NELA

Empowering Workers' Rights Attorneys

Job Opportunities

Executive Director

The National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) and National Institute for Workers’ Rights (NIWR) seek a creative, self-aware, and empathetic leader to guide the organizations in building on our strategic plan and goals, expanding our resources and membership, and championing a culture of equity, inclusion, and cultural and racial literacy.

Who We Are

The National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), a 501(c)(6) organization, is the largest professional organization in the United States whose members are lawyers who either exclusively or primarily represent workers in cases involving employment and traditional civil rights issues, race discrimination, sexual harassment, wage theft, employee benefits, and other employment-related matters. Founded in 1985, NELA and its circuit, state, and local Affiliates have more than 3,000 members nationwide. In carrying out our mission to empower workers’ rights attorneys, NELA provides exceptional opportunities for professional development through continuing legal education programs, networking, publications, and technical support. NELA advocates for workers’ rights through partnerships with our Affiliates and coalition partners, and by participating as amicus curiae in briefs to voice the interests and perspectives of workers in significant employment cases filed in the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, U.S. District Courts, and before government agencies. NELA advocates before and provides technical assistance to Congress and federal agencies on policies that bring us closer to achieving our vision of workplaces where the well-being of workers is a priority. NELA also advocates for independent and fair-minded federal judges who are committed to equal justice under law for all workers, and who do not place the interests of employers over the rights of workers. Pursuant to NELA’s Bylaws, the Executive Director manages the business of NELA and is empowered to speak for and represent NELA within the boundaries set by the Board of Directors.

The National Institute for Workers’ Rights (NIWR) is NELA’s 501(c)(3) sister organization, created in 2008. NIWR’s mission is to advance workers’ rights through research, thought leadership, and education for policymakers, advocates, workers, and the public, and our goal is to make it harder for employers to violate workers’ rights and easier for workers to fight back. NIWR provides space for leaders from nonprofits, government agencies, and the private bar to discuss how to overcome some of the most pressing obstacles to the enforcement of worker protections: forced arbitration, employer retaliation, and misclassification. NIWR is actively engaged in pushing back against attacks on fairness and equal opportunity in the workplace, as well as providing scholarship support to ensure more advocates have access to NELA’s educational programs. For more information about the Institute, visit www.niwr.org.

Core Values

As organizations that fight for the rights of people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders and sexual orientations, NELA and NIWR value people from diverse backgrounds and strive for a work environment that is as diverse as the clients NELA members represent. At NELA and NIWR, the concepts of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility mean understanding and recognizing our individual differences can be our strengths and leveraging those differences to create healthy and high performing organizations that ensure everyone has the tools they need to perform their jobs to their highest potential, including equitable access to resources and opportunities for all.

As organizations working to uphold the dignity of workers, NELA and NIWR aspire to close the gap between our written values and practices that may not always reflect those values. The organizations realize that as people advocating to safeguard and advance the legal rights of workers, and advocating for equality and justice, we must within our own organizations put practices into place to ensure that we do not consciously or unconsciously engage in behavior where we perpetuate the systems of oppression we fight against.

About the Position

The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors and is a central member of the organizations’ leadership team. The Executive Director’s responsibilities include implementing all resolutions, policies, and objectives set by the Board. In administering the business of NELA and NIWR, the Executive Director may staff personnel and execute contracts. The Executive Director is an officer of NELA and as such owes a fiduciary duty to the association.

The incoming Executive Director should be a person who can develop and strengthen the resources and infrastructure of NELA and NIWR to enable the organizations to achieve their goals. The person should also possess the skills to improve the organizations’ capacity to adapt to change and be able to align organizational structures and processes with short and long-term goals and the external environment.

The incoming Executive Director will need to be insightful and a person who is deeply committed to creating equitable and sustainable organizational structures and practices, and who is open to stretching themselves professionally outside of their comfort zone as they grow the organizations into the next decades.

This person will partner with the Boards of NELA and NIWR in developing and implementing NELA and NIWR’s next strategic plan, ensuring alignment with the organizations’ missions and vision, constituent needs, and long-term viability.

The Executive Director will serve as an inspiring and deft manager of a team of 10 providing guidance while delegating responsibilities and establishing best operating processes. The successful candidate will skillfully navigate demographic shifts and evolving NELA membership needs to ensure that NELA remains inclusive, relevant, and impactful for workers’ rights advocates. Other key duties include fundraising, Affiliate relations, governance, and outreach as described below.

We recognize that the traditional Executive Director role asks too much of one person, so we seek to hire a second position to take on the role of senior level Director for Public Policy and Advocacy, who will serve as the Executive Director’s deputy leadership support, as aligned with the strengths of our selected Executive Director candidate.

NO PHONE CALLS OR RECRUITERS

Compensation: Annual Salary $165,000-175,000 per year.

Flexible Location: NELA and NIWR have physical offices in Concord, California and Washington, DC. The Executive Director may work remotely from any location within the United States or hybrid/in person at one of the two offices. While the position may be remote, the Executive Director must be able to travel to Board meetings, Annual Convention, and other sponsored events.

Generous Benefits Package including: Employer-Sponsored Medical, Vision & Dental Insurance; Federal Holidays, Personal, Sick, and Family/Medical Leave; Pension Contribution and Employee Sponsored 401K; and annual funding for professional development and coaching.

Application Process: Please submit a résumé in PDF and a cover letter explaining how your skills, expertise, and leadership style align with NELA/NIWR’s desired expertise. While you need not speak to every aspect of the position, please be sure to address equity, inclusion, and cultural literacy. The cover letter should be no more than 3 pages in length. Materials may be sent to Karen Maoki, NELA/NIWR Interim Executive Director, at kmaoki@nelahq.org.

Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

General Responsibilities

Membership, Fundraising & Financial Sustainability:

  • Partner with NELA/NIWR’s Director of Development in development efforts, including individual and major gifts, planned giving, and foundation grants.
  • Steward relationships with existing members and donors and cultivate new supporters.
  • Oversee financial management and planning, ensuring long-term sustainability and resource allocation that aligns with strategic goals.

Organizational Leadership & Team Development:

  • Further strengthen an organizational culture that prioritizes diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in all aspects of the organizations.
  • Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing staff culture that values teamwork, communication, professional development, and work-life balance.
  • Practice effective delegation and empowerment of staff leadership, providing guidance and mentorship to facilitate professional development.
  • Strengthen internal systems and processes to support operational efficiency and program impact.

Board Relations & Governance:

  • Partner with the Boards of Directors to create alignment on strategic priorities, resource allocation and development, and governance best practices.
  • Maintain open communication and transparency with the board, ensuring they are engaged and informed.
  • Support board development and succession planning to sustain strong leadership for the organization.

Affiliate Structure & Relations:

  • Lead engagement with NELA’s Affiliates, including Affiliate leadership support and programming.
  • Strengthen NELA’s structural relationship with Affiliates to maximize impact and use of resources.

Desired Expertise
Studies have shown that people from marginalized identities such as women, LGBTQ+, nonbinary, and Black, Indigenous, and other people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet each of the qualifications listed. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and we are aware the best candidate may come from a less traditional background. Both NELA and NIWR are organizations with a commitment to an internal culture of support and growth. Therefore, we encourage you to apply if you possess most of the skills needed to be successful in the position, even if you are unsure whether you meet all of the listed credentials. We also encourage you to think about skills and experience that may have been gained through nonpaid positions.

The ideal candidate will be interested in assisting NELA and NIWR achieve their missions, enjoy working with lawyers, and bring many of the following technical skills and learned abilities:

  • Skillful at building strong working relationships with team members: understanding of one’s own strengths and weaknesses with the ability to grow professionally while empowering their team to work collaboratively and achieve clear goals set for the staff; build trust within team and foster a positive work environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging and is motivated to bring the best version of themselves to work for the organizations; competency in racial and cultural literacy and inclusion practices; social awareness; champion a culture of participation and equal opportunity; life-long practitioner of equity.
  • Skillful at nurturing and engaging diverse constituents: recognition of valued and appreciated volunteer efforts; possess the critical skill of being able to say “no” directly and clearly, when appropriate, in order to prioritize and not distract from goals while at the same time keeping constituents engaged; able to build coalition among stakeholders and across organizations with soft power; effectively manage competing priorities among multiple stakeholders and adapt to fluctuating demands; skilled at employing diplomacy to prevent adverse and difficult situations; empathetic communication skills and adept at constructive conflict resolution.
  • Ability to raise money: persuasive communicator; know how to address different audiences; recognize the motivations and behaviors that influence giving; proficient at relationship-building with major donors; can achieve results; active listener; resilient, persistent, flexible, adaptable; creative and innovative; proficient with managing, preparing, and analyzing budgets; expertise in tracking income and expenses.
  • Support and supervise creating new revenue streams: generate new ideas to reach untapped sources; marketing knowledge; foresight to adapt to changing market dynamics; proficient at revenue forecasting, budgeting, and profitability analysis; creativity in offering new services; able to pivot; basic knowledge of digital and social media.
  • Strategic planning and alignment: analytical and critical thinker; problem-solver; visionary leader; ability to interpret data and trends to inform decisions; able to set measurable and achievable goals; identify and mitigate potential risks associated with the plan; skilled at developing strategies to reach the established goals; capable of establishing methods of collecting and tracking data to evaluate performance toward the goals to organize people and processes to attain excellent results.
  • Knowledge of Fund management: skilled at overseeing and handling cash flow; allocating assets, creating and executing investment strategies, and managing risk; develop resources sufficient to ensure the financial health of the organizations; able to fiscally operate organizations within the approved budget and ensure maximum use of resources to maintain the organizations in a positive financial position.
  • Substantive understanding of intersectional equity concepts and social issues and a demonstrated comfort and ability leading organizational diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, in collaboration with team and Board, to continue to close the gap to organizations becoming a model for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, where all constituents are treated with dignity and respect.

The National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) and the National Institute for Workers’ Rights (NIWR) are equal opportunity employers. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture.

NELA and NIWR encourage applications from persons without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

NELA and NIWR make every effort to ensure that our recruitment and employment practices provide all persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions. NELA and NIWR are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to persons with disabilities. If you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying, please email kmaoki@nelahq.org or call (415) 625-5423. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.