Executive Director, Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law

The Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law at NYU School of Law engages in research, public education, advocacy, and litigation to advance its mission of shaping how people understand, diagnose, and address issues of race and inequality. The Center’s priorities include: shaping the public discourse and consciousness on race and inequality; addressing the influence of race and inequality in the criminal legal system; confronting the racial justice implications of technology, algorithmic decision-making, and surveillance tools in the criminal legal system and other systems that govern people’s lives; challenging the forces that drive racial segregation, racial subjugation, economic disadvantage, and environmental harm in communities of color; and infusing legal education with a racial justice lens.

We are seeking an Executive Director to lead, support, and manage the Center’s work to highlight, dismantle, and replace structures and institutions that have been infected by racial bias and plagued by inequality. Reporting to the Center’s Faculty Director, the Executive Director will have strategic and operational responsibility for the Center’s staff, programs, and the execution of its mission. The Executive Director will play a significant role in all of the Center’s operations, including active participation in the Center’s research, public education, advocacy,  and litigation agenda, events and programming. A few examples of that work include producing research reports, drafting amicus submissions, participating in advocacy campaigns, and fostering partnerships with civil rights and racial justice organizations. The Executive Director is also responsible for managing and supervising lawyers, post-graduate fellows, administrative staff, law student fellows, undergraduate students, and consultants engaged in work on the Center’s behalf.

The start date is negotiable, based on the Center’s priorities and the candidate’s availability, though it generally will commence by late August 2025. The salary range is $150,000 to $160,000 per year, commensurate with experience and includes full benefits.

The ideal candidate will possess:

•  a JD, LLM, or equivalent legal training with at least 7 years of professional and/or legal experience. Candidates with additional training, professional, or personal experiences that intersect with race and inequality are encouraged to apply.
• a demonstrated commitment to racial justice;
• excellent leadership, management, and organizational abilities,  including planning, delegating, program development, and task facilitation;
• ability to oversee and collaborate with legal and non-legal staff;
• significant experience with civil and/or criminal litigation, at the state and/or federal level, including as both amicus and merits counsel;
• excellent written and oral communications skills, including strong public speaking ability, and distinguished analytical, research, and writing skills;
• strong financial management skills, including budget preparation, analysis, decision making and reporting;
• fundraising experience or equivalent experiences relevant to donor relations skills, an understanding of the funding community, and/or previous success in establishing relationships with individuals and organizations of influence, including funders and partner organizations;
• demonstrated ability to build and maintain positive working relationships with lawyers, organizers, researchers, impacted community members, and other advocates in the field;
• strong work ethic with a high degree of energy.

To apply, please submit the following materials via Interfolio: https://apply.interfolio.com/169304. 

• Cover letter describing your interest in, and qualifications for, the position, including an explanation of why you would like to become Executive Director of the Center;
• A resume;
• A writing sample;
• List of three references with email addresses and phone numbers.

The application period will close on July 21, 2025. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline. Please be sure to include a telephone number and/or email address where we can reach you. We will interview candidates on a rolling basis through the first week of August, and make a final selection shortly thereafter, if not sooner.

To learn more about the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law, visit http://www.law.nyu.edu/centers/race-inequality-law.