About the Legal Aid Justice Center
The Legal Aid Justice Center is a nationally recognized, non-profit organization that partners with low-income clients and communities of color in Virginia to fight for racial, social, and economic justice. We understand that the harms our clients endure are inextricably linked to overarching systems of injustice. Together we are dismantling those systems through a combination of community organizing, litigation, policy advocacy, public relations, and individual legal services.
Founded in 1967, LAJC has offices in Charlottesville, Richmond, Petersburg, and Falls Church and provides services under six key program areas: Civil Rights & Racial Justice (focuses on the criminal legal system), Housing & Consumer Justice, Youth Justice, Health Justice & Public Benefits, Immigrant Justice, and Worker Justice. As examples of LAJC’s recent work, our lawsuit and organizing against the state forced reform of Virginia’s unemployment insurance system, including advocacy that resulted in the distribution of over $1 billion in illegally withheld payments to over 160,000 Virginians. During the pandemic, we demanded and secured a statewide eviction moratorium and emergency pandemic protections that helped hundreds of families avoid eviction. We reduced incarceration across the state, including reducing the population of a local immigration detention center down to historically low levels through a coordinated effort of organizing paired with impact and individual litigation. Our staff are on the front lines of some of the most important anti-poverty fights happening today.
With a staff of over 90, the past few years have been a time of exciting growth and opportunity for the organization. In addition to the growth of programmatic efforts including increased organizing capacity, LAJC has expanded its operations and administrative capacity, created new opportunities for professional growth and leadership among staff, engaged in ongoing race equity work, and explored changes to organizational structure to deepen its efforts to create long-term, sustainable, community-driven change.
LAJC’s latest strategic plan is available at https://www.justice4all.org/lajc-strategic-plan-2022-2026/#area%20d
For more information about LAJC’s work and programs, visit www.justice4all.org.
About the Position:
LAJC is seeking an experienced advocate to serve as the Director of Organizing. This position will work closely with LAJC advocacy teams and community partners to advance our ambitious agenda to achieve economic, social, and racial justice through the Commonwealth.
LAJC's programs use various tool to dismantle the systems that contribute to poverty in Virginia including representation, organizing, policy advocacy, major litigation, and community education and technical assistance. In collaboration with program Directors, the Director of Policy, and Director of Communications, this position will help advocacy teams develop and implement multi-faceted campaigns by advising them on a range of organizing methods, outcomes and strategies, fostering collaboration across programs, ensuring that organizing goals are community-driven to the extent possible, and integrating organizing work with LAJC's other strategies. The Director of Organizing will share responsibility for directly supervising organizing staff with program directors.
Although the programs will take the lead in setting community-driven campaign goals and supervising day-to-day work, the Director of Organizing will have primarily responsibility for promoting organizing skill development, advising/troubleshooting on tactics and strategy, and helping organizers develop relationships with directly impacted community members and community partners. In collaboration with the Director of Professional Development, the Director of Organizing, will also have primarily responsibility for ensuring the professional development of organizers, including ensuring that they receive any necessary trainings, mentorship, and technical assistance. Finally, the Director of Organizing will serve as a key member of LAJC's management team, which advises the Executive Director as they decide organizational priorities for all programmatic work and provides stewardship of organizational resources.
Required Qualifications:
Strong commitment to social, economic, and racial justice.
Ability to work and communicate effectively across lines of identity and difference.
Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively.
A track record of developing and advocating for major organizing campaigns at local, state, or federal levels.
Mission-aligned experience (work or lived) partnering with advocating in low-wealth communities and communities of color.
Strengths in organization, time management, oral and written communications, and demonstrating initiative.
Willingness to work a flexible schedule that may include evening and weekend events, as well as travel (primarily within Virginia).
Preferred Qualifications:
Significant (10+ years) organizing experience
Familiarity with our issues of focus, specifically anti-poverty advocacy
Management experience
Experience working with lawyers and/or familiarity with legal advocacy
Prior advocacy experience (work or lived) using an explicit race equity lens
Spanish proficiency
A Note to Potential Candidates: Studies have shown that women, trans, non-binary folks, and BIPOC are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization, and strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of the qualifications described.
Location: this role can be based in any of our offices Charlottesville, Falls Church, Richmond, or Petersburg. Occasional travel between offices will be required. Although a regular presence in the office is required, LAJC offers a remote work policy to support employees in co-creating schedules and arrangements that allows us all to do our best work.
Salary: The salary scale for this position is $85,000-$110,000 based on the LAJC salary scale. Placement on the range will be based on factors such as years of relevant experience, budget, and internal equity. To allow for salary growth within the position over time, the anticipated hiring range for this position is between the beginning to the middle of the range ($85,000-$97,500).
Benefits: Our missing is compelling, and our team members are passionate about their work, and so we recognize the need to provide generous benefits and encourage rest and a healthy work environment. For example, we provide:
Generous paid time off every year, including 3 to 6 weeks of vacation, 12 days of health leave, 6 weeks parental leave, and 14 holidays (not including bonus holidays/rest days allocated as needed).
100% employer paid health, dental, and vision insurance, plus excellent family insurance with annual max of $2,400 premium contribution to LAJC-sponsored health plan.
403(b) retirement plan with 4% employer contribution (no required match).
Strong commitment to professional development.
Relocation package
Vaccination Requirements: The Legal Aid Justice Center requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved or medical or religious exemption as a qualification of employment. Proof of vaccination or accommodation request must be provided within one day of employment.
The Legal Aid Justice Center is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, experiences, and communities to apply. The Legal Aid Justice Center is committed to strengthening the voices of our low-income clients, working in collaboration with community partners, and rooting out the inequities that keep people in poverty. We strive to take on the issues that have broad impact on our client communities and to be responsive to client input. Recognizing the particular impact of racism on our clients and staff, we devote special attention to dismantling racial injustice. All applicants must be dedicated to working in and sustaining an environment that enables staff and clients to feel empowered, valued, respected, and safe. In reviewing applications, we look for evidence that applicants have experience and/or thoughtfulness in working with traditionally marginalized populations.
Application Deadline: We accept applications on a rolling basis and encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible.
Application Instructions: Complete the online application which requires a cover letter, resume, relevant writing sample, and contact information for three references. You can direct your cover letter to the hiring manager Elaine Poon at [email protected] . Please note, we will not contact references without advance consent from candidates.