The Halifax Workers’ Action Centre is hiring a Co-Executive Director to join our leadership team.
This is a full-time senior role responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, strengthening internal systems, and supporting coordination across legal services, organizing, and education programs. The Co-Executive Director will work closely with the current Executive Director during a structured transition period, with the long-term goal of sharing and gradually taking over responsibilities towards a lone Executive Director position.
This role is being created in response to clear capacity limits at the executive level. As the organization has grown, the scope and complexity of work has expanded beyond what a part-time executive structure can reliably support. This position is intended to stabilize operations, improve internal coordination, and ensure continuity as the organization transitions into its next phase. The role is grant funded, and the contract offered is for a one-year term, with the potential for renewal subject to the success of applications for external funding sources.
About Us:
The Halifax WAC is a small non-profit organization that supports non-unionized workers facing challenges in the workplace. We are a partnership between union and non-union worker organizers, law students, and employment lawyers.
The goal of the Halifax WAC is to improve the lives and working conditions of people in low-wage and precarious employment. The centre provides information and education to enable workers to organize to promote, protect, and enhance their rights. This includes organizing workers within their workplace, as well as to fight for legislative changes to benefit working people across our province. We are currently the only legal information service in Nova Scotia that specializes in employment law.
About the Role:
The Co-Executive Director will focus on operational leadership and internal coordination across the organization. This includes:
- overseeing day-to-day organizational operations and workflows;
- supporting supervision and coordination of staff, students, and volunteers;
- strengthening and growing intake systems and legal servicing operations in collaboration with the Staff Lawyer;
- executing public campaigns, organizing drives, outreach, and public legal education initiatives;
- ensuring effective integration between legal services, organizing, and public education programs;
- improving internal systems, documentation, and accountability structures;
- supporting strategic planning and organizational development; and,
- working with the Executive Director on structured leadership transition and knowledge transfer.
This is a hands-on leadership role in a small, non-profit organization. It requires someone comfortable working across program areas and supporting both strategic direction and operational execution.
The salary includes 5 paid sick days, 3 weeks' vacation, along with annual time-off between December 24-January 1.
Transition and Leadership Structure:
The Halifax WAC is currently led by a part-time Executive Director. Under this model, the Co-Executive Director will initially be learning and auditing existing operational management and internal coordination systems, working closely with the current Executive Director.
A structured transition plan will be created in tandem and implemented over the course of several months, which includes:
- direct onboarding and training with the current Executive Director
- gradual transfer of operational responsibilities over time
- reduction of current Executive Director hours in line with successful transition milestones
- eventual redistribution of executive duties into a sole-leadership model
This approach is intended to ensure continuity, reduce organizational strain, and retain institutional knowledge during the transition to a full-time Executive Director role.
We are looking for someone who brings:
- experience in non-profit, community, labour, or social justice organizations
- strong operational and program management skills
- experience supervising staff, students, or volunteers
- experience in fundraising, grant writing, and donor management
- knowledge of the legal framework governing non-union work in Nova Scotia
- familiarity with Google Workspace, Microsoft Suite, and/or Nationbuilder
- experience with public communications, media/press management, and social media marketing for non-profit organizations
- ability to work across multiple programs or interdisciplinary teams
- comfort working in a small organization with developing systems
- strong judgement, accountability, and capacity to manage competing priorities
- alignment with worker-centred, anti-poverty, and social justice values
Experience in community legal clinics, labour organizations, trade unions, or worker advocacy settings is considered an asset.
Pay: $53,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
- Paid time off
Experience:
- non-profit or social justice organization: 3 years (required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Halifax, NS B3H 1Y6
