Four job positions posted
By JOSH RESNEK
The city of Everett is advertising in a variety of places for an Assistant Assessor, Affordable Housing Program Manager, a Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and a Communications Specialist/Public Information Officer.
One of the venues the city is using to advertise the positions is the widely popular and well-read MASSterList Job Board, which reaches about 25,000 professionals and politicians and state agencies as well as institutions of all kinds on an everyday subscription website: MassterList@massterlist.com.
The eye catchers in this group are the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Communications Specialist/Public Information Officer.
“The City of Everett is looking for a dynamic leader to help drive organizational change around diversity, equity and inclusion. The Director will design and implement organization-wide DEI efforts, and help shape a healthy and inclusive culture where everyone can grow and thrive. We are looking for a candidate with a deep understanding of diversity challenges and an ability to lead systemic change. This position reports directly to the Mayor and collaborates with senior leadership and other key stakeholders to advance our diversity and equity initiatives, and overall inclusion strategy,” is how the advertisement reads on MASSterList.
In part, the new position is meant to jump start efforts to make the city workforce more inclusive and representative of Everett’s diverse population.
Reporting directly to the mayor is likely to make this a challenging position as the effort will be to diversity leadership and staffing for a mayor who has been resistant to cultural change and diversification of the workforce.
The Communications Specialist/Public Information Officer advertisement is an eyebrow raiser.
Very few cities the size of Everett have two information officers.
The city’s longtime information officer, Tom Philbin, is now heading the City’s Conservation Department and whatever else goes along with conservation issues – which are abundant here.
Philbin was the city’s information officer for a number of years.
He was replaced recently by Attorney Deanna Deveney.
Inside the mayor’s office, Philbin was considered the real pro of the operation – a very quiet, smart, articulate strong presence who always knew what the right thing to do would be in every instance.
Philbin is out of that role now.
Deveney was his de facto replacement.
Now the mayor is feeling a second public information officer is necessary – a situation that hasn’t existed since that position was vacated many months back.
According to the advertisement, the focus will be on the conveyance of public information through multiple formats, and the successful representation of the City’s interests via social media and traditional news outlets in a timely and accurate manner.
The Affordable Housing Program Manager’s position is intended to jump-start a working affordable housing program in the city.
Despite thousands of new living units built here during the past decade, almost no meaningful numbers of affordable units have come to be.
The manager will report to the mayor.
The city is also seeking an assistant city assessor to assist the assessor.
The position offers competitive salary, four-day work week, health insurance and a vested pension after ten years of service.