President and Executive Director, Center for Law and Social Policy

Center for Law and Social Policy

President and Executive Director

Location: Hybrid (Washington, DC)

Compensation: $250-$275k

About The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advancing policy solutions for people with low incomes.

For more than 50 years, our deeply knowledgeable leadership and staff have lifted up the voices of children, families, and individuals with low incomes; equipped advocates and organizers with sound policies that work; built coalitions and partnerships to advance a bold vision; and helped public officials put good policies into practice. CLASP works to develop and implement federal, state, and local policies (in legislation, regulation, and on the ground) that reduce poverty, improve the lives of people with low incomes, and create pathways to economic security for everyone.

CLASP understands that poverty in America is inextricably tied to systemic racism. Therefore, we focus our policy and advocacy efforts on economic and racial justice in the United States. We believe that centering communities of color in our advocacy leads to policies that advance economic justice for everyone. We work in partnership with the people most impacted to advance these policies.

Through high-quality analysis grounded in data and on-the-ground experience, effective advocacy, a strong public voice, and hands-on technical assistance, CLASP develops and promotes new ideas, mobilizes others, and provides guidance to government leaders and advocates to help them implement strategies that deliver meaningful results for people across America.

Because no single solution will end poverty, we bring deep expertise in a range of areas crucial to promoting opportunity and look for the most promising ways to bring policy ideas together on behalf of children, youth, families, and communities. CLASP focuses on four key pillars: Public Benefits Justice; Child Care and Early Education; Labor and Worker Justice; and Immigrants and Immigrant Families.

CLASP is governed by a committed and highly engaged Board of Trustees. It has a 2025 operating budget of $8.4 million and 41 talented staff in its Washington, DC office, working remotely or on a hybrid schedule (about 25% of the staff is fully remote). CLASP is proud to live its organizational values supporting workers and is in the midst of developing its first collective bargaining agreement, which will serve as an important voice of accountability, culture, and justice within the organization.

About the President and Executive Director Position

CLASP seeks a strategic, bold, authentic team manager and leader who brings experience guiding and empowering diverse teams, driving consensus, building a collaborative and inclusive organizational culture, and thriving externally with funders and partners. The ideal candidate is a decisive and collaborative decision-maker who is rooted in impact, driven by values, and can unite individuals across function, seniority, tenure, and issue area expertise.

The ideal candidate is an inclusive leader with a record of listening first, bridging differences, breaking barriers, and uniting diverse stakeholders around a common goal through transparency and inclusion. The President and Executive Director will intentionally build communication streams across teams and foster collaboration and solidarity among the deeply committed staff. The strongest candidates authentically and adeptly cultivate and sustain trust with members of the staff, Board, funders, policymakers, and partners, while maintaining and sharing knowledge and substantive information about the rapidly changing terrain of state and federal policy. They understand and center racial and economic justice in policy work externally and with team and staff management internally. They are transparent and innovative, and bring superb communication skills, ideally with experience leading a unionized staff. They champion racial equity, and they animate and model CLASP values. Importantly, they engage, include, delegate, share power, and amplify the voices of those most impacted by and closest to the work.

CLASP is a multi-issue organization with in-house experts and many partners at the community, state, and national levels. The role requires a leader who is a strong internal manager of organizations, teams, individuals, and partners. This is a unique opportunity for an experienced leader to build on a 50+ year legacy of impact and continue to deepen and broaden the policy and advocacy agendas for which CLASP is well known and respected.

Responsibilities

Strategy and Leadership

• Develop and lead CLASP’s strategic direction, collaborating with the Board and staff to design, implement, and track goals aligned with the CLASP vision, mission, and strategy
• Ensure ongoing organizational excellence; rigorous performance evaluation; and consistent, high-quality finance, administrative, fundraising, communications, and other systems
• Maintain a strong working knowledge of the current policy environment in the areas where CLASP operates and foster a positive reputation with policymakers, partners, funders, and other critical entities

Team and Internal Organizational Management

• Engage, lead, coach, develop, and mentor CLASP’s executive team and inspire and empower all staff in the organization to set and reach meaningful, mission-driven goals
• Lead with transparency, allowing staff access to information that impacts their work and their programs and authentically enfranchises them in key decision-making processes
• Build, support, and facilitate collaboration across programs, issue areas, functions, tenure, and seniority, while also strengthening internal communications to cultivate strong, trusting working relationships at every level
• Model and promote an organizational culture reflective of CLASP’s work externally that centers the vision, mission, and values of the organization as well as performance, accountability, and impact

External Relations, Fundraising, and Partner Management

• Serve as the lead ambassador and external representative of CLASP with funders; local, state, and federal policy leaders; organizational partners; and champions, advocating for the organization and ensuring that CLASP is vocal and visible in relevant spaces
• In collaboration with the Board and key staff, design and implement comprehensive communication and development strategies to amplify CLASP’s commitment to impact across issue areas
• Develop, cultivate, and deepen relationships with key philanthropic funders and government officials through demonstrated impact, policy wins, and a clear strategy for growth and change

Board Development

• Develop and maintain a trusting, transparent working relationship with the Board and ensure open communication about successes and challenges of financial, programmatic, and operational performance
• Partner with individual Trustees and the Board as a whole to ensure the strongest possible governance during the transition to a new chapter for CLASP
• Cultivate a transparent partnership with the Board, facilitating open dialogue around the successes and challenges facing the organization

Finance and Operations

• Oversee CLASP’s finances and operations to ensure sustainability, growth, and impact
• Steward finances in collaboration with the finance department and the Board’s finance committee and ensure clear financial reporting and accurate budgeting
• Ensure creation, adherence to, and maintenance of organizational policies and procedures to facilitate effective workflow, decision-making, and communication protocols across the organization

Qualifications

Strong candidates for this role will bring a diverse set of experiences, skills, abilities, and leadership qualities. We are focused on a holistic view of potential candidates and actively seek interest from leaders with a wide range of professional and lived experiences, especially those from groups that have been historically marginalized and underrepresented. We are looking for a leader who has:

• Passion and a deep, authentic commitment to the mission of CLASP
• 10+ years of nonprofit leadership experience with a strong track record of building, leading, inspiring, and retaining high-performing teams
• A record of experience and success in leading policy and advocacy work and a strong understanding of the strategic drivers, trends, and forces that affect CLASP
• An understanding of and a successful track record of navigating the national and state-based political, social, and economic policy environment in which CLASP operates
• A successful record of fundraising for nonprofits or comparable experience, including identifying and engaging new funding opportunities
• Strong financial acumen and significant financial management experience in a nonprofit comparable context
• An established ability to nurture ongoing commitment among the Board and staff to further CLASP’s mission, leading the organization to exceed its goals and achieve significant impact
• A record of championing effective change management, ensuring organizational stability while fostering a culture of adaptability and innovation
• Demonstrated experience and comfort leading through times of change and challenge
• A successful record of management with an ability to set clear priorities, delegate, communicate, and hold staff accountable for their responsibilities
• A commitment to partnering with and working with unions
• Experience in one or more of CLASP’s policy issue areas is preferred

How to Apply

CLASP has retained the executive search firm LeaderFit to partner with the Board’s Search Committee. Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter explaining how they meet the criteria listed above. For best consideration, applicants should submit their materials no later than Friday, January 17, but candidates will be considered until the position is filled.