Strategic Organizing Center

Assistant General Counsel

Based in Washington, DC and New York, NY
(hybrid remote)

 

WHO WE ARE:
The Strategic Organizing Center (SOC) engages in paradigm-shifting campaigns that confront corporate misconduct, racism and sexism, and challenges existing anti-worker policy and corporate-friendly law in order to grow union membership throughout the US economy. We do this work in partnership with our affiliated unions and with the broader progressive community in the US and globally. Since our establishment in 2005, we have been mission focused on helping workers and unions organize for power at work. Today, our work is focused on such companies as Amazon, Google, McDonald’s, Uber, and campaigns including the Fight for $15 and Code CWA.

The Strategic Organizing Center is a democratic union federation whose three affiliated unions – the Service Employees International Union, the Communications Workers of America, and the United Farmworkers – represent some 3 million workers. These unions have been leaders of the American labor movement’s efforts to help workers form unions to secure fair pay, benefits, and justice on the job.

WHAT WE DO:
Through cutting-edge research and innovative campaigns, the SOC advocates for workers, consumers and other constituencies harmed by concentrated corporate power across a wide range of industries, including food service, transportation and logistics, communications, healthcare and more.

THE OPPORTUNITY:
The Strategic Organizing Center is seeking an Assistant General Counsel. You will be part of a team of seasoned legal campaigners and will provide innovative legal strategies and advocacy to support campaigns that challenge the power and conduct of America’s largest corporations. You will need to exhibit vigorous and resourceful advocacy and leadership, as the Assistant General Counsel is called upon to engage in a wide range of legal subject matters and advocacy settings. You will also conduct and manage all aspects of legal research while developing and executing legal strategy in collaboration with the staff of the Strategic Organizing Center and our affiliates in legal, research, organizing and communications departments in a range of areas including corporate accountability, competition/antitrust, consumer protection, civil rights, and employment/ workplace issues.

THE WORK:

• Design and research comprehensive legal strategy and tactics related to organizing and corporate responsibility campaigns.
• Utilize research and creative thinking to advance worker and consumer rights and protections.
• Advocate directly to regulators for enforcement action, policy reforms, and appropriate rulemaking.
• Provide advice on drafting federal and state legislation.
• Craft public messaging, including in legal products, that help effectively develop and advance campaigns.
• Collaborate effectively with union affiliates, outside law firms and other external allies.
• Perform other duties as required to support the SOC Legal Team.

An individual should demonstrate the following competencies to perform the essential functions of this position successfully:

• Collaborative: Works harmoniously with others to get a job done; responds positively to instructions and feedback; able to work well with co-workers, peers, and external staff.
• Communications: Ability to communicate internally with team members regarding questions or concerns that may arise. Ability to convey messages that have the desired effect via the appropriate media in a thoughtful and professional manner.
• Judgment: Makes sound decisions based on careful research and strategic considerations in campaigns; uses considerable skill and logic to analyze and address challenges and problems; timely decisions; displays strong ability to prioritize.
• Organization/Project Management: Able to manage multiple projects; able to determine project urgency in a practical way; able to drive projects forward with appropriate momentum towards completion; uses goals to guide actions; organizes and schedules people and tasks effectively; able to effectively manage up and across key stakeholders.
• High Quality of Work: Maintains high standards in the face of pressing deadlines; ability to critically evaluate own work before submitting projects to supervisor; regularly produces accurate, thorough, professional work.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
The Strategic Organizing Center (SOC) is seeking candidates who are passionate about our mission and are highly proactive. Candidates for employment at SOC, regardless of position, will consistently demonstrate the following:

• Strong commitment to social justice and workers’ rights
• Commitment to excellence and high standards -- for self and colleagues
• Continuous learning by engaging in reflection, self-assessment, and individual professional development.
• Use of deep research and investigation to inform decisions and drive continuous improvement.
• Ability to thrive as a member of a collaborative team.
• Self-motivation and initiative with solutions-oriented disposition
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to effectively handle challenging situations.
• Comfort with Microsoft Office applications and a curiosity and propensity to push own adoption of new technology and approaches.

QUALIFICATIONS:
While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications below, our ideal candidate would bring:

• A firm understanding and strong commitment to ethics and integrity.
• Excellent research, writing and communication skills including the ability to manage and execute substantial public-facing legal projects.
• Track record of driving ideas, managing multiple initiatives, and seeing projects through completion.
• Experience conducting effective meetings with internal and external personnel, organizations, and public officials.
• Ability to think critically and analytically and use sound judgment.
• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge and experience working with or in the labor movement.
• In-depth knowledge of one or more areas of law (labor, employment, corporation, consumer, and/or anti-trust).
• Good professional network in the labor union and/or legal communities.
• Ability to communicate regarding complex legal topics effectively with various non-legal constituents.

Minimum Required Education and Experience:

• Juris Doctorate granted by an ABA accredited law school.
• Current law license in good standing.
• Minimum of ten years (10) litigation or similar legal experience.

Physical Demands & Working Environment

• Under current policy, SOC employees spend two days per week in-office and may work remotely otherwise.
• Willingness to travel, occasionally work long and/or irregular hours.

WHAT WE OFFER:
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
Compensation:
Salary is calculated based on years of experience, with annual increases according to an established salary scale. The salary range for this position is 118,476 – 135,397. This is a full-time (35-hour work week) exempt position.

Benefits: The SOC offers:

• 100% employer-paid comprehensive health insurance benefits (medical, dental, vision and prescription benefits) for employees, their spouses or domestic partners, and children.
• 12% of salary contribution paid by the SOC to a 401K retirement plan after six months of employment.
• 100% employer paid premiums for life insurance, short- and long-term disability.
• Other benefits include cell phone provision, Commuter Benefits, and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA),
• 13 days of accrued sick leave, 14 paid holidays, 10 days of paid vacation (vacation time increases with seniority to up to 25 days per year), 2 personal days and 4 days of compensatory time.
• 8 weeks of paid parental leave.
• A commitment to employee growth and advancement, with a $1,000 professional development budget each year for each staff member.

Please Note: SOC staff enjoy a hybrid telework (three days) /in-person (two days) schedule. There are offices in Washington, DC, and New York City. We have a mandatory vaccine policy and safety protocols in our facilities. The SOC is not currently requiring proof of vaccination however, staff are required to fill out the health screening survey in a timely fashion and accurately when they are on site. The only exemptions to this policy provided by the SOC are for medical and religious reasons. All candidates applying for this role will be expected to adhere to these policies.

Application Requirements:
A résumé is required for all applications and a cover letter is highly suggested. Your cover letter should explain your reason for wanting to work for us, an example of how you demonstrated success in a similar position, and a description of how this position fits into your long-term career plan.

Women and people of color are strongly urged to apply. The Strategic Organizing Center does not discriminate in any of its programs, procedures, or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, caste, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, mental or physical disability, political belief or affiliation, pregnancy and pregnancy related condition(s), veteran status, sexual orienta¬tion, gender identity and expression, genetic information, natural and protective hairstyle and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law in employment and application for employment.

How to Apply:
Please submit résumé and application at https://jsco.re/ekg0p