Jobs

After 18 years of leading A Better Balance, the organization’s Co-Founders and Co-Presidents will be stepping down in mid-2024.

Recognizing ABB’s mission is as vital and resonant as ever, the board now seeks a new President who will continue to make huge strides for work-family justice every day. Read the position description and apply here. 

About A Better Balance: A Better Balance is a national legal advocacy organization that uses the power of the law to advance justice for workers, so they can care for themselves and their loved ones without jeopardizing their economic security. Our expert legal team combats discrimination against pregnant workers and caregivers and advances supportive policies like paid sick time, paid family and medical leave, and fair and predictable scheduling. We remain steadfast in working to dismantle the intersectional forms of injustice that contribute to the structural inequality working families in this country face, including but not limited to, gender injustice, racial injustice, economic injustice, health injustice, and injustice against immigrants, LGTBQ+ communities, and people with disabilities, and are seeking candidates who are committed to this work. Ensuring families of color have access to strong work-family policies—especially BIPOC women workers who are currently the least likely to have access to these policies due to centuries of institutionalized sexism and racism, systemic barriers to economic mobility, and pervasive discrimination—is a core principle of ABB’s work.

A Better Balance has fought for and won: new paid leave laws and policies in states and localities around the country; important pregnancy, caregiving and breastfeeding rights at the federal, state and local levels, including passage of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act; inclusive protections for all families, including LGBTQ+ families; and victories on other economic justice issues throughout the country. Our advocacy work and legal efforts have gained national recognition in dozens of outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Learn more about ABB by visiting www.abetterbalance.org.

Job Title: Senior Staff Attorney (Full-Time or Part-Time)

Position Description: A Better Balance seeks a Senior Staff Attorney (full-time or part-time) to help lead our paid leave work through a dynamic blend of legal research and writing, technical assistance, and policy and legislative advocacy. This position provides an exciting opportunity to lead in a rapidly evolving field of work and to craft creative legal solutions building on recent paid family and medical leave, paid sick leave, and public health emergency leave victories around the country.

The position will be remote, but it will entail attending occasional in-person meetings and conference travel. The Senior Staff Attorney will be supervised by A Better Balance’s Vice President.

Basic Responsibilities:

• Help spearhead the efforts to draft and pass paid family and medical leave laws around the country or improve upon existing paid leave laws, while ensuring policies are accessible and center workers of color, workers and people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals and families, and other impacted communities;
• Engage in legal research, writing, and technical assistance on paid leave proposals, including memoranda, testimony (written and oral), and other supporting legal and policy documents;
• Lead efforts to implement new paid leave protections through rulemaking and help to defend laws challenged in court through amicus briefs and/or technical assistance;
• Build and support strong relationships with state and federal coalition partners, agency officials overseeing implementation and enforcement, lawmakers, and other relevant stakeholders;
• Track and engage with new legal developments in designated states and localities related to paid family and medical leave and paid sick time, including legislative and regulatory trends;
• Engage in supervision (the position currently involves supervising one Staff Attorney), provide timely, positive, and constructive feedback to supervisees, legal fellows, and/or student interns, and support the ongoing professional and leadership development of more junior staff;
• Support overall development efforts, including informing grant applications and reports; and
• Proactively surface communication opportunities and represent A Better Balance through media interviews, public events, and conferences.

Qualifications:

• 4+ years of legal experience.
• Bar admission required.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice, work/family law and policy, gender and women’s rights, civil rights, LGBTQ+ rights, or advocacy for low-income populations and ending racial, gender, health, and economic injustice.
• Superior written and oral communication, advocacy, legal research, and analytic skills.
• Self-motivated with demonstrated skills in problem solving, prioritizing, time management, and team building and collaboration.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and to provide high-quality work products in a timely manner.
• Supervisory experience (including remote supervision experience) preferred.
• Commitment to movement lawyering principles and experience working with grassroots organizations and impacted communities, particularly communities of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, or individuals with disabilities.
• Previous experience with policy or legislative advocacy, regulatory work, bill drafting, or working with government (federal, state, or local) is a plus.

Salary & Benefits (Full-time (prorated for part-time)): Based on the qualifications above, the salary for this position will be $102,533. ABB offers 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave with full wage replacement, accrued paid time off up to 19.5 days a year (or 26 days a year after 5 years with the organization), unlimited paid sick days per year, paid time off for 13 holidays, 3 paid personal days a year, and paid bereavement leave. ABB is also proud to use the same model inclusive family definition in our paid leave policies, so that employees can care for their closest loved ones in times of need, including chosen, adopted, foster, and extended family members. The organization offers pre-tax health, dental, and vision insurance, as well as access to pre-tax retirement contributions (with retirement matching beginning in September 2024). ABB also provides reimbursement towards certain professional fees, as well as stipends and reimbursement for home office expenses. Given the organizational mission, ABB is committed to encouraging a healthy work/life balance for all employees.

How to Apply:

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis (we hope to fill this position as soon as possible).

To apply, please email the following documents (combined in one attachment) with the subject line “2024 Senior Staff Attorney – [First Name Last Name]” to: [email protected].

• a resume including relevant experience – note, this need not only be paid work;
• tailored letter of interest, including your connection to ABB’s work; and
• a short legal writing sample showing legal analysis, including applying facts to the law

A Better Balance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and we have an unwavering commitment to diversity with the aim that everyone on staff has a full sense of belonging within our organization. Inclusion and diversity are fundamental to our culture and core values, which helps us better serve our clients and our communities. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, family status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, arrest or conviction, or any other factor protected by law.

A Better Balance is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all individuals protected by law, including workers with needs related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions; disabilities; religious observances or practices; or domestic violence. If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply for the position or if selected for an interview, please email [email protected].

About A Better Balance: A Better Balance is a national legal advocacy organization that uses the power of the law to advance justice for workers, so they can care for themselves and their loved ones without jeopardizing their economic security. Our expert legal team combats discrimination against pregnant workers and caregivers and advances supportive policies like paid sick time, paid family and medical leave, and fair and predictable scheduling. We remain steadfast in working to dismantle the intersectional forms of injustice that contribute to the structural inequality working families in this country face, including but not limited to, gender injustice, racial injustice, economic injustice, health injustice, and injustice against immigrants, LGTBQIA communities, and people with disabilities, and are seeking candidates who are committed to this work. Ensuring families of color have access to strong work-family policies—especially BIPOC women workers who are currently the least likely to have access to these policies due to centuries of institutionalized sexism and racism, systemic barriers to economic mobility, and pervasive discrimination—is a core principle of ABB’s work.

A Better Balance has fought for and won: new paid leave laws and policies in states and localities around the country; important pregnancy, caregiving and breastfeeding rights at the federal, state and local levels, including passage of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act; inclusive protections for all families, including LGBTQ families; and victories on other economic justice issues throughout the country. Our advocacy work and legal efforts have gained national recognition in dozens of outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

Learn more about ABB by visiting www.abetterbalance.org.

Job Title: Development Manager

Position Description: The Development Manager helps A Better Balance raise funds that support our work, mission and values. The primary role of this position is to help manage and expand A Better Balance’s active portfolio of institutional donors by preparing grant applications, reports, and prospect research. The Development Manager will also be responsible for maintaining and cultivating—in collaboration with other ABB staff—our base of individual and major donors. This position requires exceptional writing and project management skills, ability to learn quickly on the job, and strong interpersonal skills for working with funders, legal staff, and board members. The Development Manager should possess the ability to manage projects independently, set priorities, and take initiative as well as work as part of a cohesive development team. This position reports to the Chief Operating Officer (working closely with Co-VPs) of the organization.

The position will be based in New York City, where A Better Balance is headquartered, although at this time the Development Manager will primarily work from home. The position will entail attending occasional in-person meetings and travel.

Responsibilities:

• Lead timely submission of well-researched and well-written grant applications and reports, including writing, editing, proofing, incorporating feedback, and preparing supporting documentation (such as budgets) in collaboration with other staff.
• Manage, monitor, and ensure tracking of all ABB grants and prospective grants.
  • Responsible for ensuring compliance with all current grant requirements, including all reporting requirements. 
  • Responsible for completion by specific deadlines of all required reports and applications. Provide staff and Board members with sufficient time to provide needed materials for reports and applications. 
• Manage institutional prospect research to support ABB’s wide array of funding needs and develop creative funder outreach strategies. Provide guidance on best ways to market and approach funders.
  • Lead thorough research to identify grants that align with ABB’s mission.
• Manage individual and major donor databases, including donor tracking and cultivation.
  • Lead thorough research on ABB’s major and potential major donors, identifying key interests, tracking points of contact, and coming up with creative ways of engaging donors.
  • Lead work to ensure all gifts are properly acknowledged and tracked
• Support Communications staff on drafting of other materials related to development work including: newsletters, invitations, outreach materials, etc.
• Support execution of ABB’s End of Year campaign. Responsibilities involve drafting written materials, personalization and creation of materials for major donors, supporting Board and senior staff on outreach to donors, etc.
• Support execution of all special events, including galas, funder briefings, screenings, etc. Responsibilities may include creation of materials (invites, one pagers, etc.), donor research, donor outreach and follow up, design and flow of event, etc.
• Participate in staff meetings and contribute to the overall growth and learning of the organization.
• Work on other special projects to help diversify and expand the organization’s support as time allows.

Qualifications:

• 3-5 years of grant writing and development experience.
• Exceptional attention to detail and command of the English language (grammar, formatting, etc.).
• Ability to synthesize and learn information quickly
• Strong research skills, preferably with funders, using tools such as the Foundation Directory Online.
• Strong time management; ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to work both independently and with others— “can do!” attitude.
• Outstanding interpersonal communication skills; ability to communicate the mission and values of the organization to prospective funders in a variety of formats.
• Enthusiastic commitment to the goals and values of the organization.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Salary & Benefits: Based on the qualifications above, the salary range for this position will be $80,000. ABB offers 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave with full wage replacement, accrued paid time off up to 19.5 days a year (or 26 days a year after 5 years with the organization), unlimited paid sick days per year, paid time off for 13 holidays, 3 paid personal days a year, and paid bereavement leave. ABB is also proud to use the same model inclusive family definition in our paid leave policies, so that employees can care for their closest loved ones in times of need, including chosen, adopted, foster, and extended family members. They offer pre-tax health, dental, and vision insurance, as well as access to pre-tax retirement contributions. ABB also provides reimbursement towards certain professional fees, as well as stipends and reimbursement for home office expenses. Given the organizational mission, ABB is committed to encouraging a healthy work/life balance for all employees.

DEI statement: A Better Balance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and we have an unwavering commitment to diversity with the aim that everyone on staff has a full sense of belonging within our organization. Inclusion and diversity are fundamental to our culture and core values, which helps us better serve our clients and our communities. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, family status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, arrest or conviction, or any other factor protected by law.

A Better Balance is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all  individuals protected by law, including workers with needs related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions; disabilities; religious observances or practices; or domestic violence. If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply for the position, please e-mail [email protected].  If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.