DEPUTY DIRECTOR AT SPIRIT OF JUSTICE in New York, New York at Axis Talent Partners

NOTE: We encourage applicants to submit by Sept 30 for priority consideration. While the application process will remain open on a rolling basis, candidates who apply by this date are most likely to be included in the first round of reviews by the Search Committee.

SOJ is building a spiritual home for those who dare to dream of a more just and loving world — a beloved community where people from all backgrounds can deepen their inner lives, strengthen collective purpose, and transform themselves as they work to transform the world. SOJ was founded by acclaimed civil rights lawyer, legal scholar, and author Michelle Alexander, and is co-founded by Nyle Fort, a gifted minister, organizer, and scholar based at Columbia University; the organization is fiscally sponsored by Union Theological Seminary.

At this pivotal moment in our nation and world, our movements cannot sustain themselves on strategy and resources alone; they require moral vision, courage, and deep reservoirs of love and resilience. SOJ aims to create the spiritually-grounded communal spaces our movements desperately need now – places where people can process fear and grief, cultivate courage and hope, develop moral clarity and sustain themselves for the long haul. As a radically inclusive, non-dogmatic beloved community SOJ is particularly committed to building community with the most vulnerable, including those who are queer and transgender people, from poor and working-class backgrounds, Black and Brown, people with disabilities, immigrants, as well as people who are currently and formerly incarcerated.

This is not a wellness program. SOJ is co-creating a spiritual home rooted in a living tradition of revolutionary love that can be studied, practiced and carried forward, ultimately blossoming into a national network of beloved communities capable of defeating authoritarianism and rising to the challenges of our times.

SOJ’s work rests on three core pillars that provide the home’s foundation: 1) Storytelling, including a podcast hosted by Michelle Alexander that explores the spiritual lives of people committed to justice and liberation; 2) Sanctuary, creating spaces for communities to engage in collective spiritual practice, fellowship and service, anchored by monthly and eventually weekly services, pods, movement chaplaincy and spiritual care, and a digital resource hub; and 3) Seminary, including the development of a curriculum which anchors both political education and spiritual formation in the long lineage of revolutionary love. Together, these pillars lay the foundation for the co-creation of beloved communities nationwide, a spiritual home shaped with care and intention by the very communities SOJ seeks to serve.

The Deputy Director is a foundational organizational leader and strategic partner to the Executive Director. The person will build and steward the financial systems, operational structures, fundraising capacity and internal practices that will carry Spirit of Justice from a fiscally sponsored project toward a durable, independent institution, capable of holding this vision for the long haul.

• Serve in an essential internal leadership role that spans chief of staff-like support: leading and organizing internal meetings, organizational goal stewardship, prioritization and project management, and management of internal data, information, and resources.

• Fundamentally, keep organizational trains running by leading the development, operations, finance, and (initially) HR/people-culture and communications functions.

• Help lead fundraising sustainability strategy, prospecting, cultivation, and grant strategy, with infrastructure handed off to a director of development by year 3.

• Design SOJ-specific People & Culture infrastructure: employee handbook, performance-review process, and restorative conflict resolution practices.

• Manage the fiscal-sponsorship relationship with Union and help prepare SOJ for an eventual 501(c)(3) spin-off.

• Oversee how the org chart evolves as SOJ grows, and function as the connective “circuit board” across the organization.

• SOJ meets its yearly benchmarks and operates efficiently and harmoniously, with core values living clearly in the internal culture.

• Growth and internal infrastructure are intentionally paced so one does not outrun the other.

• The Executive Director experiences strong support and counsel holding the ‘whole’ of the organization.

• Essential operational, fundraising, governance, and people systems are up and running.

• Experience holding the full breadth of organizational functions; broad experience across operations, finance, HR/people-culture (including managing people & teams), and fundraising. Prior experience as an Executive Director, Deputy Director, COO, or Chief of Staff may be helpful.

• Genuine, deep belief in mission and alignment with shared working commitments.

• Practiced in integrating values into organizational structures, behaviors and decision making.

• Outstanding meeting facilitator and thought partner/advisor to executives.

• Experienced in or energized by building systems from scratch in a young, evolving organization.

• Genuine comfort with ambiguity that comes with early stage organizations.

• Exceptionally detail-oriented and organized; able to support collective & individual prioritization and ensure deadlines and timelines are realized.

Budgeted salary: $190,000

Location: Generally hybrid in the first year, though must be able to commute to New York City for various events and in-person meetings. A future office location is planned at Union Theological Seminary at 3041 Broadway, New York, NY

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Typical Interview Process

We believe a thoughtful process is part of how we build trust with candidates; here's what to expect along the way:

• Competency-Based Screen with Axis Talent Partners — A conversation with our search team to explore your experience, working style, and alignment with the role's core competencies.
• Virtual Interview with the Search Committee/Hiring Team — A deeper competency-based conversation with the people closest to the role, who bring added context and evaluative depth on what success looks like day to day.
• 1–2 Final Interviews with Cross-Functional Partners, Team Members, and/or the Hiring Manager (Virtual or In-Person, Depending on the Role) — Time to understand the role's day-to-day context, align on expectations, and confirm mutual direction.