Executive Director

Lift Louisiana seeks a bold, relational, and visionary Executive Director to lead the organization into its next chapter of reproductive justice advocacy, organizing, policy innovation, and movement-building in Louisiana. The Executive Director will provide strategic, operational, financial, and cultural leadership for the organization grounded in care, connection, and accountability. Please read our Vision for Leadership to learn more about the ideal new leader for Lift Louisiana.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Organizational Vision and Strategic Leadership

• Uphold a broad human rights framework grounded in the belief that all people deserve freedom, dignity, love, acceptance, and bodily autonomy.
• Lead reproductive rights and reproductive justice policy strategy rooted in anti-racist praxis, community power, and Louisiana’s legal, political, and cultural realities.
• Develop a statewide strategy that expands Lift’s reach beyond the New Orleans–Baton Rouge corridor and reflects the organization’s investment in communities across Louisiana.
• Lead organizational strategic planning, translating Lift's vision into measurable goals, evaluation systems, accountability structures, and sustainable organizational growth aligned with the organization's mission, values, and political commitments.

People, Culture, and Organizational Management

• Foster a workplace culture grounded in care, supportive accountability, and generative conflict engagement by creating structures for cross-team communication, shared decision-making, and collaboration, ensuring staff have meaningful opportunities to shape organizational priorities and are supported through clear expectations, guidance, and shared learning.
• Lead organizational hiring, onboarding, coaching, evaluation, and professional and leadership development processes in consultation with fiscal sponsor advisor and human resources staff.
• Bring strong administrative management skills with the day-to-day systems, processes, and operational details required to run an organization well.

Policy, Advocacy, and Movement Leadership

• Cultivate Lift's role as a convener and leader in the Louisiana policy movement landscape and as a trusted national resource on reproductive freedom with deep expertise in Louisiana's legal, political, and cultural landscape.
• Develop legislative and policy strategies that advance reproductive freedom, assess political opportunities, and support effective advocacy campaigns.
• Build and sustain relationships with community organizations, coalition partners, healthcare providers, organizers, advocates, policymakers, funders, and movement leaders locally and nationally.
• Support deep canvassing, public education, narrative change, storytelling, and community engagement as core strategies for building power and advancing policy change.

Fundraising and Resource Development

• In partnership with Development Staff, lead organizational fundraising and resource development efforts, including cultivation of institutional funders, major donors, grant development, donor communications, and long-term revenue strategy.
• Cultivate relationships with institutional funders, major donors, high-net-worth individuals, and new philanthropic partners in Louisiana and nationally.
• Identify and pursue new opportunities for investment in reproductive justice, policy advocacy, civic engagement, and long-term power building.

Financial and Operational Stewardship

• Provide oversight of organizational budgeting, financial planning, and fiscal management in partnership with the fiscal sponsor and Advisory Board.
• Ensure strong operational systems, policies, administrative procedures, and risk management practices.
• Oversee organizational compliance, contracts, reporting requirements, and financial accountability.
• Monitor organizational performance and operational effectiveness to ensure successful implementation of programs and strategic priorities.
• Ensure organizational records, personnel information, donor data, and other sensitive information are maintained securely and confidentially.

Communications and External Relations

• Serve as a public representative of Lift Louisiana and maintain credibility with media, coalition partners, funders, lawmakers, and community stakeholders with courage and analysis rooted in the realities of life in Louisiana.
• Support strategic communications and narrative change efforts that elevate reproductive justice narratives, strengthen advocacy and engagement, and motivate supporters to act.
• Strengthen Lift’s internal and external communications infrastructure so teams can collaborate across programs and speak with clarity, alignment, and shared purpose.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in nonprofit leadership, advocacy, organizing, movement-building, public policy, or related fields.
• Demonstrated commitment to reproductive justice, racial justice, LGBTQ+ liberation, and intersectional social justice work.
• Demonstrated commitment to integrating racial justice into organizational strategy, fundraising, programming, and management.
• Experience supervising and developing teams in collaborative and values-driven environments.
• Experience managing organizational budgets, operations, and administrative systems.
• Demonstrated experience with strategic planning, program evaluation, staff accountability systems, and organizational assessment.
• Demonstrated fundraising and donor cultivation experience.
• Strong understanding of Louisiana’s political, legal, and cultural landscape.
• Strong public policy, advocacy, organizing, or legislative strategy experience; law degree not required.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to navigate complex relationships and organizational dynamics – internally, locally, and nationally – with emotional intelligence and integrity.
• Demonstrated ability to lead collaboratively, building or strengthening internal systems for communication, decision-making, delegation, and accountability across teams, programs, and personalities.
• Willingness to travel frequently throughout Louisiana and occasionally nationally.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed, especially during Louisiana's legislative session, and as crisis communications arise.

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep personal or community ties to Louisiana, particularly South Louisiana.
• Knowledge of Louisiana’s cultural and religious landscape, including experience communicating with conservative Christian communities.
• Experience engaging communities across political, religious, cultural, geographic, and ideological differences.
• Experience working in reproductive justice, public health, civic engagement, organizing, or policy advocacy.
• Experience serving as a public spokesperson on reproductive rights, reproductive justice, public health, human rights, or related issues.
• Experience setting or approving legislative agendas.
• Experience with deep canvassing, public education, narrative change, or community-based organizing strategies.
• Experience leading organizations through growth, transition, and strategic planning processes.
• Existing relationships with funders, donors, movement partners, organizers, or policy leaders in Louisiana and/or nationally.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Executive Director will regularly interact with:

• Lift Louisiana staff, Advisory Board, and fiscal sponsor
• Community organizations, leaders, organizers, and coalition partners
• Funders and philanthropic partners
• Healthcare providers and advocates
• Members of the media
• State and National reproductive justice organizations
• Policymakers and government stakeholders