Executive Director - Northwest Workers' Justice Project

NORTHWEST WORKERS’ JUSTICE PROJECT SEEKS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

Northwest Workers’ Justice Project is a non-profit legal advocacy organization in Portland, Oregon, whose mission is to defend and strengthen the workplace and organizing rights of low- wage, temporary and immigrant workers in Oregon, the Pacific Northwest and nationwide. We seek a creative and energetic leader to replace our retiring executive director. 

We seek a leader who is committed to justice for low-wage workers and knows the issues that face our clients, is a visionary and strategic thinker, and has non-profit leadership and fundraising experience. Candidates must be attorneys and be prepared to lead our legislative advocacy and/or our litigation work. 

Our Organization 

Northwest Workers’ Justice Project believes that workers have the fundamental right to live and labor with dignity, safety, and hope. To that end, NWJP is dedicated to strengthening workplace and organizing rights of low-wage contingent and immigrant workers in Oregon. We know that workers themselves must be at the forefront to win enduring change. Guided by these principles, NWJP supports the efforts of Oregon’s most vulnerable workers to improve their wages and working conditions. 

NWJP is situated at a crossroads – the intersection of lawyering and worker organizing; the intersection of struggles for immigrant rights, workers’ rights, and racial justice; and the intersection of traditional labor organizing and newer models for achieving worker justice. We build the power of marginalized workers through an innovative combination of strategies: 

 representing low-wage workers in the courts;  forging coalitions to advocate for policy change and lift up the workers’ voices;  providing legal support for worker-led organizations;  educating workers about their rights;  developing low-wage worker leaders; and  reducing barriers to justice by building networks of legal advocates. 

Founded in 2002, we are a small but growing organization with a staff of nine. Our work is funded by a mix of grant and contract income, attorney fees (including court-awarded fees), and donations. 

For more information about NWJP, see www.nwjp.org. 

Position Description 

NWJP’s Executive Director (the ED) will be the leader of the organization. The ED will be responsible for organizational operations, including budget, personnel, governance, and strategic planning; fundraising; and building and sustaining relationships with organizational partners. In addition, the ED will provide oversight of all organizational programs. 

NWJP’s Executive Director (the ED) will be the primary leader of the organization and will keep NWJP centered on its commitment to justice for low income leaders and the leadership of workers in achieving that justice. 

The ED will lead the organization’s strategic planning and fundraising. 

The ED will also provide oversight to NWJP organizational programs: litigation, legislative advocacy, and coalition building. Our litigation and legislative advocacy are focused on low- wage, primarily immigrant workers in Oregon. Most of our clients speak Spanish. Our coalition building is focused on organizations of people of color, labor unions, and other worker and immigrant advocacy organizations. 

Finally, the ED will supervise NWJP’s organizational operations and will support and develop NWJP’s staff, oversee the budget, and manage governance. 

Salary and Benefits 

For most positions, NWJP salaries are based on the salary scale used by Oregon legal services programs. A salary survey is underway for the Executive Director position. NWJP offers a retirement benefit and employer-paid health insurance for the employee and subsidizes coverage for the employee’s children. 

How to apply 

Please send cover letter, resume, writing sample, and references to jobs@nwjp.org. Your cover letter should explain how your personal and professional experience prepares you to carry out the role described in the Position Description. Use “Executive Director” in the subject line. To be considered in the initial screening, applications must be received no later than January 27, 2020 Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. 

Please address any questions you may have to the e-mail address listed above. 

NWJP is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applicants with diversity of backgrounds and experiences to apply. We particularly encourage applicants who have lived or worked in low wage, immigrant or contingent worker communities.