Director of Human Resources & Equity Initiatives

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW:  

Founded in 2017, the Lawyering Project is a legal advocacy organization that blends traditional impact litigation with movement lawyering to promote reproductive health, rights, and justice throughout the United States. We are fiscally sponsored by the Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) organization.

Laws that undermine reproductive health, rights, and justice deprive people of moral agency, rob us of control over our bodies, and compound other forms of oppression like racism, sexism, and poverty. Our mission is to eliminate these laws and the harmful impacts they have on people’s lives. We are especially focused on laws that limit the availability or affordability of abortion care; contribute to disparities in reproductive health outcomes; embody gender-based stereotypes; or discriminate against people based on their reproductive decisions.

We envision a society with laws that enable each of us to make decisions about intensely personal matters like sex, pregnancy, family, and healthcare based on our own beliefs and values, and ensure that we all have access to safe pregnancy care, safe abortion care, and safe communities for our families.

The Lawyering Project has three legal programs: Litigation, Access & Innovation, and Pro Bono Initiatives.  Our Litigation Program engages the courts to eliminate barriers to reproductive health services and promote equity in access to care. Our Access & Innovation Program provides legal advice and technical assistance to healthcare providers, researchers, abortion funds, and others who facilitate access to abortion care. Our Pro Bono Initiatives Program operates the Abortion Defense Network, a collaborative effort by nonprofit organizations, private law firms, and government officials aimed at ensuring everyone threatened with liability for providing or supporting abortion care in post-Roe America has access to high-quality, values-aligned lawyers.  For further information, visit https://lawyeringproject.org and https://abortiondefensenetwork.org.

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned nearly fifty years of precedent recognizing abortion access as a fundamental right, the Lawyering Project is committed to supporting all people seeking to obtain, provide, or facilitate abortion access while navigating new obstacles and legal risks.  We have seized this disruption of precedent as an opportunity to reshape reproductive rights jurisprudence, situating it on a stronger and more progressive foundation.

The Lawyering Project has an all-remote staff of approximately 20 people, spread across the United States, and a budget of approximately $5.5 million.  We anticipate modest growth in the size of our staff and budget over the next four years.

POSITION SUMMARY: 

The Lawyering Project is planning to leave fiscal sponsorship in the upcoming year and become an independent, 501(c)(3) organization.  We are seeking a Director of Human Resources & Equity Initiatives to help guide the organization through this transition and manage the Lawyering Project’s human resources operations going forward.  The Director of Human Resources & Equity Initiatives will be responsible for managing the Lawyering Project’s relationship with its fiscal sponsor’s human resources team and, after the organization becomes independent, managing its relationship with a professional employer organization (PEO).  In addition, the Director of Human Resources & Equity Initiatives will be responsible for developing and implementing human resources strategies, policies, and systems; providing guidance to the executive team on human resources and equity issues; and upholding the Lawyering Project’s commitment to building a workplace culture centered on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

The Director of Human Resources & Equity Initiatives will report to the Deputy Executive Director for Finance & Operations. The ideal candidate will be a human resources generalist who views all aspects of their work through a DEI lens and has the ability to thrive—and create policies and systems that enable others to thrive—in an all-remote workplace.

The Director of Human Resources & Equity Initiatives is an exempt position. Exempt employees are expected to work the hours necessary to complete key assignments and related tasks on schedule.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  

• Provide guidance to the Deputy Executive Director for Finance & Operations and other members of the executive team on human resources and equity issues;
• Develop and implement effective employee recruitment and retention strategies;
• Manage employee onboarding and offboarding;
• Collaborate with the organization’s fiscal sponsor and, later, its PEO to ensure compliance with applicable federal state, and local labor laws and administer employee benefits programs;
• Lead the process to create a new employee handbook for when the Lawyering Project leaves fiscal sponsorship and recommend updates to the employee handbook on an ongoing basis;
• Oversee professional development programs for Lawyering Project employees, including the annual performance review process;
• Collaborate with employee supervisors to provide performance counseling, when needed;
• Design and implement a mentorship program for Lawyering Project employees;
• Manage initiatives to promote team building, organizational cohesiveness, and staff morale;
• Provide strategic guidance and oversight to the Lawyering Project’s DEI working group and affinity groups;
• Answer employee questions about workplace policies and benefits;
  Serve as a touchpoint for employee concerns and feedback;
• Report complaints of misconduct to the proper authorities and work with the executive team and board of directors to ensure that appropriate accountability mechanisms are in place;
• Coordinate routine compliance trainings; and
• Conduct periodic reviews of employee compensation and benefits and recommend updates, when needed.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Provide additional human resources support, as needed;
• Work with outside counsel, as needed; and
• Serve as an organizational ambassador.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: 

The Director of Human Resources & Equity Initiatives must have:

• 7+ years of experience in human resources, including experience in nonprofit organizations;
• Significant experience implementing DEI frameworks;
• Significant experience promoting accountability within all levels of an organization;
• Experience working in multistate organizations;
• Proficiency in benefits administration; and
• A commitment to reproductive justice.
• Experience working in an all-remote workplace or with a PEO is preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: 

• Knowledge of human resources best practices; DEI frameworks; and federal, state, and local labor laws.
• Skill in designing effective systems for recruiting and retaining talented employees; fostering staff cohesiveness in an all-remote workplace; supporting professional growth and development; and using SharePoint, Salesforce, and Microsoft Office 365.
• Ability to work proactively and independently; communicate and collaborate effectively with employees and external partners; meet deadlines; maintain confidentiality; be flexible and nimble in navigating changing circumstances and priorities; thrive in an organization that values collaboration and limits hierarchy; and cultivate a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work culture.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS: 

The Director of Human Resources & Equity Initiatives reports to the Deputy Executive Director for Finance & Operations and works closely with all staff members.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: 

Must be able to travel domestically on an airplane 2-4 times a year.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: 

This is a full-time position that sometimes requires work during evenings and weekends.  This position may be based anywhere within the United States. The Director of Human Resources & Equity Initiatives has the option to work from home or from office space provided by the Lawyering Project.

SALARY: 

The Lawyering Project has fixed salary scales based on job responsibilities, education, and experience.  A copy of our salary scales is available at https://lawyeringproject.org/salary-scale/.  The Director of Human Resources & Equity Initiatives position is on the “Director” scale.  The salary for a candidate with a bachelor’s degree and 7-8 years of relevant work experience is $137,294.

We offer a robust benefits package that includes: health insurance (medical, dental, and vision); disability and life insurance; flexible spending accounts (FSA) for health, dependent care, and transportation; a retirement savings plan; paid vacation, holiday, and sick days; and paid parental, family, and medical leave.  We also provide a professional development stipend.  For additional information about our benefits, please contact [email protected].

TO APPLY: 

Please submit a cover letter, resume, and list of three professional references to [email protected]. Please write “Director of Human Resources & Equity Initiatives” in the subject line of the email. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

To best achieve our mission, the Lawyering Project is committed to cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. In a section of your cover letter containing no more than 200 words, please describe the identities, perspectives, and experiences you would bring to the Lawyering Project that are important to you and/or relevant to our work.

EEO Note:  

The Lawyering Project, a project of Tides Center, is an “at-will” and equal opportunity employer. At the Lawyering Project, we believe that a team with varied perspectives and experiences will best enable our organization to thrive and achieve its mission. We are committed to building and maintaining an inclusive work environment that values individual differences. We welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences, identities, and backgrounds to apply. We will not discriminate against applicants and employees because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy and gender expression), color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to pregnant people and qualified individuals with disabilities, including in the application process. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please send an email with the subject line “Reasonable Accommodation Request” to [email protected].