Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha / Center for Workers United in the Struggle

Summary

CTUL is excited to welcome our next Executive Director and is seeking a highly collaborative and strategic leader with experience building worker power through organizing, leadership development, and transformative policy change. Join our talented team as we continue to build a movement to win racial, gender, and economic justice.

Location: Our office is located in Minneapolis, MN. Staff must be residents of MN. 

Compensation: The annual salary is up to $100,000 plus a generous benefits package.

About CTUL

Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha / Center for Workers United in the Struggle (CTUL) is Minnesota-based a worker center and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization where workers organize, educate, and empower each other to fight for a voice in their workplaces and in their communities. We partner with other organizations and leaders to build a movement to win racial, gender, and economic justice. We identify the root causes of injustice and work to shift the balance of power between those who have it and those who don’t to improve the lives of our communities for present and future generations. In 2025 we launched a sister 501c4 organization that we partner closely with in our work – CTULAF.

We believe in the power, brilliance, creativity, and strength of communities of color and of low-wage workers. By organizing together and relying on one another, we: 

• Win specific policies that improve the lives of low-wage workers; 
• Create worker-led enforcement mechanisms so that policies can have a meaningful, concrete, and long-term impact; and 
• Transform systems of exploitation towards interdependence and liberation. 

Since our founding in 2007, CTUL evolved a unique approach to organizing with the most vulnerable workers, and together with our community have evolved an effective set of strategies that are making powerful changes across the Twin Cities metro area. This work has improved the lives of thousands of workers by winning back over $7 million dollars in stolen wages and winning wage increases that, going forward, will bring $883 million dollars per year back into the poorest communities in the Twin Cities.

Our annual budget is $3.2 million and we have a talented team of 24 staff members and are governed by a Board of Directors who generously share their leadership and lived experience to help inform our strategic direction. CTUL works in close partnership with multiple groups and leaders whose work intersects with economic justice, including labor unions, policymakers, grassroots movement organizations, philanthropists, and others who share in our commitment to building worker power. Learn more about our work at: ctul.net.

Position Summary

In deep collaboration with our Board of Directors and staff, the Executive Director will create and lead a vision for the organization based on its mission, core organizing principles, and theory of change. They will oversee the administration and programs of the organization, ensuring the sound management and fiscal health of CTUL. They will serve as a leader in our field, representing CTUL across our partnerships and inspiring others to join us in realizing our vision for economic justice.

Responsibilities

Leadership, Governance, Organizational Development & Learning

• Operationalize and update as needed the organization-wide vision, ensuring that the organization has the plans, policies, and staffing in place to make progress towards our mission, both in the near-term and long-term. Ensure ongoing program excellence; develop evaluation methods and support ongoing learning and planning.
• Take a continuous learning approach to our field, tracking significant developments and trends in labor, using this knowledge to identify innovations and strengthen our strategies. 
• Provide direct supervision for the Executive Leadership team, which currently includes Organizing Director, Director of Campaign Strategy, Policy Director, Downtown Campaign Director, and Director of Finance and Operations, engaging with their expertise and talents to ensure that all work across the organization connects back to core values and strategic frameworks. 
• Regular check-ins with the Executive Assistant who provides dedicated administrative support to the Executive Director and to the organization.
• Support the Board of Directors, supporting recruitment and engagement efforts to ensure that CTUL has a strong and healthy governance structure. 
• Maintain a highly collaborative organizational culture that attracts, retains, and motivates a diverse staff team and supports workers and coalition members to succeed together.
• Work with management and the staff union to ensure that the collective bargaining agreement is correctly implemented and that the ongoing relationship with the staff union is positive and productive.

External Partnerships, Communications & Fundraising

• Ensure the development and implementation of fundraising and communications plans that are compelling and motivate others to be active and support CTUL and our campaigns.
• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with external partners including community groups, unions, nonprofit organizations, policymakers, funders, and other key strategic allies.
• Serve as CTUL’s executive spokesperson, representing the programs and point of view of the organization to coalition members, agencies, organizations, media, and the general public.

Finance and Administration

• Ensure sound organizational management across all functions, including finance, HR/people management, IT etc.—building and maintaining infrastructure as the organization grows–with an eye towards proactively mitigating risk. 
• Maintain the fiscal integrity of CTUL, partnering with the Board of Directors and the Finance Lead to ensure the annual budget is developed and approved, that the organization is operating within the approved budget, and that fiscal practices comply with generally accepted accounting principles.

Qualifications

• 10+ years experience in a field related to economic and racial justice (e.g. labor, immigrant rights, housing justice, climate justice etc.) with knowledge of labor and movement work. 
• Enthusiasm for CTUL’s mission and grounding in community organizing. Demonstrated commitment to building power with people of color. 
• Experience in developing and managing budgets, administration, and general operations in a nonprofit setting. 
• Strong team management skills. Establish and monitor staff performance and development goals, assign accountabilities, set objectives, establish priorities, and monitor and evaluate results. Be accountable for implementing best practices in organizational policies and procedures to ensure compliance, maximize efficiency and enhance staff experience.
• Understanding of the fundamentals of fundraising and experience with development work, either as a lead or as a contributor. 
• Deeply collaborative and experienced working across lines of difference to identify shared goals and move groups towards powerful outcomes. Ability to navigate conflict in a generative way that gets results and strengthens organizational culture and impact.
• Strong verbal and written communications skills with the ability to effectively communicate information and ideas across a wide variety of audiences (e.g. low-wage workers, elected officials, funders etc.) in a way that is accessible, clear, and compelling. 
• Possesses a strong and sophisticated political and social analysis, experience putting analysis into strategic action, including: 
  • Ability to navigate the complex intersections of racial, gender, and class and other dynamics of power.
  • Results-driven success engaging and including workers or constituents with meaningful participation and authentic influence in campaigns and the organization.
  • Ability to connect workers’ rights to a wide variety of issues and needs, while maintaining focus on CTUL’s mission.
  • Political expertise, ability to navigate politics within the government and in our community.
  • Ability to lead the organization to create a bold long-term strategic vision that pushes the boundaries of what is possible, while also effectively measuring internal capacity.
• Language: Fluency in English is required. Ability to speak and write in Spanish is preferred, but not required.
• Lived experience as a low-wage worker is welcomed, but not required.

Compensation & Working Conditions

• This is a FTE position with an annual salary of up to $100,000 and a generous benefits package, which includes: 
  • 90% employer-paid medical plan for you and your immediate family (exceptional plan: Platinum-level Blue Cross)
  • 100% employer-paid vision, life, and dental insurance
  • Yearly additional compensation of 5% of your annual salary, which you can elect to either be contributed to you as a bonus or to a retirement plan 
  • Unlimited sick days; 3 weeks paid vacation starting and 4 weeks vacation after the first 3 years; 19 paid organizational holidays including 3 floating holidays and recuperation time. 
  • $65.00 monthly phone/internet stipend to support any home office costs
  • Significant support for professional development ($20K fund earmarked for Executive Director for coaching, trainings, leadership development programs, etc.)
• The ED will work from the CTUL office in Minneapolis most of the time, with flexibility for some work from home, as well as some travel for meetings within the Twin Cities metro area and nationally for conferences and fundraising.

How to Apply

Submit a resume and cover letter to [email protected] using the subject line “CTUL Executive Director.” Position open until filled.

CTUL is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from people of color as well as persons with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals, women, immigrants, folks from working class backgrounds, and formerly incarcerated people.