Director of Programs and Strategy

Organizational Summary

The Center for Survivor Agency and Justice (CSAJ) is a national organization fiercely committed to transforming how we support survivors of domestic and sexual violence by putting economic equity at the center of the conversation. Founded in 2006, CSAJ recognized early on that safety without economic security is incomplete. They challenge systemic barriers and outdated service models by centering survivors’ lived experiences and self-defined needs. Through powerful initiatives like Consumer Rights for Survivors, Survivors’ Access to Justice, and Racial & Economic Equity for Survivors, CSAJ helps advocates, attorneys, and organizations shift from short-term fixes to lasting, justice-centered solutions. Their vision is bold and deeply human: a world where every survivor has not only physical safety, but also the economic stability and dignity they deserve.

CSAJ’s Values

• We are collaborative, curious, and process-oriented professionals.
• We center survivors and approach our work with trauma-informed, empathic care.
• We build advocacy partnerships rooted in trust, especially across power and difference.
• We are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging—and believe in bringing our full selves and lived experiences to shape organizational culture.
• We are aligned with CSAJ’s commitment to gender, economic, and racial equity and justice, and value experience working with and/or coming from diverse communities while understanding the root causes of the conditions they face.

Position Summary

The Director of Programs & Strategy ensures CSAJ’s mission is fully realized by strengthening and evolving its programs, building staff and team capacity, and driving measurable impact. In collaboration with the Executive Director and project leads, the Director sets strategic priorities and guides the direction of programs, while ensuring alignment across initiatives. This role leads the development of internal systems for learning, evaluation, and impact measurement, and supports the organization through its next phase of growth.

Core Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across CSAJ’s programs and initiatives, ensuring alignment with the organization’s mission and impact goals.
• Guide and oversee project execution to support team effectiveness and deliver meaningful on-the-ground outcomes.
• Establish and reinforce programmatic direction by connecting long-term strategy to day-to-day implementation.
• Ensure consistency across theories of change, project plans, and logic models in collaboration with project leads.
• Supervise Project Managers and Coordinators, offering coaching, workflow support, and team-building guidance.
• Assess and address staffing needs and workflows to promote program consistency, capacity-building, and strong team culture.
• Build infrastructure for internal learning and leadership development across teams.
• Lead internal processes for quarterly and annual goal setting, program learning, and strategic evaluation.
• Oversee project reporting efforts, including government and private foundation reporting and re-application processes.
• Guide and support project leads in developing success metrics and refining capacity-building models for partners and stakeholders.
• Maintain and strengthen internal systems for tracking and communicating program impact.
• Represent CSAJ in external partnership building and national advocacy efforts, reinforcing CSAJ’s presence in the economic justice and gender-based violence space.
• Foster and sustain values-based partnerships with survivors, advocates, attorneys, advocacy organizations, and other collaborators.
• Expand and steward relationships with key stakeholders to deepen the reach and influence of CSAJ’s work.
• Identify and proactively address risks, such as disjointed program implementation, reduced internal learning, and missed opportunities for growth.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director to align fundraising, impact data, and program development for long-term sustainability.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in nonprofit program development and leadership.
• Background in economic justice, gender-based violence, racial justice, legal advocacy, community organizing, or related social justice fields.
• Hands-on experience in legal advocacy and systems-change efforts, as an attorney and/or as an advocate.
• Proven track record of supervising staff, building and growing teams, and managing change in dynamic environments.
• Prior experience working in a national or movement-based organization focused on gender-based violence, economic justice, or systems change.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong project management skills, including developing work plans, creating systems to track progress, and promoting organizational learning.
• Ability to translate strategic vision into actionable plans, while guiding and supporting others to do the same.
• Experience in using data and evaluation to guide both high-level strategy and day-to-day program development.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strategic partnerships and cultivate a network of collaborators.
• Excellent communicator, able to synthesize complex ideas and facilitate conversations across internal and external audiences.
• Adaptive and flexible, with a growth mindset and the ability to pivot in fast-moving or evolving environments.
• Strong understanding of program design and evaluation frameworks, including logic models and impact assessment tools.
• Skilled in aligning program outcomes with fundraising goals, including grant writing and funder relationship management.
• Demonstrated expertise in participatory research methods, particularly in collaboration with marginalized communities.
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional teams or multi-partner initiatives across different geographic regions or sectors.
• Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods, dashboard development, and logic model creation.
• Strong public speaking and writing skills with experience contributing to thought leadership through conference presentations, publications, or webinars.
• Proficiency in project management tools and platforms (e.g., Monday.com, Airtable, Asana).

Compensation & Benefits

CSAJ staff receive generous benefits, including 100% paid health, vision, and dental insurance, retirement benefits that include employer match contributions, long-term disability benefits, remote work, and a flexible leave policy.

• Salary Range: $83,000 - $93,000 annually, depending on experience.

Work Environment

This is full-time, 40 hours per week, salaried position. Hours are fixed within regular business hours (9am - 5pm or 10am - 6pm EST). CSAJ is a fully remote organization. CSAJ staff can work from anywhere in the US, with the expectation that work schedules are coordinated amongst teams.

Travel Requirements

Expected travel for meetings or conferences is 4 times at a minimum per year to support project and organizational goals.

CSAJ is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and do not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.