Also known as… an equality and diversity officer, manager or team leader, inclusivity officer or manager, equalities strategy officer or equalities adviser.
What you need to succeed… Excellent communication skills at all levels are a must, as you will be dealing with a variety of people whose issues will require a tactful and sensitive approach. You must be able to understand the particular needs of disadvantaged groups, so a good understanding of equality legislation and regulation would be advantageous in this role.
How to get into it… Usually, you will need to have clocked up two to three years’ generalist HR experience before moving into a role such as this. As with all HR positions, it is useful to have the CIPD qualification.
What is involved… You will work towards eliminating discrimination in both recruitment and employment. You’ll do this by promoting, developing and implementing equal opportunities policies and practices, probably in conjunction with the HR manager. You will also monitor performance against key indicators.
Training is usually a fundamental part of this role and you can expect to be working with internal as well as external training providers, to ensure there is full implementation of equality and diversity training for employees and line managers.
You will also provide support and advice to HR staff and line managers to help to deal with equalities-based staffing issues.
Prospects… Good. This is a fast-growing field so more opportunities are emerging for those with appropriate skills and previous experience. There is definitely scope for career progression too, as more senior positions are being created. There is also a range of opportunities within specialist consultancies.
