Executive Director

Legal Aid of Western Missouri (LAWMO) seeks an Executive Director to lead the organization in its mission of improving the lives of people in need through quality legal assistance.  LAWMO provides critical legal counsel in the areas of domestic violence protection, access to public benefits, housing assistance, foreclosure prevention, consumer issues and more; our work provides access to justice, breaks the cycle of poverty, restores fairness and gets results.  Review some of our client stories here.

About the Position

The next Executive Director will lead a 125-member staff with six offices in Missouri – Kansas City (3), Joplin, St. Joseph and Warrensburg. The Executive Director will bring leadership, passion, vision, and significant legal and administrative experience. This individual will work with our dedicated staff and Board of Trustees to serve Legal Aid’s client community; to implement innovative strategies to meet changing legal needs of our clients and to expand funding sources. Learn more about our cases, projects and financial overview in our Legal Aid Annual Report.

This position is based in Legal Aid’s Central Office in Kansas City, ranked No. 6 on Kiplinger’s “50 Smart Places to Live” and among Forbes’ “Most Affordable U.S. Cities to buy a home.” More information on the Kansas City region is available here.

Salary commensurate with experience.

Responsibilities

• Top level administration of all Legal Aid programs and management of operations.
• Serves as the public face of Legal Aid; provides leadership in local, state and national civil legal aid forums; participates in administrative and private forums; engages with the local courts, community leaders and with the private bar.
• Increases and diversifies financial support through private fundraising initiatives; maintains and strengthens governmental funding and provides strong financial stewardship.
• Develops and cultivates relationships with individual and corporate donors, as well as grant makers.
• Leads Legal Aid advocacy and promotes teamwork among all Legal Aid programs, staff and services.
• Leads and promotes collaboration with other civil legal services providers and human services organizations in the region and throughout the state. Thinks creatively about gaps in civil legal services and works with our talented staff to close those gaps.
• Serves as the liaison to the board of trustees; keeps the board apprised of all aspects of the organization’s work; and develops knowledge needed for effective stewardship of Legal Aid.
• Mentors and builds other leaders within the organization; actively promotes supervisorial training, improved communication, and the development of skills to address personnel and resource allocation issues.
• Deploys technological innovations that enable staff to work effectively and enable the public to access legal services.
• Hires and retains top quality staff.

Desirable Skills and Characteristics

• An understanding of the critical legal needs of low-income individuals.
• Ability to serve as a spokesperson to the media, legal community and other stakeholder audiences.
• Excellent emotional intelligence, including listening skills, delegation skills and empathy toward clients and staff.
• Technologically savvy and committed to the use of technology to improve and extend services.
• Success in specific fundraising avenues, including grants, corporate giving, individual giving and capital campaigns.