What are the responsibilities and job description for the Executive Director position at Neighborhood Legal Services Inc?

Job Description

Executive Director

Neighborhood Legal Services

Buffalo, NY

Neighborhood Legal Services seeks an outstanding strategic and collaborative leader to serve as its next Executive Director.

Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS) is a not-for-profit public interest law firm founded 49 years ago to provide free legal services to low-income individuals and families, and persons with disabilities, in Western New York. With offices in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Batavia, and Lockport, we provide services in a range of areas of urgent legal need, including public benefits, disability law, housing, and family law. Our mission is to pursue equitable justice by providing access to client-specific legal advice, representation, and education to those in our community who, due to financial vulnerability, disability, discrimination, or abuse, require protection and advancement of their civil legal rights.

The Executive Director has the opportunity to lead our exceptional staff of 115 people, including our experienced managers and senior leaders. In 2024, we closed 8052 cases, benefitting 16,580 individual clients and members of their families. We have grown significantly over the years – our current budget is approximately $18 million / year – giving us a solid foundation to meet the needs of our client populations.

This position is an excellent opportunity for a leader, team-builder, connector and communicator who is passionate about the delivery of justice to marginalized communities.

More about NLS :

Each year, NLS provides free civil legal services to over 8,000 individuals and families in Western New York who cannot afford to hire an attorney. We provide high-quality and innovative legal representation, advice, and community education to countless community members to help with some of life’s greatest challenges : from violence within a family, to a threat to stable living with disabilities. NLS knows that one legal problem can quickly impact other aspects of a client’s life, and our advocates apply a collaborative approach to provide holistic services. Because the need for free legal services outstrips our capacity, we also provide plain-language materials to explain common legal problems to those in our community with unmet legal needs.

While the bulk of our work consists of individual client representation, NLS is also committed to innovating the traditional legal services model to expand our reach. As an example : our Family Law Unit has partnered with the University at Buffalo Law School Family Violence and Women’s Rights Clinic to develop DIY Divorce forms tailored to specific case types. Taking it a step further, NLS attorneys operate legal clinics where they present on the divorce process and the forms to help people fill them out themselves. Such innovations help accommodate both NLS’ limited capacity to provide full representation and the outsized need in our community for legal assistance in family matters.

NLS also prioritizes collaboration with other nonprofits to facilitate access to our services. We work closely with other providers of legal services in Western New York. We are governed by a 15-member Board of Directors that includes lawyers working in our geographic service area, people who are eligible for NLS’s services, and other community members.

For more information about Neighborhood Legal Services, visit : www.NLS.org

Responsibilities of NLS’s Executive Director include :

NLS’s Services & Advocacy

Ensure and oversee the delivery of high-quality legal services to eligible clients through our staff’s legal representation and counsel, facilitation of community legal clinics, and outreach and engagement with client groups and community providers.
Ensure the continued development and targeting of our work to meet the legal needs of specific populations as identified through regular needs assessments, outcome measurement, and evaluation.
Provide agency-wide leadership, supporting our staff in centering our mission in all our work, and collaborating closely with the management team.

Community Relations & Resource Development

Oversee NLS’s fund development and actively engage volunteers, Board members, event committees, community partners, and funders.

Ensure development and effective deployment of an annual fundraising plan.

Serve, along with the Board Chair, as a primary spokesperson for the organization.

Ensure and support a strong process to maintain and develop diverse funding sources, ensure compelling, detailed reporting and compliance to maintain strong relationships with funders.

Governance, General Policies and Corporate Compliance, and Strategic Positioning

Support and guide the Board of Directors and its Committees.

Ensure the development and implementation of corporate compliance and operational procedures in accordance with Board policy, applicable laws, regulations and contractual obligations.

Assist the Board in developing and implementing strategic positioning and actions, in accordance with our Strategic Plan.

Develop annual organizational goals and reporting to the Board and its leadership in progress towards those goals.

Human Resources

Select, support and supervise senior leadership and management.

Lead the management team, including setting team goals and supporting the team in its coordination, communication, and work towards its goals.

Ensure effective organizational talent acquisition, onboarding and professional development both directly and through senior leadership and management.

Promote a positive, respectful, equitable and safe workplace environment for staff and clients that attracts, retains, and motivates top quality / diverse people.

Ensure the development and maintenance of forward-facing organizational policies.

Continue development of a collaborative working relationship with NLS’s union staff, including negotiation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Ensure organizational resilience including leadership development and succession plans.

Financial Management

Supervise NLS’s Finance Director and ensure that the day-to-day fiscal affairs of the organization, including accounting and cash management, are managed with the highest integrity with respect to fiduciary responsibilities, regulations, and Board policy.

Oversee the development of the organization’s annual budget and ensure regular tracking and reporting of fiscal performance against budget.

Race Equity and Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Work

Ensure that NLS continues to develop and deploy an internal culture and external services that elevate diversity, equity and inclusion.

Provide and ensure adequate and ongoing resources for DEI activities and training.

Desired / ideal qualifications of the Executive Director :

Experience as an effective organizational leader or senior manager with direct supervisory and program management responsibilities. (Membership in the New York Bar and / or other legal experience preferred but not required.)

Deep understanding of and vision for the delivery of legal services to clients in need.

Demonstrated passionate commitment to equal justice for all, and experience protecting and advancing the rights of marginalized and disadvantaged populations.

An established record of organizational leadership, resource development and personnel management.

A demonstrated commitment to supporting a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Experience and willingness to lead an organization with unionized staff.

Skill in building and supporting teams and collaborations, gathering input and feedback, and making and communicating decisions.

Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience with public speaking to diverse audiences, and communicating effectively with staff across an organization.

Ability to work effectively with a broad range of stakeholders including bar associations, judiciary, social services agencies, funders, and community groups and their leaders, and a commitment to elevating the voices of client communities.

Ability to manage wide-ranging responsibilities and to direct others in managing their responsibilities in a demanding environment.

Experience working with a finance team and Board to oversee and manage a large organizational budget.

Experience in developing and maintaining government and private revenue streams, including federal, state, and local grants, as well as building and leading fundraising efforts.

Ability to work effectively with a volunteer Board of Directors.

The Executive Director is expected to reside in (or be willing to relocate to) the Western New York area.

Compensation

The salary for the Executive Director is budgeted from $190,000 to $240,000, depending on experience. The Executive Director is also offered excellent benefits, including leave, health and retirement benefits.

Application Process :

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. To receive full consideration, candidates are urged to submit their application by March 28, 2025.

Applicants should e-mail a resume with a cover letter that explains why you are interested in the Executive Director position, and why you feel you could be successful in the position. Applications should be e-mailed to EDHiring@NLS.org .

NLS is committed to the support of an inclusive and diverse workplace and providing Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action to all applicants. We seek to build diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging within our organization, and in partnership and allyship with the communities we serve. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ, veterans, people who have experienced poverty or homelessness, people who have had prior contact with the juvenile, criminal, or child welfare systems, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Salary : $190,000 - $240,000

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