Project Director, Pro Truth Initiative

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc; New York, Washington, Atlanta (NY, District of Columbia, GA); Hybrid; USD 184,000 - 212,000; Full time

Job summary

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) seeks a Project Director for the Pro Truth Initiative. This senior role combines direct attorney leadership with strategic oversight of initiatives within SID, reporting to the Director of Strategic Initiatives.

The position requires robust civil rights expertise, public leadership, and cross-department collaboration. The director will supervise attorneys and staff, manage budgets, develop priorities, and engage external partners to advance

Qualifications

• J.D. degree with admission to the Bar in NY, DC, or GA depending on office location.
• Minimum of 10+ years of experience in civil rights, race equity, and related advocacy.

Responsibilities

• Supervise SID staff, including litigating and policy attorneys, research associates, program associates, and administrative staff.
• Coordinate Pro Truth advocacy within SID and across LDF departments to implement priorities.
• Develop metrics to measure progress and monitor performance indicators.
• Lead the development of Pro Truth’s strategic priorities in collaboration with SID leadership.
• Spearhead at least one signature Pro Truth advocacy matter and supervise supporting team members.

Skills

Leadership

Litigation

Policy advocacy

Supervision

Education

J.D. degree

Job description

The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the country’s first and foremost civil and human rights law organization. Founded in 1940 under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall, who subsequently became the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice, LDF was launched at a time when the nation’s aspirations for equality and due process of law were stifled by widespread, state-sponsored racial inequality. From that era to the present, LDF’s mission has been transformative—to achieve racial justice, equality, and an inclusive society.

LDF’s litigation, policy advocacy, and public education programs in the substantive areas of criminal justice, economic justice, education, and political participation seek to ensure the fundamental and basic human rights of all people to quality education, economic opportunity, the right to vote and fully participate in democracy, and the right to a fair and just judicial system.

Strategic Initiatives Department. In 2022, LDF created the Strategic Initiatives Department (SID), which houses specific projects and initiatives that utilize LDF’s multi-faceted advocacy tools to seek justice and equality for Black people in the United States. SID teams combine litigation, policy, organizing, research, and communications to advance affirmative and community-centered advocacy on discrete or emergent issues that demand a creative and integrated approach to achieve systemic change.

Pro Truth Initiative. The Pro Truth Initiative is a high-priority, inter-departmental initiative at LDF that seeks to carry on the legacy of Brown v. Board to ensure that individuals may freely express and receive accurate, truthful, and inclusive information about Black people and structural inequalities, throughout our nation’s history to the present day, in public spaces that include: our K-12 and higher education systems; our museums, landmarks, and cultural institutions; and private speech on matters of public concern.

LDF seeks an experienced attorney, manager, and visionary to serve as Project Director of the Pro Truth Initiative (Pro Truth Project Director). In addition to performing as a senior attorney in SID, the Pro Truth Project Director will partner with the Director of Strategic Initiatives and the Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives to develop Pro Truth’s vision and priorities and serve a leadership role in the overall management of SID. The Pro Truth Project Director is expected to maintain and strengthen expertise in subject areas relevant to Pro Truth and engage publicly as a leader in the field, keeping the Director-Counsel, the Associates Director-Counsel, the Director of Strategic Initiatives, and other relevant members of LDF’s Senior Leadership Team apprised of relevant developments. The Pro Truth Project Director will report directly to the Director of Strategic Initiatives and serve as the first line of communication on the matters they oversee. The Pro Truth Project Director will act as the direct supervisor for a certain number of attorney and/or non-attorney staff, the exact number to be determined at the discretion of the Director of Strategic Initiatives. The Pro Truth Project Director may also have additional supervisory activities within SID, at the discretion of the Director of Strategic Initiatives. Other matters may be assigned to the Pro Truth Project Director pursuant to departmental and/or organizational needs.

LDF operates in a hybrid work environment, where employees are expected to be in the office for a minimum of two days per week, unless otherwise indicated.

Responsibilities:

Supervision and Coordination

• Supervise SID staff, including litigating and policy attorneys, research associates, program associates, and/or administrative staff;
• Participate in structuring and provision of feedback to SID staff whom they directly supervise;
• In consultation with the Director of Strategic Initiatives and the Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives, develop and enforce clear expectations regarding job performance and skills development of supervisees, as well as LDF staff assigned to Pro Truth matters, and participate in performance feedback meetings and development plans, as needed;
• Coordinate Pro Truth advocacy within the initiative, among other SID initiatives, and across multiple LDF departments, including Litigation, Policy, Communications, Organizing, and TMI, to implement Pro Truth priorities;
• Inform Pro Truth and Pro Truth-adjacent advocacy across LDF departments to ensure organizational coordination and cohesion;
• Establish and build external relationships with other advocacy organizations and local community-based stakeholders on Pro Truth issues;
• Manage inter and intra-departmental communications within LDF to ensure shared knowledge and understanding of ongoing Pro Truth advocacy, developments, and strategic plans;

Subject Matter Expertise and Leadership

• Serve as an internal subject-matter expert to inform decision-making on issues within or related to the Pro Truth Initiative, including without limitation free speech, freedom of association, academic freedom, and the intersection of First Amendment and Equal Protection issues, and create opportunities for Pro Truth staff to develop similar subject-matter expertise;
• Represent LDF at conferences and symposia focused on racial justice, civil rights, free speech, academic freedom, educational equity, and other Pro Truth-related issues;
• Lead the development of Pro Truth’s strategic priorities in collaboration with SID staff and SID leadership, and in consultation with leadership in other LDF departments;
• Develop metrics to measure progress in advancing Pro Truth priorities and monitor key performance indicators;
• Keep LDF leadership apprised of major events and developments on Pro Truth issues, particularly within Pro Truth priorities, and plan for rapid response or long-term responses for emergent developments, when appropriate.
• Spearhead and lead at least one signature Pro Truth advocacy matter and supervise supporting team members;
• Directly supervise Pro Truth advocacy matters and SID staff congruent with experience and expertise;

Project and Departmental Management

• Closely consult with the Director of Strategic Initiatives and the Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives about hiring and internal promotion opportunities, leading and/or participating in the hiring process, as needed;
• Prepare budgets and analyze budget variances for Pro Truth matters;
• Collaborate with the Director of Strategic Initiatives and the Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives in the development of best practices in the integration of multiple advocacy tools, especially in combination with litigation, policy advocacy, and/or community organizing;
• Assist the Director of Strategic Initiatives and the Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives in the development, maintenance, and/or revision of departmental policies, procedures, and guidance on both administrative and programmatic issues;
• Oversee grant compliance for Pro Truth matters, working closely with the Director of Strategic Initiatives and/or the Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives; and
• Contribute to the building of a strong and productive team spirit in Pro Truth teams and the fostering of a work environment in SID that encourages independent judgment and values self-starters.

Qualifications:

• J.D. degree with admission in, or eligibility to waive into, New York, DC, or Georgia Bars, depending on office location;
• Minimum of 10+ years of experience, with preference of 12+ years of experience;
• Specialization in civil rights, racial justice, free speech, academic freedom, and educational equity issues;
• Demonstrated commitment to racial justice and civil rights advocacy;
• Fluency, knowledge, and sound judgment when speaking privately or publicly about racial justice, race discrimination, white supremacy, implicit bias, systemic racism, intersectionality, structural inequalities, and racial hierarchy;
• Outstanding legal research, writing, and oral advocacy skills;
• Broad, relevant experience and expertise with all trial and appellate stages of litigation;
• Past experience and familiarity with federal, state, and/or local legislative and administrative policy advocacy;
• Experience working with organizers, litigators, policy advocates, and non-attorney staff in collaboration with community-based partners and/or coalitions in a holistic and comprehensive advocacy strategy;
• Appreciation for knowledge and expertise of impacted people and other stakeholders in developing advocacy strategy;
• Capacity to articulate legal concepts and complex issues to a wide variety of audiences in multiple types of forums;
• Significant supervisory and/or case/project management experience with an interest in—and commitment to—the professional development, training, and support of attorneys, legal interns, and administrative staff;
• Respectful attitude and open mind to learn from colleagues, clients, community partners, and local stakeholders with a wide range of experiences and perspectives;
• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently in a demanding, high-paced work environment;
• Entrepreneurial spirit with enthusiasm to think creatively and act proactively in response to constantly evolving and/or emerging issues; and
• Availability for work travel, as needed.

The total salary range for this position for candidates with 10-15 years post-law school graduation, exclusive of compensation for additional administrative responsibilities where applicable, is the following, and will be commensurate with experience:

New York: $184,000 - $212,000

Washington D.C.: $177,000 - $204,000

Atlanta: $162,500 - $186,500

This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements, or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned. This description does not constitute a contract of employment, and LDF may exercise its employment-at-will rights at any time.

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The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to you without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, age, veteran status, medical condition or disability, genetic information, gender identity, or any other protected status under federal, state, or local law.