THE ORGANIZATION
Legal Aid at Work (LAAW) partners with people to help them understand and assert their workplace rights, and advocates for employment laws and systems that empower low-paid workers and marginalized communities.
LAAW has seven core program areas: (1) Community Legal Services; (2) Disability and Health Justice; (3) Gender Equity & LGBTQ Rights; (4) National Origin and Immigrants’ Rights; (5) Racial Economic Justice; (6) Wage Protection; and (7) 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, we strongly encourage BIPOC candidates and those with lived experiences and low-income workers to apply.
SUMMARY
LAAW seeks a Vice President of Development and Communications (VP) to join the organization’s Management team, leading the strategy and execution of the organization’s fundraising and external communications work, including partnership with the Board of Directors on fundraising and external engagement. Reporting to the President, this role is primarily accountable for strengthening and growing the organization’s revenue over time, while helping to build the systems, narratives, and relationships needed to support long-term sustainability.
The VP will set and advance an integrated external relations strategy that aligns fundraising, communications, and Board engagement with LAAW’s organizational priorities. This leader will work closely with the President, Board leadership, and senior staff to clarify goals, establish priorities, and build greater consistency and focus across external-facing work. The role includes both strategic leadership and hands-on partnership with staff as the organization continues to strengthen its development and communications infrastructure.
This is an opportunity for a senior leader who brings deep experience stewarding and engaging high level funders and donors, and who enjoys setting direction and goals to foster clarity and support staff development and growth. The VP will play a key role in translating LAAW’s complex legal and policy work into clear, compelling narratives for donors, partners, and the public, while building the capacity of the Board to become more effective and comfortable in its fundraising role.
Success in this role will be driven by the ability to set realistic priorities, create alignment across functions, and increase organizational revenue and sustainability through strategy, structure, and relationship-building. At a time when workers’ rights are under attack across the country, this role represents a unique opportunity to join the movement to protect and advance the rights of California’s most marginalized workers, while also elevating a platform for the clients and communities we serve to be heard and respected.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Fundraising
Legal Aid at Work’s fundraising is anchored in three primary revenue streams: (1) contributed giving, including support from law firms, attorneys, and individual donors (2) institutional funding, including grants from private foundations and government sources; and (3) cy pres awards, which are court-approved distributions from class action settlements that support the organization’s mission and legal work. Together, these funding sources provide a stable and diversified foundation for the organization’s work.
The VP will be responsible for setting clear fundraising priorities across contributed giving and institutional funding, and for ensuring appropriate coordination and tracking of cy pres revenue, which will largely be handled by the President. Working in close partnership with the President and the Development team, the VP will help refine goals, improve planning and forecasting, and ensure that fundraising efforts are aligned with organizational priorities and capacity.
On the institutional funding side, the VP will provide senior leadership and development of grant strategy, application, reporting, and compliance, supported by two grants management staff. In particular, this role will oversee LAAW’s State Bar funding, which requires a high level of financial and analytical acumen, and will partner with the team and the President to develop a robust grants strategy that builds on existing relationships and expands LAAW’s funding into intersectional issue areas and relationships.
With respect to contributed giving, the VP will guide annual fundraising campaigns, donor stewardship, and board-supported or initiated fundraising efforts. While LAAW has historically focused its individual giving efforts around established annual giving cycles (notably our annual year-end fundraising campaign and our annual gala), the organization is in the early stages of exploring its major gifts, bequests, and donor research capacity. The VP will play a key role in clarifying these areas, supporting staff growth and effectiveness, and determining where new approaches or investments can most effectively increase impact.
Communications
The VP will provide strategic leadership for Legal Aid at Work’s external communications, ensuring that the organization’s messaging, storytelling, and public-facing materials effectively support fundraising goals, organizational priorities, and the broader mission to advance workers’ rights.
Partnering closely with the Communications Manager, the VP will set overall direction for external communications and help bring greater clarity, consistency, and focus to LAAW’s narrative. This includes identifying core messages and themes, clarifying priority audiences, and determining where communications efforts can have the greatest impact given available capacity and resources. The VP will also partner with the President to help establish and reinforce organizational narrative priorities, particularly in moments of heightened public attention, fundraising campaigns, or external engagement.
A central responsibility of this role will be translating complex legal, policy, and programmatic work into clear, compelling, and appropriate narratives for external audiences, including donors, partners, and the general public. This will require close collaboration with program staff and leadership to surface stories, insights, and outcomes that reflect the substance and values of LAAW’s work, while maintaining ethical storytelling practices and respecting the experiences of clients and communities.
Board Relations
While the President retains primary responsibility for overall board management and key board relationships, the VP will play a key role in supporting and aligning the Board of Directors in its fundraising, external engagement, and governance responsibilities. LAAW’s Board is large and this role focuses on strengthening board effectiveness, clarity, and alignment in close partnership with the President.
The VP will staff and support the Board’s Development Committee and work with the President to clarify expectations for board fundraising participation, provide appropriate tools and messaging, and help board members become more effective and confident as ambassadors and fundraisers. This includes preparing materials and briefings, supporting donor outreach and relationship-building, and designing engagement approaches that reflect board members’ interests, availability, and roles.
In addition, the VP will serve as the primary staff liaison to the Board’s Recruitment and Nominating Committee, which functions as the organization’s governance committee. In this capacity, the VP will work with the President, committee leadership, and staff to support board recruitment and onboarding, maintain and update governance materials such as bylaws and conflict-of-interest disclosures (when needed, and in coordination with the President and legal counsel) and help ensure that board composition and practices continue to support the organization’s mission and strategic direction.
Leadership, Culture, and DEI
As a member of the Management team, the VP will contribute to organizational strategic planning and decision making, while also leading on cross-functional initiatives and projects, as needed. As one of the most senior people in the organization, the VP, along with all Management team members, will play a crucial role in setting the tone for a healthy culture, leading by example and consistently displaying an openness to learning and feedback. As a unionized organization, LAAW believes in the importance of employees organizing to improve their working conditions. While the VP role is not in the bargaining unit, as a leader in the organization, the VP will be expected to interact with and support colleagues who are part of the union.
Furthermore, the VP must demonstrate a commitment to ongoing learning and self-reflection as it relates to LAAW’s DEI values. Demonstrated willingness and ability to critically self-reflect, hold themselves and others accountable, as well as actively encourage individual and collective DEI work is essential.
REQUIREMENTS
The following list of core competencies and experiences is provided to share insight into the requirements of the role and the general level of experience we seek in candidates. We encourage all qualified candidates and those with relevant or transferable experience to apply, even if you do not bring experience in all of the areas noted below.
The VP must bring a demonstrated track record setting and executing fundraising and communications strategies that increase revenue, clarity, and organizational alignment, as well as a commitment to social justice and civil rights causes. As such, LAAW is seeking nonprofit development and communications leaders with experience clarifying priorities and building the systems and teams needed to execute effectively over time.
Preferably, candidates will bring experience translating complex programmatic content into relatable, motivating narratives that compel people to act. Bringing experience working with or in communications and digital teams, the ideal candidate will appreciate the role of strategic communications in supporting organizational goals. Those with experience partnering with deep subject matter experts to understand their work, impacted communities, and broader social movements would be best suited for this position. Experience working with attorneys, policy experts, or other highly specialized professionals is a plus. The VP must be someone who has demonstrated ethical storytelling to a wide range of audiences, thinking deeply about ways to respectfully engage communities, partners, and clients in LAAW’s external relations work.
Acting as a true partner to Programs, the VP will set funding and communications strategies that align with and support the programmatic goals of frontline staff. This will require a VP who is skilled at aligning cross-functional strategies, displaying both initiative and a willingness to adapt as programmatic needs and priorities shift.
On the fundraising front, it will be essential to work with the President and the Development team to identify ways to further integrate LAAW’s values around racial equity and social justice into the organization’s approach to fundraising and funder relationship management.
As a member of the Management team and a supervisor to a team of five, the VP will display an ability to balance an inclusive culture of feedback, while also setting clear, consistent direction for the team and developing the infrastructure and policies to support their work. This person will ideally have a strong background leading teams, leveraging existing skillsets while also identifying paths for growth. Bringing a culture of humility, curiosity, and kindness, the ideal candidate will understand how to balance a culture of excellence with genuine care for the team. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working within existing systems and teams, while thoughtfully introducing change and new approaches as the organization evolves.
Candidates must be based in California, preferably in the Bay Area. Legal Aid at Work offers employees the flexibility to work primarily from home, contingent on business needs and professional responsibilities.
COMPENSATION
Legal Aid at Work offers salaries that are competitive in the public interest law community. Benefits include health plans, long-term disability and life insurance, 403(b) retirement plan, and generous paid vacation and holidays. The salary range for this position ranges from $200,000 to $222,800 depending on years of relevant experience.
TO APPLY
Please email your resume, a cover letter detailing your interest in the position, and three references to:
VP of Development and Communications
Email: jobs@legalaidatwork.org
Legal Aid at Work is committed to a diverse, multicultural work environment. LAAW is an equal opportunity, fair chance, and affirmative action employer. Our complete EEO and DEI statements as well as further information concerning the organization and its programs can be found at www.legalaidatwork.org. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Legal Aid at Work will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.