Columbia Legal Services (CLS) is a nonprofit civil legal aid organization that advances social, economic, and racial equity for people living in poverty. We support communities and movements by bringing deep legal expertise that is grounded in – and strongly guided by – an understanding of race equity.
We seek systemic solutions by bringing class action lawsuits, using cutting edge legal theories, engaging in policy advocacy, and supporting communities in building their own power. We have a special responsibility to serve people whose access to free legal services is restricted, due to institutionalized or immigration status.
At CLS we seek a team that reflects our organizational values of community, race equity, and justice. This includes hiring staff with connections to the communities we serve whenever possible, and a commitment to strive for justice and equity in our hiring practices and in our staff culture.
Position Summary
Columbia Legal Services is engaged in an ongoing organization-wide process to ensure that internal processes, practices, and values reflect a culture of fairness, equity and belongingness. CLS seeks a full-time Equity and Antiracist Strategist to lead this process and champion the importance and value of a welcoming, anti-racist environment. This Director-level position reports to the Executive Director and serves as an advisor and resource to all CLS staff and Board. The Equity and Antiracist Strategist will plan and implement initiatives that educate, empower, and connect colleagues around issues related to anti-racism and belongingness.
This position may be based in any CLS office; CLS office locations include Seattle, Olympia, Kennewick, Yakima, and Wenatchee. All CLS staff have the ability to complete some work remotely; however, this position will require some physical presence at the office, as well as an ability to attend required meetings at the office and in the community.
CLS requires that all employees adhere to our COVID-19 vaccine mandate through proof of vaccination or by requesting a medical or religious accommodation. Staff are also required to follow CLS COVID-19 protocols while engaging in in-person work in our offices and in the community.
Responsibilities
The Equity and Antiracist Strategist working in collaboration with the Organizational Management Team and the Collective (Black, Indigenous and People of Color Caucus) and White Caucus will:
Staff Support (40%)
- Provide coaching, mentoring, and guidance for all staff on internal policies and practices related to professional development, staff relationships, performance coaching, and other highly sensitive and confidential matters, through an anti-racist and belongingness framework.
- Be an accountability partner to all staff to align with our anti-racist and belongingness values.
- Lead strategic analysis and provide thought partnership to management and Executive Director to apply an anti-racism and belongingness framework to address staff concerns about equity, discrimination and anti-racism.
- Lead the internal Equity Team—a group of volunteer staff members that schedule and facilitate equity training for all staff.
- Lead the all-staff annual Equity Day, a full-day training for staff to listen, learn, and discuss equity matters with facilitators and team building activities.
- Provide support for all staff related to CLS’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and CBA grievance procedures and CLS Restorative Justice practices.
- Research, develop, update, and implement CLS’ Restorative Justice processes and conflict resolution tools to proactively build and strengthen staff and group/community relationships, address conflict, and navigate difficult conversations.
- Collaborate with the People and Culture Director to assess and address barriers to shifting and sustaining anti-racist practices and develop sustainable strategies focused on recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.
- Serve as a liaison to the Collective and White Caucus and support other Employee Equity Groups.
Align Internal Policies and Practices with CLS Values (35%)
- Assess and evaluate internal policies and practices, in collaboration with the People and Culture Director, to ensure that they align with our #OneCLS mission and vision of anti-racism and belongingness.
- Collaborate with Advocacy-Equity and Community Relations Director to align internal and external antiracist work and analysis and coordinate on staff training and community needs related to antiracism work.
- Develop and implement organization-wide trainings and professional development opportunities to promote a climate of transformation, openness, equity, anti-racism and belongingness, including new hire internal equity orientation as part of the onboarding process.
- Collect staff engagement input and work with the Organizational Management Team to continue successful strategies and implement needed changes to move CLS closer to our antiracist and belongingness values.
- Implement and manage antiracist and belongingness initiatives.
- Measure and assess the effectiveness of our antiracist and belongingness work.
- Develop common antiracist and belongingness language and analysis protocols, including an internal race equity process that engages staff and leadership as accountability partners in decision-making.
Board of Directors Support (15%)
- Provide information to the CLS Board of Directors at quarterly meetings on progress related to CLS equity, anti-racism and belongingness work and external collaborations.
- Train board members on issues and policies and processes related to equity, anti-racism, and belonging.
- Collaborate with the Board to develop, strengthen, and expand their equity, antiracism, and belongingness initiatives.
External Collaboration (10%)
- Engage in collaborative equity efforts with partners and coalitions, including national, state-based, or local legal services programs, civil rights organizations, government agencies, and other stakeholders.
- Attend and participate in conferences and meetings related to equity, antiracism, and belongingness, virtually or in-person.
- Partner with Advocacy Equity and Community Relationships Director on issues where internal work and external work intersect.
This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee; others may be assigned.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have all or most of the experience below, or have a combination of comparable experience where they have demonstrated similar skills or responsibilities.
- Commitment to confronting, exposing, and dismantling all forms of structural bias and oppression.
- Seven or more years combined of relevant professional, lived, and/or other demonstrated experience that includes:
- Meaningful and sustained experience with people living in poverty, people of color, immigrant or indigenous communities, and/or the criminal legal system.
- Two or more years of experience working with groups or organizations on equity, antiracism, or belongingness issues and engaging in equity, restorative justice or anti-oppression strategy.
- Two or more years facilitating or supporting interpersonal relationships, conflict resolution, employee relations, and/or restorative justice processes.
- Ability to work independently while participating as an effective member of the management team and to manage multiple deadlines and projects with minimal supervision.
- Strong interpersonal skills, excellent written and verbal communications skills and the ability to handle sensitive issues with integrity and confidentiality.
- Ability to build collaborative relationships with colleagues and a desire to engage in shared leadership and decision-making.
- Demonstrated experience in big picture thinking, considering multiple perspectives, and aligning strategy to long-term goals.
Preferred, but not required
- Experience in a manager, supervisory, or leadership role and/or providing training or coaching in a workplace setting.
- Fundamental understanding of human resources processes and/or employment or labor laws.
- Experience developing training, professional development, and/or adult learning opportunities.
- Skilled in identifying data-driven solutions.
- Familiarity with legal advocacy.
- Proficiency in Spanish is preferred but not required for this position.
CLS brings its core values of community, race equity, and justice into all aspects of its work, and we seek an individual for this role who aligns with these values.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this position is $125,500 - $178,000, based on a range of 7-40(+) years’ experience. Salary will be determined based on the candidate’s role-specific skills, management- and/or director-level work, and lived experience.
Columbia Legal Services is committed to providing an equitable work environment, including a commitment to pay equity. Mid-year adjustments may be applied, based on years of experience, once salary schedules are finalized. An additional COLA increase of around 2% may be applied annually, in addition to a step-level increase for each additional year of service, based on CLS’s overall budget.
This full-time, exempt position is a confidential role and is not eligible for representation by Washington Legal Workers, our in-house labor union.
CLS has a 35-hour workweek, though temporary deviations from the normal work schedule occur from time to time. We also offer a comprehensive compensation package including the following:
- 14 paid holidays annually
- Winter Break office closure between Christmas and New Year’s
- 12 sick days annually
- 15-21 paid vacation days annually (based on years of experience)
- 3-5 personal days annually (based on years of experience)
- Early office closure the first Friday of the month
- Paid parental and family medical leave benefits
- Paid sabbatical every 7 years
- Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program (for employees with less than 10 years’ experience)
Additionally, we pay 100% of employee premiums for excellent health, vision, and dental benefits plus 50% of the maximum out-of-pocket deductible and offer heavily subsidized family premiums.
We also offer a 403(b) retirement benefit with employer contribution and a match, disability and life insurance, a subsidized transit pass, and an employee wellness program.
To Apply
Please submit an application with a cover letter and resume in PDF format through our application portal in BambooHR. We accept and review applications on a rolling basis, with priority given to applications received by October 11, 2024. We will remove the position from our website once it is filled.
If you need a reasonable accommodation for the application process, please email the Human Resources Department at careers@columbialegal.org.
We are committed to an environment of mutual respect, collaboration, and equal opportunity for all employees, and strongly encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, people who have been affected by mass incarceration, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. We believe in building and sustaining an organization that is reflective of the communities we serve, and is diverse in work background, experience, education, race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, national origin, or sensory, mental and physical abilities. We believe that the resulting diversity is both a source of program strength and a matter of fundamental human fairness.