Deputy Director, Thurgood Marshall Institute
NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., Washington, District of Columbia, United States
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’s mission is to achieve racial justice, equality, and an inclusive society. LDF’s litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education programs address criminal justice, economic justice, education, and political participation to ensure quality education, economic opportunity, the right to vote and full participation in democracy, and a fair and just judicial system. LDF has been recognized by Fast Company as one of its 2023 Brands That Matter under its public service category.
The Thurgood Marshall Institute
Since its founding under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall in 1940, LDF has been committed to transforming the nation’s promise of equality into reality for all Americans. In 2015, LDF launched the Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI). The Institute is a collaborative research and archival hub within LDF that combines a multidisciplinary approach to advocacy with LDF’s litigation strengths to advance a modern vision of racial justice. The Institute’s goals are to enhance LDF’s use and mobilization of research, archives, and public education to increase its capacity to fight for racial equity, justice, and a more inclusive democracy through targeted advocacy and high-impact communications campaigns. Through TMI, LDF generates and integrates research, advocacy, archival materials, and strategic communications to educate the public and decision-makers. Targeted campaigns address racial bias in criminal justice, political participation, education, and economic opportunity, and TMI serves as a convener of thought-leaders to engage on racial justice issues in public and private forums.
In 2024, TMI launched LDF Recollection: A Civil Rights Legal Archive. The site contains stories and primary source materials documenting the history of LDF and the Civil Rights Movement. The archive includes a searchable digital collection with thousands of documents and records. Archives staff work to survey, arrange, describe, and digitize records, with Archives Counsel reviewing digitized documents for privileged, confidential, or sensitive information. LDF operates in a hybrid work environment with a minimum in-office presence required two days per week, unless otherwise indicated. Applicants should submit a resume, cover letter, and an independently authored writing sample reflecting their own work.
Responsibilities
Departmental Leadership
Reports directly to the TMI Director and provides supervision across the Research and Archives teams.
Partner with the TMI Director to develop and implement strategic goals for the department, aligned with organizational objectives.
Lead department meetings and retreats, including agenda development in collaboration with the TMI Director and Managers, to ensure strategic alignment and team engagement.
Collaborate with the TMI Director on budgeting and the recruitment and hiring of key Research and Archives staff, including TMI fellows and scholars.
Guide and mentor staff to understand and execute their responsibilities, fostering accountability through performance reviews and professional development.
Build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including managing budgets, grant compliance, and vendor contracts in coordination with the TMI Director.
Develop annual professional development plans to stay current on field developments.
Represent TMI in public forums, conferences, media appearances, and other external engagements to elevate research, archival projects, and advocacy.
Identify and support cross-functional projects connecting research, archives, and public education.
Archives Oversight
Coordinate with the TMI Director on the strategy, development, and execution of archival projects to preserve and promote LDF’s civil rights legacy.
Work with the Archives Department on refining and managing archival efforts for publication.
Support dissemination and promotion of LDF’s archival records, including those housed at the Library of Congress, internally and externally.
Assist archives team members to ensure work products meet high-quality standards, maintain TMI’s voice, and advance LDF advocacy goals within timelines and budgets.
Research Oversight
Develop and support the implementation of the research agenda to align with TMI and LDF priorities, including qualitative and quantitative research design, public-facing reports, and policy briefs.
Supervise research team members to ensure products meet high-quality standards and advance advocacy goals within timeframe and budget.
Support TMI researchers in IRB applications, grant submissions, and grant reports related to research activities.
Review research findings for publication to ensure accuracy and ethical standards across all stages from proposal to publication.
Coordinate evaluation of TMI publications for external review to maintain scholarly excellence and innovation.
Supervise SSRN, the National Police Funding Database, and the Death Row USA Report to keep data current.
Develop and update research policies and procedures (manual).
Oversee interdepartmental rapid research requests to align with LDF priorities.
Provide editorial oversight and strategic review of TMI’s publications to ensure rigor and alignment with advocacy goals.
Foster interdisciplinary collaborations with scholars and advocacy partners.
Qualifications
Ph.D. required; J.D. and/or MLIS or equivalent preferred; advanced terminal degree in a relevant field (e.g., law, criminal justice, sociology, education policy, public health, political science, demography, or related social science field).
Minimum of 10 years of professional experience in civil rights history, academic research, or civil rights advocacy, including supervisory experience.
Experience developing research on civil rights issues with focus on addressing racial discrimination and/or racially disparate outcomes.
At least 8 years of experience managing staff in nonprofit program management with a track record of leading diverse teams.
Strong written and oral communication skills with a record of published work in academic, policy, or public-facing outlets.
Deep knowledge of Black history, civil rights history, and contemporary racial justice issues.
Significant experience in nonprofit or academic institutions.
Proven ability to manage diverse, multidisciplinary teams across program areas.
Adaptable, collaborative, self-motivated, creative problem solver with attention to detail.
Experience with public speaking and representing LDF’s mission to diverse audiences.
Experience developing and managing publications, research workflows, and campaigns.
Preferred
Expertise in archival management, collections development, and historical research.
Experience managing budgets.
Proven success with multiple campaign strategies for social change (advocacy, research, archives, organizing, communications, and litigation).
Familiarity with open-access publications, data visualization tools, or digital humanities methods is a plus.
This is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, skills, or working conditions. While this reflects the current job, management reserves the right to revise tasks as needed. This description is not a contract of employment, and LDF may exercise its employment-at-will rights at any time.
Salary The Salary Range For This Position Is: $147,200-$184,000 (NY); $140,800-$176,000 (DC).
LDF offers eligible employees a generous benefits package. To learn more, see the Benefits Overview.
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of 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.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
The Thurgood Marshall Institute
Since its founding under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall in 1940, LDF has been committed to transforming the nation’s promise of equality into reality for all Americans. In 2015, LDF launched the Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI). The Institute is a collaborative research and archival hub within LDF that combines a multidisciplinary approach to advocacy with LDF’s litigation strengths to advance a modern vision of racial justice. The Institute’s goals are to enhance LDF’s use and mobilization of research, archives, and public education to increase its capacity to fight for racial equity, justice, and a more inclusive democracy through targeted advocacy and high-impact communications campaigns. Through TMI, LDF generates and integrates research, advocacy, archival materials, and strategic communications to educate the public and decision-makers. Targeted campaigns address racial bias in criminal justice, political participation, education, and economic opportunity, and TMI serves as a convener of thought-leaders to engage on racial justice issues in public and private forums.
In 2024, TMI launched LDF Recollection: A Civil Rights Legal Archive. The site contains stories and primary source materials documenting the history of LDF and the Civil Rights Movement. The archive includes a searchable digital collection with thousands of documents and records. Archives staff work to survey, arrange, describe, and digitize records, with Archives Counsel reviewing digitized documents for privileged, confidential, or sensitive information. LDF operates in a hybrid work environment with a minimum in-office presence required two days per week, unless otherwise indicated. Applicants should submit a resume, cover letter, and an independently authored writing sample reflecting their own work.
Responsibilities
Departmental Leadership
Reports directly to the TMI Director and provides supervision across the Research and Archives teams.
Partner with the TMI Director to develop and implement strategic goals for the department, aligned with organizational objectives.
Lead department meetings and retreats, including agenda development in collaboration with the TMI Director and Managers, to ensure strategic alignment and team engagement.
Collaborate with the TMI Director on budgeting and the recruitment and hiring of key Research and Archives staff, including TMI fellows and scholars.
Guide and mentor staff to understand and execute their responsibilities, fostering accountability through performance reviews and professional development.
Build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including managing budgets, grant compliance, and vendor contracts in coordination with the TMI Director.
Develop annual professional development plans to stay current on field developments.
Represent TMI in public forums, conferences, media appearances, and other external engagements to elevate research, archival projects, and advocacy.
Identify and support cross-functional projects connecting research, archives, and public education.
Archives Oversight
Coordinate with the TMI Director on the strategy, development, and execution of archival projects to preserve and promote LDF’s civil rights legacy.
Work with the Archives Department on refining and managing archival efforts for publication.
Support dissemination and promotion of LDF’s archival records, including those housed at the Library of Congress, internally and externally.
Assist archives team members to ensure work products meet high-quality standards, maintain TMI’s voice, and advance LDF advocacy goals within timelines and budgets.
Research Oversight
Develop and support the implementation of the research agenda to align with TMI and LDF priorities, including qualitative and quantitative research design, public-facing reports, and policy briefs.
Supervise research team members to ensure products meet high-quality standards and advance advocacy goals within timeframe and budget.
Support TMI researchers in IRB applications, grant submissions, and grant reports related to research activities.
Review research findings for publication to ensure accuracy and ethical standards across all stages from proposal to publication.
Coordinate evaluation of TMI publications for external review to maintain scholarly excellence and innovation.
Supervise SSRN, the National Police Funding Database, and the Death Row USA Report to keep data current.
Develop and update research policies and procedures (manual).
Oversee interdepartmental rapid research requests to align with LDF priorities.
Provide editorial oversight and strategic review of TMI’s publications to ensure rigor and alignment with advocacy goals.
Foster interdisciplinary collaborations with scholars and advocacy partners.
Qualifications
Ph.D. required; J.D. and/or MLIS or equivalent preferred; advanced terminal degree in a relevant field (e.g., law, criminal justice, sociology, education policy, public health, political science, demography, or related social science field).
Minimum of 10 years of professional experience in civil rights history, academic research, or civil rights advocacy, including supervisory experience.
Experience developing research on civil rights issues with focus on addressing racial discrimination and/or racially disparate outcomes.
At least 8 years of experience managing staff in nonprofit program management with a track record of leading diverse teams.
Strong written and oral communication skills with a record of published work in academic, policy, or public-facing outlets.
Deep knowledge of Black history, civil rights history, and contemporary racial justice issues.
Significant experience in nonprofit or academic institutions.
Proven ability to manage diverse, multidisciplinary teams across program areas.
Adaptable, collaborative, self-motivated, creative problem solver with attention to detail.
Experience with public speaking and representing LDF’s mission to diverse audiences.
Experience developing and managing publications, research workflows, and campaigns.
Preferred
Expertise in archival management, collections development, and historical research.
Experience managing budgets.
Proven success with multiple campaign strategies for social change (advocacy, research, archives, organizing, communications, and litigation).
Familiarity with open-access publications, data visualization tools, or digital humanities methods is a plus.
This is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, skills, or working conditions. While this reflects the current job, management reserves the right to revise tasks as needed. This description is not a contract of employment, and LDF may exercise its employment-at-will rights at any time.
Salary The Salary Range For This Position Is: $147,200-$184,000 (NY); $140,800-$176,000 (DC).
LDF offers eligible employees a generous benefits package. To learn more, see the Benefits Overview.
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of 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.
#J-18808-Ljbffr