Executive Director

• Provide strategic leadership to advance CYDC's mission and ensure organizational stability and growth.
• Oversee operations including fiscal planning, budgeting, HR, and compliance.
• Lead fundraising efforts to cultivate and steward philanthropic and individual donor relationships.
• Serve as public spokesperson and advocate for youth justice reform in California.

This role will shape the future of youth justice in California by ensuring young people have access to skilled defense, community-based alternatives, and equitable opportunities, reducing incarceration and promoting healing.

• Significant senior or executive-level leadership experience in an organization of comparable size and complexity.
• Proven track record in fundraising, including major grants and individual donors.
• Deep expertise in youth justice, juvenile defense, or related policy and advocacy fields.
• Strong people management skills with experience building and mentoring high-performing teams.

Salary range: $140,000 to $160,000. Benefits include health insurance, 403b retirement plan with employer matching, eighteen paid holidays (including closure between Christmas and New Year’s Day), paid sick time, and four weeks of paid vacation.

The California Youth Defender Center (CYDC) is a nonprofit that trains defenders and advocates for policy reform to ensure equitable youth justice in California, focusing on holistic defense, community-based alternatives, and systemic change.