Creating and hiring for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) roles is a longstanding priority for organizations. DEI jobs have been around since the 1960s, stemming from anti-discrimination legislation passed during that decade.
That being said, the state of DEI jobs is ever-evolving due to the social and financial issues the world is facing. The DEI discipline acts as a microcosm of the state of the world.
Looking toward the future, this resource serves as a guide to help you understand what types of DEI jobs are available within an organization, how these jobs fit into an organization’s overall DEI strategy, and each position’s average salary (as of March 2023).
Use the quick navigation links below to jump to a specific career level:
Executive and Senior Management
Diversity leaders at the C-suite level are responsible for leading their companies. They create strategies for hiring and retaining diverse talent, lead diversity training, and maintain relationships with an organization’s employee resource groups. Executive-level DEI leaders are also often responsible for complying with equal employment opportunity regulations and may be expected to support harassment investigations. They typically report directly to the CEO.
Chief Diversity Officer
Chief DEI Officer
Chief Cultural Officer
Chief Equality Officer
Chief DEI Accessibility Officer
DEI Director
Head of DEI
The executive-level diversity team leader, referred to by any of the above titles, manages all things related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. They are responsible for developing and implementing up-to-date DEI initiatives across the organization, including strategizing diverse hiring techniques, deploying DEI training programs, and ensuring companies retain talent across the organization.
- Salary Range: $198,000 – $278,300
- Years of Experience: Approximately 7-10 years
- Industry: General
Chief People Officer
The chief people officer may have similar responsibilities as the roles mentioned above. However, the chief people officer also shares responsibilities with the chief human resources officer, including outlining compensation, benefits, labor relations, and employee support services, in addition to attracting and retaining talent. They’re also responsible for building trust with employees and enhancing their work experience by creating innovative programs and leading training programs, including diversity and inclusion training.
- Salary Range: $284,500 – $386,400
- Years of Experience: Approximately 9-12 years
- Industry: General
VP of Diversity
VP of DEI
The vice president-level roles set goals and lead initiatives to recruit, train, and retain diverse employees. These DEI leaders are also responsible for maintaining company culture with employees’ best interests in mind.
- Salary Range: $98,000 – $163,000
- Years of Experience: Approximately 10 years
- Industry: General
Director of Culture
Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
The director-level roles have similar responsibilities as vice presidents, but typically interact more with, and offer more guidance to, mid-level managers.
- Salary Range: $98,000 – $163,000
- Years of Experience: Approximately 3-5 years
- Industry: General
Assistant Director of Diversity and Inclusion
Director of DEI Education and Outreach
Dean of DEI
Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion
Under the leadership of the director, these university-level positions may be responsible for providing support for the execution of DEI initiatives, serving as subject matter experts to support and educate employees, and establishing and maintaining partnerships. They may also oversee development workshops and training.
- Salary Range: $60,632 – $89,008
- Years of Experience: Approximately 3-5 years; master’s degree may be required for positions in higher education
- Industry: Higher education, general
Director of Supplier Diversity
This role will establish and maintain mutually beneficial partnerships with diverse supplier organizations. Effective relationships will increase engagement with these suppliers, foster connections, and increase community presence. This role may also be expected to vet and build relationships between their organization and supplier diversity programs.
- Salary Range: $88,000 – $118,000
- Years of Experience: Approximately 7 years
- Industry: Automotive, engineering, design, food/beverage, retail
Middle Management
Middle managers serve as the go-between for executive or senior managers and first-level managers. They may have a team that reports to them or help oversee specific objectives within DEI teams at an organization. This person typically has management experience and a nuanced understanding of how DEI initiatives should be led. Middle management DEI practitioners generally report to the director of DEI.
DEI Manager
DEI Manager of Engagement
Employment Equity Manager
Race, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) Manager
This role reports to and assists those in executive or senior management positions. From creation to execution, they will manage the organization’s DEI initiatives, which include employee resource groups, diversity training, learning programs, vendor diversity, and more. They also measure the initiatives’ effectiveness.
- Salary Range: $118,133 – $150,583
- Years of Experience: Approximately 5 years
- Industry: General
DEI Project Manager
The project manager oversees the development, design, and implementation of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives within an organization. They serve as a touchpoint in recruiting, developing, and retaining talent.
- Salary Range: $106,000 – $186,000
- Years of Experience: Approximately 5-7 years
- Industry: General
Senior Executive DEI Think Tank is a criteria-based membership community for chief diversity officers and senior-level DEI leaders at large organizations to share difference-making tactics, trade valuable resources, and seek the counsel of experienced peers in a private, confidential setting.
Do you qualify?First-Level Management
First-level management is composed of supervisory roles. These DEI practitioners typically represent middle and executive management to entry-level and intermediate employees. They are responsible for making sure an organization’s day-to-day operations run smoothly and report to DEI leaders in middle management.
DEI Program Manager
DEI program managers have a wide scope of responsibilities as they manage several employees while leading an organization’s big-picture DEI work. They may work on multiple projects simultaneously under the guidance of middle management and higher.
- Salary Range: $84,000 – $143,000
- Years of Experience: Approximately 5 years
- Industry: General
DEI Project Manager
Program and project managers are similar roles. However, DEI project managers have a smaller scope and typically work on one project at a time with a fixed deadline.
- Salary Range: $84,000 – $143,000
- Years of Experience: Approximately 5-7 years
- Industry: General
DEI Data Manager
DEI data managers focus on collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing data regarding DEI initiatives. Based on their findings, they work with management to improve DEI processes. People in this role typically have degrees in mathematics, statistics, computer science, or another related field.
- Salary Range: $56,000 – $90,000
- Years of Experience: Approximately 3-5 years
- Industry: Health care, tech
Health Equity Specialist
Health equity specialists typically develop, implement, and evaluate policies, programs, and services that affect community members’ health. They also work to promote health equity in communities by engaging community partners.
- Salary Range: $50,000 – $74,500
- Years of Experience: Approximately 3-5 years
- Industry: Health care
Culture Manager
Culture managers share some responsibilities with HR as they are responsible for promoting and maintaining a positive work environment and culture. They are a go-to for employees and senior managers seeking advice, guidance, or support in culture-related matters and provide ongoing training and coaching to encourage continuous improvements to the work environment. This person also offers and implements strategic people policies and processes that align with DEI objectives.
- Salary Range: $77,000 – $134,000
- Years of Experience: Approximately 7 years
- Industry: General
Employee Resource Group Program Manager
Employee Resource Group Community Manager
The employee resource group (ERG) manager guides a company to create the long-term vision for their ERG program in alignment with the company’s goals. This person will often conduct a listening tour with ERG leads, offer guidance on how to spend the annual ERG budget, and may also help onboard executive sponsors.
- Salary Range: $86,000 – $142,000
- Years of Experience: Approximately 5 years
- Industry: General
Supplier Diversity Manager
Supplier diversity managers help set and maintain goals that ensure the procurement process within a supply chain provides opportunities to diverse suppliers. They research, make recommendations, and maintain relationships with diverse suppliers. They may also be responsible for collecting and retaining certifications for all diverse suppliers and providing feedback for diverse suppliers’ bids.
- Salary Range: $88,599 – $118,452
- Years of Experience: Approximately 5-7 years
- Industry: Automotive, food/beverage, manufacturing, health care, engineering, design
Experienced
Although team members at the experienced level don’t have supervisory duties, their jobs do require experience and, in some instances, specialized training. These supporting DEI roles work independently to help their team reach their DEI goals and build a culture of belonging within the organization.
DEI Analyst
Senior Data Analyst, DEI
An analyst advances an organization’s DEI strategy by creating in-depth data analytics for coordinating, monitoring, and analyzing any data related to the overarching DEI plan. An analyst also translates the data into digestible reports, graphs, and charts and creates data visualizations to highlight key findings. They’ll also interpret and share their findings with the organization.
- Salary Range: $56,000 – $84,000
- Years of Experience: Approximately 3-5 years
- Industry: Health care, tech
DEI Specialist
DEI Lead
Diversity Strategist
Inclusion Specialist
A diversity strategist analyzes an organization and outlines goals to improve diversity and inclusion. They then create a plan to reach the goals and measure the success of the organization’s incremental efforts toward accomplishing them.
- Salary Range: $55,890 – $69,390
- Years of Experience: Approximately 4 years
- Industry: General
Diversity Consultant
A diversity consultant helps an organization understand pitfalls in meeting their employees’ needs and work to create a more inclusive culture. Unlike a strategist, a diversity consultant is solely expected to provide expert advice in key DEI areas.
- Salary Range: $65,957 – $91,793
- Years of Experience: Approximately 5 years
- Industry: General
Diversity Trainer
Diversity trainers design and conduct diversity training programs for employees and managers. They also track the effectiveness of their programs and are responsible for ensuring the curriculum remains up-to-date. In some instances, they may work alongside vendors to deliver diversity training.
- Salary Range: $57,709 – $82,961
- Years of Experience: Approximately 3-5 years
- Industry: General
Entry-Level
Entry-level positions are reserved for recent graduates or those starting their career in DEI. These roles typically involve routine daily tasks since employees are gaining the skills and experience to be successful in DEI. They report to mid-level managers. Companies may also opt to hire DEI interns who assist with administrative tasks, create social media strategies, and participate in an organization’s internship activities and events. Interns typically report to a first-level manager.
DEI Assistant
DEI Coordinator
A DEI assistant or coordinator may organize events and team meetings, update and maintain websites, and create social media campaigns for a DEI organization. They may also be responsible for keeping a record at meetings, collaborating with other teams across an organization on DEI initiatives, and participating in ERGs.
- Salary Range: $45,000 – $65,000
- Years of Experience: Approximately 2-3 years
- Industry: General
