Vice President For Education And Workplace Justice

The Position

The National Women’s Law Center seeks a Vice President for Education & Workplace Justice to provide strategic vision, expertise, and leadership to the education and workplace justice portfolios. The Vice President will be a strategist, advocate, and spokesperson for the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQI+ people at work and at school, with a particular focus on women and girls of color. This includes oversight of the operations of the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, which funds litigation costs and storytelling assistance in select cases challenging workplace sex harassment and related retaliation.
 

The Vice President will be responsible for leading the development of the Law Center’s policy and litigation strategies to end sex discrimination at work and at school; to advance job quality for all workers, particularly those in the low-paid jobs where women are overrepresented; and to create safe and inclusive schools for girls of color and LGBTQI+ youth. This includes federal and state strategies to advance innovative solutions and defend against efforts to codify discrimination and restrict core civil rights protections. In collaboration with the External Affairs team, the Vice President will elevate compelling narratives of need and impact to drive and frame these efforts, working to continue to grow the Law Center’s policy and cultural influence on these issues. The Vice President will also seek to build alignment and coordination among external stakeholders to advance education and workplace justice goals as a leader in the gender justice movement, bringing an intersectional lens to the work that includes a consistent focus on racial justice and LGBTQI+ equality. The successful candidate will bring a broad network of existing relationships with policy makers and organizational partners engaged in policy advocacy related to education and/or workplace justice, and a demonstrated ability to build trust with internal and external stakeholders, leading through influence and managing a team that works cross functionally.
 
Reporting to the Chief Program Officer, the Vice President for Education & Workplace Justice will serve as a member of the Law Center’s senior leadership team and will supervise a talented team of 27. This team includes eight attorney directors, all of whom are subject matter experts in specific portfolios.  The VP will manage all operations for the Education & Workplace Justice team, including oversight of a budget of approximately $2.3m. 

The Organization

The National Women’s Law Center fights for gender justice — in the courts, in public policy, and in our society — working across the issues that are central to the lives of women and girls. 

We use the law in all its forms to change culture and drive solutions to the gender inequity that shapes our society and to break down the barriers that harm all of us — especially those who face multiple forms of discrimination, including women and girls of color, LGBTQI+ people, and low-income women and families. 

For more than 50 years, we have been on the leading edge of every major legal and policy victory for women. Find out more at NWLC.org. 

Responsibilities

Strategy, Vision & Leadership  

• Serve as a member of the senior leadership team, working with the President & CEO, Chief Program Officer, Chief External Affairs Officer and other Chiefs and Vice Presidents to shape the organization's strategy, priorities, and resource allocation related to education and workplace justice; and to foster healthy communication and collaboration.
• Lead the team in identifying key programmatic priorities for education and workplace justice, in close collaboration with the Chief Program Officer.
• Develop and advance policy and legal strategies to forward education and workplace justice priorities, that are informed by the lived experiences of students and workers.
• Track key legislative initiatives; identify relevant legal and policy trends at the federal and state levels; and position the Law Center as a leading influential voice in policy discussions related to gender justice at work and at school.
• Ensure that the Law Center remains a primary, go-to source for policy makers, media, and the public for insight, strategy, and solutions to advance gender justice at work and at school.
• Build and sustain relationships with key stakeholders and partners to advance Law Center interests.
• Work with the Vice President for Campaigns and Communications and the Chief External Affairs Officer to design innovative campaigns to advance NWLC policy and advocacy agendas and amplify the organization’s influence.

• In partnership with the Law Center's leadership and the Development team, raise funds for the Education & Workplace Justice portfolio.
• Speak publicly and represent NWLC and its work to key stakeholders including policymakers, the media, funders, and other leaders of legal and advocacy organizations.

Team Management and Supervision 

• Lead a diverse team of attorneys and other policy advocates, including providing regular feedback, coaching to optimize performance, monitoring workload, coordinating and distributing assignments, and conducting annual performance evaluations.
• Help establish and maintain effective communications and collaboration with other NWLC teams, maintaining consistent implementation of internal policies, practices, structures and processes.
• Guide team directors in their leadership as managers, including by working with them to establish project goals and timelines, supporting them as supervisors, and collaborating with them in identifying team priorities and workplans.
• Maintain a culture that values learning, promote and guide team members’ professional development, and uphold a commitment to excellence and equity, in order to attract, retain, and motivate a talented, diverse staff.

Qualifications

A candidate must possess:

• A law degree; and admission to a state bar with ability to waive into the DC Bar if not already admitted.
• Demonstrated success serving as a leader within a mission-driven organization, with a large, diverse staff driving programming and impact.
• Demonstrated commitment to gender justice and deep expertise in workplace justice and/or education law and policy, with a preference for significant experience with Title VII and/or Title IX, and a strong preference for a candidate who has familiarity with both education and workplace justice issues.
• Deep familiarity and experience conducting policy analysis, engaging public officials on issues related to gender justice, workers’ rights, and/or students’ rights, and with political and legislative processes at the federal and state levels.
• Demonstrated ability to use and integrate racial equity, LGBTQ equity, and intersectional frameworks and analyses. 
• A strong network with leading policymakers, thinkers, and advocates in gender justice, education, and/or workplace justice, bringing existing relationships that will facilitate the expansion of NWLC’s policy agenda.
• Proven track record of effectively interacting with diverse stakeholders including policy and advocacy organizations, public officials, and business leaders.
• Excellent research, analytical, oral and written communication skills, including skills in legal analysis.
• Outstanding time management and organizational skills, with high attention to detail and accountability for meeting deliverables and deadlines in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment.
• Sound strategic judgment with demonstrated ability in creating and leading constructive partnerships.
• Demonstrated initiative and creativity, including ability to proactively spot and address issues, identify strategies and opportunities, and oversee effective implementation of these strategies.
• Collaborative and collegial approach, an ability and desire to work in a team-based environment, demonstrated ability to build trust with internal and external stakeholders, strong problem-solving and mentoring skills, and an orientation to the work that recognizes and values the contributions of all team members.
• Demonstrated commitment to centering diversity and equity in executing key responsibilities.
• Genuine passion for the mission of the National Women’s Law Center.

Additional preferred skills and knowledge:

• Successful fundraising experience, including developing and framing projects to appeal to a broad range of potential supporters.
• Experience crafting and managing education and/or workplace justice litigation.
• Senior-level experience at successfully building and managing a collaborative and diverse team in a larger organization; demonstrated success applying an equity lens to leadership and management; experience administering budgets and assessing infrastructure needs and organizational capacity.
• Media experience as a spokesperson.

Key Relationships

This position reports to the Chief Program Officer and is a member of the senior leadership team. The role leads the Education & Workplace Justice team, which currently includes 24 staff, including the staff that operate the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund.

Compensation & Benefits

A salary within the range of $231,051-$266,132 will be provided to the successful candidate with up to 36+ years of experience, consistent with the National Women’s Law Center’s compensation framework. The successful candidate’s salary within this range will be determined by the number of years of relevant experience they bring to the role.

The Center offers a comprehensive benefits package, and four weeks of annual vacation.                  

NWLC is a non-profit organization whose headquarters and staff are based in Washington, D.C. at our new office at 1350 Eye Street N.W.  This role is based in D.C. and will be eligible for some telework while also being expected to work in person on a regular basis. The successful candidate will need to live in or relocate to the DMV (broadly defined as DC, Maryland, or Viriginia).

The first 90 days of employment will be considered a probationary period.

Classification

This position is a management role and as such is not included in the union-represented bargaining unit, NWLC United, affiliated with the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union/IFPTE Local 70.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, please submit a resume and cover letter outlining your interests and qualifications as well as contact information for 3 references. Resumes should include exact start and end dates (month and year) of employment. Electronic submissions are preferred. Applications accepted until the position is filled.

The National Women’s Law Center is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and values a diverse workforce.  We strongly encourage and seek applications from people with disabilities; people of all gender identities and sexual orientations; people of color; and veterans. 

Research indicates members of marginalized groups tend to underestimate their qualifications and apply only if they are a 100% match. If you are passionate about NWLC’s mission and think you have what it takes to be successful in this role, even if you don’t check all the boxes, please apply. We’d appreciate the opportunity to consider your application. 

Reasonable Accommodations

If you require reasonable accommodations during any part of the hiring process, please email NWLCHR@nwlc.org.