Deputy Director, Thurgood Marshall Institute

The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the country's premier civil and human rights organization. Founded in 1940 under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall, who later became the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice, LDF was established during a time when the nation's aspirations for equality and due process were stifled by widespread state-sponsored racial inequality. Since then, LDF's mission has been transformative— to achieve racial justice, equality, and an inclusive society. LDF's litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education programs address critical areas such as criminal justice, economic justice, education, and political participation to ensure the fundamental and basic human rights of all people.

About the Role

The Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) is a collaborative research and archival hub within LDF that combines a multidisciplinary approach to advocacy with LDF's traditional litigation strengths to advance a modern vision of racial justice. TMI's goals include enhancing 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.

Responsibilities

• 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, to ensure alignment with organizational and departmental needs and strategic priorities.

• Guide and mentor staff to fully understand and effectively execute their job responsibilities, fostering accountability through performance reviews, professional development, and leadership opportunities.

• Build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders to enhance departmental initiatives and resources, including managing budgets, grant compliance, and vendor contracts in coordination with the TMI Director.

• Develop and complete annual professional development plans to stay current on developments in the field.

• Represent TMI in public forums, including conferences, media appearances, and other external engagements, to elevate the Institute's research, archival projects, and advocacy.

• Identify and support cross-functional projects that connect research, archives, and public education.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. required, J.D. and/or MLIS equivalent preferred, advanced terminal degree in a relevant field (e.g., law, criminal justice, sociology, education policy, public health, political science, demography, or other social science field).

• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience with expertise in civil rights history, academic research, or civil rights advocacy, including supervisory experience.

• Experience developing research on civil rights issues with a focus on addressing racial discrimination and/or racially disparate outcomes.

• A minimum of 8 years of experience managing staff, including nonprofit program management, with a demonstrated ability to lead diverse teams.

• Strong written and oral communication skills, with a strong track record of published work in academic (peer-reviewed or law review), policy, or public-facing outlets.

• Deep knowledge of Black history, civil rights history, and contemporary racial justice issues.

• Significant experience working within nonprofit or academic institutions.

• Proven success managing diverse, multidisciplinary teams across program areas.

• Adaptable, collaborative, self-motivated, creative problem solver with careful attention to detail.

• Experience with public speaking with the ability to effectively represent LDF's mission to diverse external audiences.

• Experience developing and managing publications, research workflows, and strategic campaigns required.

Pay

The salary range for this position is:

• New York: $147,200 - $184,000
• Washington, D.C.: $140,800 - $176,000

This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements, or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned. This description does not constitute a contract of employment, and LDF may exercise its employment-at-will rights at any time. LDF offers all eligible employees a generous benefits package. To learn more, click the following link 2026 Benefits Overview.

The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to you without regard to 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.