Deputy Director, TMI

The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the country’s first and foremost civil and human rights law organization. Founded in 1940 under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall, who subsequently became the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice, LDF’s mission is to achieve racial justice, equality, and an inclusive society. LDF’s litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education programs address criminal justice, economic justice, education, and political participation to ensure quality education, economic opportunity, the right to vote and full participation in democracy, and a fair and just judicial system.

LDF has been recognized by Fast Company as one of its 2023 Brands That Matter under its public service category. The Thurgood Marshall Institute Since its founding under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall in 1940, LDF has been committed to transforming the nation’s promise of equality into reality for all Americans. In 2015, LDF launched the Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI).

The Institute is a collaborative research and archival hub within LDF that combines a multidisciplinary approach to advocacy with LDF’s litigation strengths to advance a modern vision of racial justice. The Institute’s goals are to enhance 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.

Through TMI, LDF generates and integrates research, advocacy, archival materials, and strategic communications to educate the public and decision-makers. Targeted campaigns address racial bias in criminal justice, political participation, education, and economic opportunity, and TMI serves as a convener of thought-leaders to engage on racial justice issues in public and private forums. In 2024, TMI launched LDF Recollection: A Civil Rights Legal Archive.

The site contains stories and primary source materials documenting the history of LDF and the Civil Rights Movement. The archive includes a searchable digital collection with thousands of documents and records. Archives staff work to survey, arrange, describe, and digitize records, with Archives Counsel reviewing digitized documents for privileged, confidential, or sensitive information. LDF operates in a hybrid work environment with a minimum in-office presence required two days per week, unless otherwise indicated.

Applicants should submit a resume, cover letter, and an independently authored writing sample reflecting their own work.
Responsibilities

• Reports directly to the TMI Director and provides supervision across the Research and Archives teams.
• Partner with the TMI Director to develop and implement strategic goals for the department, aligned with organizational objectives.
• 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.
• Guide and mentor staff to understand and execute their responsibilities, fostering accountability through performance reviews and professional development.
• Build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including managing budgets, grant compliance, and vendor contracts in coordination with the TMI Director.
• Develop annual professional development plans to stay current on field developments.
• Represent TMI in public forums, conferences, media appearances, and other external engagements to elevate research, archival projects, and advocacy.
• Identify and support cross-functional projects connecting research, archives, and public education.

• Coordinate with the TMI Director on the strategy, development, and execution of archival projects to preserve and promote LDF’s civil rights legacy.
• Work with the Archives Department on refining and managing archival efforts for publication.
• Support dissemination and promotion of LDF’s archival…