Senior Director Of Workplace Equality And Senior Counsel

The Position

The National Women’s Law Center seeks a Senior Director of Workplace Equality to lead the Center’s federal policy work advocating for gender justice in the workplace, with a particular focus on women of color, women in low-paid jobs, and LGBTQI+ workers. Priority areas of focus include advancing equal pay, preventing and remedying workplace harassment, protecting the rights of pregnant workers, and ensuring strong enforcement of workplace anti-discrimination laws and other key civil rights protections that promote nondiscrimination and gender and racial equity in the workplace. The Director will also ensure coordination of efforts to promote worker power through a gender and racial justice lens and to address the use of automated decision-making tools and other technologies in the workplace.  The Senior Director is expected to contribute to the Center’s broader goals of gender equality and justice and may have opportunities to provide input across programs and teams. The Director of Workplace Equality sits on the Education & Workplace Justice program team.

This is a full-time exempt position of 37.5 hours per week.

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 women of color, LGBTQ 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, and we need you with us to continue this fight. Find out more at NWLC.org.

Responsibilities

• Shape strategies and priorities for the Center’s legal and policy work related to gender justice in the workplace;
• Lead and collaborate with coalition partners in crafting and implementing strategies to forward organizational policy priorities;
• Direct and participate in NWLC’s response to legislative and regulatory proposals concerning workplace discrimination, including harassment, and related gender justice issues;
• Draft and edit written materials for a wide variety of audiences relating to legislative and regulatory proposals, such as legislative testimony, comments on proposed regulations, factsheets, blogs, reports, talking points, and social media content;
• Work with Center researchers to analyze and present datarelated to workplace justice, economic security, and related gender justice issues, in clear and compelling ways;
• Build and maintain close working relationships with coalition partners and work to expand partnerships with new stakeholders;
• Engage with Congress and the administration on policy efforts related to workplace discrimination, including harassment, and related gender justice issues;
• Advise on state policy efforts related to workplace discrimination, including harassment, and other related Center priorities;
• Participate in drafting and editing amicus briefs and otherwise support litigation efforts related to workplace justice, gender-based and other such support as may be needed for organizational impact and results;
• Work with NWLC campaigns and communications staff to build campaigns that engage diverse audiences in our work for gender justice;
• Participate in fundraising efforts for NWLC;
• Represent the Center at public events, conferences, and in the media;
• Supervise staff and interns, and manage projects and staff supporting those projects, using project management strategies; and
• Otherwise support the broader work of the Education & Workplace Justice team and the Center.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess:

• A law degree and admission to a state bar with ability to waive into the DC Bar if not already admitted.
• At least 10 years of relevant experience;
• Significant experience with and deep understanding of legal and policy issues related to workplace antidiscrimination protections;
• Experience addressing sexual harassment and/or sexual violence and/or gender-based violence;

• Demonstrated commitment to gender and racial equity and centering communities of color in the approach to legal and/or advocacy work;
• Experience engaging with policymakers, with a preference for engaging with Congress and/or federal agencies;
• Experience with supervising projects and/or staff including delegating tasks and providing feedback;
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and credibility with key stakeholders;

• Strong research, analytical, oral and written communication skills;
• Willingness and ability to travel occasionally;
• Creativity and initiative in identifying strategies to advance policy goals;
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills;

• Demonstrated ability to influence and engage diverse audiences and to build long-term collaborative relationships with key organizational and individual partners; and
• A collaborative and collegial approach, an ability and desire to work in a team-based environment, and an orientation to the work that recognizes and values the contributions of all team members.

Additional preferred skills and knowledge:

• Experience enforcing or defending civil rights laws and agency actions through litigation;
• Familiarity with the National Labor Relations Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act, whether through policy and advocacy work, teaching, and/or litigation; and
• Knowledge of law and policy related to algorithmic discrimination and/or the use of automated technologies and electronic management tools in the workplace.

Key Relations

The Director of Workplace Equality reports to the Vice President for Education & Workplace and will collaborate closely with members of the team as well as teams across the Center. Current supervision responsibilities include two senior counsels.

Compensation & Benefits

A salary within the range of $167,733—$178,335 will be provided to the successful candidate who has at least 10 years of experience directly relevant to this role, consistent with the National Women’s Law Center’s compensation framework, which is based on years of relevant experience.

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 Virginia).

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, please submit a resume and a cover letter outlining how your professional background is a good fit for this position. Resumes should include exact start and end dates (month and year) of employment, as well as the average number of hours worked per week in each job. Applications accepted until position is filled.

Applicants will be contacted if selected for an interview. We kindly request that interested parties refrain from calling, emailing, or visiting NWLC’s offices to express interest or check on the status of their application.

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 genders, 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.