Executive Director

The Organization

As the preeminent nonprofit for workers’ rights in California, Legal Aid at Work (“LAAW”) partners with people to help them understand and assert their workplace rights, as well as advocates for employment laws and systems that empower low-paid workers and marginalized communities.

LAAW has seven core program areas:

• Community Legal Services
• Disability Rights
• Gender Equity & LGBTQ Rights
• National Origin and Immigrants’ Rights
• Racial Economic Justice
• Wage Protection
• Work & Family

Through these programs, LAAW:

• Provides free, individualized legal advice and counsel throughout California to thousands of low-income workers;
• Pursues targeted enforcement and impact litigation to strengthen and clarify the law;
• Conducts community outreach and education for workers, their advocates, their families, and their health and social service providers; and
• Advocates for laws, regulations, and policies at the local, state, and national levels to strengthen civil and workplace rights.

As a social justice organization, Legal Aid at Work’s mission is rooted in the firm belief that all people deserve respect, dignity, and self-determination at work, at school, and in their communities. Structural and systemic racism – with the oppression of Black and Indigenous people at its core – and other forms of injustice shape the society and the civic, political, and legal systems in which we work and live.

Legal Aid at Work is committed to developing and nurturing an organizational culture that will dismantle systems of oppression, uplift people from underrepresented communities, and create a workplace that is truly equitable and inclusive. As such, LAAW is looking for candidates who have a demonstrated commitment to these goals.  We encourage BIPOC candidates and those with lived experiences as low-income workers to apply for this impactful executive leadership position.

The Opportunity

LAAW is at a pivotal and compelling inflection point in its organizational trajectory. Legacy leader and long-serving Executive Director/President Joan Messing Graff is retiring after developing an organization with a respected legacy, strong financial footing, and a dedicated team. To further advance its mission, LAAW is seeking a bold, values-driven leader to collaborate with the management team and staff to initiate a meaningful evolution – innovating internal systems and external communications, while cultivating an inclusive, transparent, and united organizational culture – all in service of empowering the most vulnerable communities.

At a time of escalating threats to workers’ rights and social justice, LAAW’s work has never been more urgent. This role offers the chance to lead a mission-driven organization with deep expertise, to amplify its voice, and to help shape the future of workplace justice. For a strategic, consensus-building, emotionally intelligent leader committed to equity, this is an extraordinary opportunity to drive lasting impact.    

The Position

The Executive Director (ED) reports to the Board of Directors whose governance primarily lies in financial oversight and fundraising. The ED will directly supervise and collaborate most closely with LAAW’s Management Team, comprised of:  

• Vice President of HR Administration and Labor Relations
• Vice President of Finance and Operations
• Vice President of Programs and Litigation
• Vice President of Recruitment and HR Operations
• Vice President of Strategy

Core Responsibilities

Overseeing Vision and Mission

• Partnering with the Management Team and Program Staff to outline, execute, and measure efficacy of a strategic plan to achieve LAAW’s mission.
• Cultivating and maintaining a positive organizational culture that values and encourages teamwork, collaboration, and productive debate among and between all departments.
• Prioritizing inclusion of diverse staff to reflect the communities that LAAW serves.
• Leveraging staff expertise to improve, expand, and reimagine programming opportunities to serve new, and/or underserved California communities.
• Staying abreast of developments in legal/economic trends, employment/workforce data, legislation, government initiatives, research, and other areas to ensure LAAW is responsive to emerging issues.

Leading Development and Fundraising Initiatives

• Serving as LAAW’s chief fundraiser to maintain its excellent reputation, inspire community support, and enhance its presence and profile.
• Collaborating with board members, development staff, and others to diversify and broaden the sources of funding, while maintaining and stewarding the existing donor base.
• Updating LAAW’s digital infrastructure to build a state-of-the-art development function.
• Bolstering LAAW’s external communications, highlighting persuasive messages and narratives to motivate donors and funding sources to give.
• Connecting with and representing LAAW before the media, legal community, donors, foundations, governmental bodies, businesses, academic institutions, and sister organizations.
• Developing the requisite external communication skills among staff—especially those working in programs and in development—to become effective ambassadors for LAAW.

Maintaining Financial Sustainability and Enhancing Operational Effectiveness

• Providing the Board of Directors with annual budgets, financial reports, and other documents ensuring proper governance and stewardship of LAAW’s finances and assessments of risk.
• Overseeing the budgeting process with finance staff and actively monitoring performance.
• Leading efforts to upgrade LAAW’s Customer Relationship Management tools to maintain LAAW’s metrics for submission to foundations, donor appeals, reports, and delivery of program services.
• Working with staff to develop formalized policies, procedures, and systems that enable them to do their best work.
• Assisting the Management Team in the recruitment and career development of staff.
• Ensuring implementation of relevant procedures to address staff performance.
• Delivering regular updates to staff regarding operations, administration, and development activities, while providing regular forums for staff to report programmatic activities.

Monitoring and Responding to Trends, Events and Opportunities

Ensuring that program activities are aligned in anticipation of and in response to factors that may impact achievement of the organization’s mission.

• Communicating regularly with the Board and staff regarding program activities, including litigation, direct services, grant-funded projects, community outreach and workers’ rights clinics, as well as policy work, and community engagement.
• Providing regular reports to staff and the Board regarding finances and updates on operations, administration and development activities.
• Keeping current with developments in legal and economic trends, employment and workforce data, new legislation, government initiatives, social science research, and other areas to ensure LAAW is responsive to and on the cutting edge of emerging issues.

Candidate Qualifications / Experience

Education

Ideally, the Executive Director will be an attorney, e.g., a member in good standing of the California State Bar. However, a non-lawyer professional with a compelling leadership profile and track record of highly effective management savvy will be considered.

Experience

The successful candidate will bring the following experience to the role:

• Mission – Demonstrated commitment to social justice and alignment with LAAW’s mission, with a deep appreciation for its 109-year legacy as a nonprofit legal advocate for low-wage, Black and Brown workers.
• Strategic Leadership: Visionary and pragmatic leader with a track record of leveraging staff expertise, driving organizational cohesion, and leading change with empathy and clarity.
• Governance and Partnerships: Effective partnership with a Board of Directors and experienced in cultivating strategic relationships across sectors, including public agencies, law firms, academia, philanthropy, and media.
• Fundraising and Financial Management: Proven success in raising and diversifying funding through donors and foundations. Skilled in aligning budgets with strategy and using data to drive sustainability.
• People and Culture: Committed to inclusive, equitable leadership and experienced in managing high-performing teams. Supports staff development through formalized systems that foster accountability and cross-department collaboration. Centers racial justice within the work and all aspects of the organization and has a proven record of developing and supporting meaningful Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices in the workplace.
• Communication and Public Presence: Outstanding communicator with the ability to represent LAAW’s mission powerfully across audiences. Confident serving as the organization’s spokesperson in public, legal, and policy arenas.
• Operations and Systems: Experienced in modernizing internal infrastructure, including digital tools to improve efficiency, transparency, and cross-team collaboration.

It is not necessary to meet all the criteria above to apply and be considered for this position.

Compensation

An annual salary ranging from $240,000 to $255,000 will be offered, commensurate with experience, plus a comprehensive package of benefits and Paid Time Off.

How to Apply

To initiate consideration for this opportunity, please submit a resumé and cover letter, outlining your qualifications as per this Position Specification, to the Carlson Beck representatives below.

Contact Information

For additional information regarding this opportunity, please contact: