadership, clear policy direction, a relentless focus on execution and results, a commitment to transparent and ethical government, and a strategy for representing and engaging every segment of the community. Bellevue operates under a Council/Manager form of government. All City staff report to the City Manager, who is the sole employee of the City Council, which is comprised of seven members, elected at large, serving staggered four-year terms. The Council selects a Mayor and Deputy Mayor from among its members. The Council sets the general policies of the City, which the City Manager and City Staff implement.

The City provides a full range of services, including Police and Fire protection, Utilities, Parks and Community Services, Transportation, Development Services, Community Development, Information Technology, and Finance and Asset Management. The 2025-26 adopted budget of $1.9 billion funds essential services while also making targeted investments to address Bellevue’s unprecedented growth. Bellevue is in a strong financial position, as indicated by AAA ratings assigned to city bonds.

MISSION

Provide exceptional customer service, uphold the public interest, and advance the community vision.

VISION

Be a collaborative and innovative organization that is future-focused and committed to excellence.

LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION

Bellevue leads with core values of exceptional public service, stewardship, commitment to employees, integrity, innovation, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. The City is committed to fostering a high-performance culture and has an ongoing organizational improvement effort called “One City.” One City embraces shared leadership, collaboration, empowerment, innovation, and performance management.

The City of Bellevue began seeking national accreditation for its operating departments in the late 1990s. Today, Bellevue is one of just a few cities in the nation where every major operating department has earned accreditation from the following respected evaluating agencies.

• Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE), The Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI)
• The Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA)
• The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA)
• The American Public Works Association (APWA)

In addition to these accreditations, the Finance Department has received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting (ACFR Program) and Distinguished Budget Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) every year since 1983.

Bellevue conducts annual surveys of residents and employees and biennial surveys of businesses. The City has enjoyed consistently high ratings even during the economic downturn– proof of the commitment of hard-working municipal employees to deliver exceptional customer service even with limited resources. Highlights of the 2022 resident survey indicated that 91% of Bellevue residents believe that their quality of life exceeds or greatly exceeds their expectations. Nearly 86% said the quality of City services either greatly exceeds or exceeds their expectations.

Inside the Human Resources Department

Vision: Collaborative Partnership for Success

Being a strategic partner for collaboration, fostering a culture of trust, diversity, equity, inclusion, and growth for our employees and community.

Mission: Empowering Our Organization in Service of Our Community

We are committed to cultivating talent, upholding our values, and ensuring exceptional customer service, enabling us to build an inclusive city workforce that can meet the diverse needs of those we serve.

The Human Resources Department is organized into four divisions: Compensation and Labor and Employee Relations; Recruitment and Organizational Development; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); and Benefits, Retirement, Payroll, and HRIS. Each division is managed by an Assistant Director who reports to the Director. The talented and dedicated staff of 35 promotes the sound management of employee resources and best practices for the city that fulfill community needs and resident expectations. With a 2025-26 operating budget of approximately $19.9 million and an additional $61.5 million in Healthcare Trust Funds, the department ensures resources are strategically allocated to support organizational goals, staff development, and service delivery.

Bellevue staff operate in a culture of high-caliber, dedicated professionals, empowered to solve problems and achieve the best outcomes for the organization and the community. The teams are committed to being a strategic partner with City departments by providing outstanding customer service in attracting, retaining, developing, and deploying a high-performance, diverse workforce in support of the changing needs of the organization. They lead the City’s efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion for both employees and the community, partnering with departments across the organization to implement DEI plans and initiatives, fostering inclusive spaces, and coordinating programs, community events, special projects, and outreach that strengthen belonging and equity citywide.

The Bellevue Community

Located in the heart of the Puget Sound region on the eastern shore of Lake Washington, between Seattle and the Cascade Mountains, Bellevue is the economic and cultural hub of East King County. It is frequently named one of the 100 best places to live by Money magazine. Home to about 155,000 residents, it is the fifth most populous city in Washington, covering an area of about 31 square miles. Bellevue is culturally diverse, with 61 percent of its population identifying as people of color. About 43 percent of the population is foreign-born, with over 90 languages spoken in Bellevue schools. Asians comprise just under 42 percent of the population, the eighth highest percentage in the nation for cities with 100,000 in population or more, and the highest percentage of large cities outside of California and Hawaii.

Bellevue is the second-largest employment center in King County with about 150,000 jobs. With direct connections to Seattle and other regional centers via interstate and state highways, Bellevue is a highly desirable location for businesses. Light rail service will connect Bellevue to the Microsoft campus in Redmond in 2024 and Seattle, Lynnwood, and SeaTac airport in 2025. The city has a rich mix of small and medium sized businesses as well as some of the country’s best-known companies – Amazon, T-Mobile (HQ), Salesforce, Symetra, TikTok, Microsoft, Meta, and PACCAR (HQ). Bellevue’s school district is continually ranked among the nation’s best academically, with excellent athletic programs as well. Bellevue College, offering two- and four-year degrees, is the largest institution in the state’s community and technical college system.

The quality of life in Bellevue is exceptional. The City is often described as a “City in a Park” due to its park system and access to recreation activities in nearby Cascade Mountains, freshwater lakes, and Puget Sound. City venues include community and beach parks, trails, and botanical gardens. Just minutes from downtown is Mercer Slough Nature Park, the largest freshwater wetland on Lake Washington with over 320 acres of wildlife habitat, agriculture, wetland ecosystems, trails, and an education center. Whether visiting one of the community farms, enjoying a round of golf, swimming at the Bellevue Aquatic Center, catching a performance at the youth theatre, or a movie in the park, there is always something to see and do in Bellevue. Popular annual events include the Arts Fest, Family July 4th celebration, and Garden d’Lights, a brilliant winter wonderland display at Bellevue Botanical Gardens during the holiday season. Bellevue retains the charm of a small town, featuring growing, tree-lined neighborhoods and natural beauty, yet offers the convenient amenities and sophistication of living in a truly urban community.

Compensation and Benefits

The full salary range for the Director of Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is $177,813 - $248,917 and will depend on the qualifications of the successful candidate. The City of Bellevue provides a generous benefits package. Learn more about the options and employee-based benefits here.

The City of Bellevue supports flexible work arrangements that promote productivity and work-life balance while ensuring operational effectiveness. This position is eligible for a hybrid schedule following an approved telework agreement and based on the assessment of business needs.

How to Apply

Applicants complete a brief online form and are prompted to provide a cover letter and resume. The position is open until filled with first review of applications beginning Monday, September 22, 2025.

At the City of Bellevue, you'll be part of a team committed to providing exceptional customer service, upholding the public interest, and advancing the community's vision. You'll work in an environment that is innovative, collaborative, future-focused, and committed to excellence. Bellevue welcomes the world. Our diversity is our strength. We embrace the future while respecting our past. It's what makes the City of Bellevue an exciting place to work, live, and explore.

The City of Bellevue supports workplace diversity and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, marital status, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected status.

Persons needing an ADA accommodation in the application process may call the Raftelis Office at 513-221-0500 or email jsalyer@raftelis.com. If you are invited to participate in the selection process and need ADA accommodations, please notify the Search Manager before you are scheduled for an interview.

Questions

For more information or questions regarding the City of Bellevue or the Director of Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion position, please contact the Search Manager, Heather Gantz at hgantz@raftelis.com.

RECRUITMENT BROCHURE