Labor Leadership Programs Associate, Labor Leadership Initiatives - NYC

Labor Leadership Programs Associate, Labor Leadership Initiatives - NYC

This position is located in New York, NY, within the ILR School at 570 Lexington Ave (or may be based remotely). The role requires significant travel for retreats and customized union programs.

The School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University has an immediate opening for a
** Labor Leadership Programs Associate – Senior Extension Associate / Extension Associate
** in the Labor Leadership Initiatives (LLI) within the NYC Extension/Outreach Division.

Our Team:

Over 20 years ago, Cornell ILR founded the New York State Union Leadership Institute (ULI), a powerful retreat‑based program offered in conjunction with the NY State AFL‑CIO. The yearly cohort supports union staff and leaders, helping them leverage increased power and reach the highest-level staff and elected positions. In 2013, a sister program, the National Labor Leadership Initiative (NLLI), was created for high‑level national leaders, followed by the Global Labor Leadership Initiative in partnership with the Solidarity Center.

Our programs also work directly with stakeholder organizations to bring curricula into individual unions and worker organizations. To date we have offered NLLI/ULI curricula to staff and leaders at multiple unions across the US.

We are a growing and dynamic team seeking people interested in building an innovative program with deep, meaningful impact on the labor movement.

What you will do:

This position supports two flagship leadership development programs: the New York State Union Leadership Institute and the Global Labor Leadership Institute. The associate will play a key role in all ULI retreats and anchor the GLLI program, liaising with partners, coordinating retreats, teaching current curriculum, and expanding offerings by researching and developing new modules. The associate will maintain relationships with key union leaders and provide tailored organizational and leadership development support to stakeholder organizations.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Participate on facilitation teams for ULI & GLLI;
• Coordinate and train facilitation teams, including orienting new facilitators to our methods and approach;
• Develop and deliver tailored organizational development offerings as needed by stakeholders, including strategic planning and staff/leader retreat facilitation;
• Build specialized and new organizational change curriculum for retreats and/or offer new programs leading organizational change in unions;
• Incorporate perspectives of multiple communities in new and existing offerings; work with consultants and staff to offer inclusion, belonging, and wellbeing programs;
• Play a strong role in other retreat series and participate in existing contracts;
• Develop and maintain program infrastructure, including fundraising, communications, and specialized program needs.

Senior Extension Associate / Extension Associate is an academic, full‑time, non‑tenure track, term position with an initial appointment through June 30, 2028. Reappointment is based on performance, funding, and work.

What we need:

• Master’s degree in a related field (industrial and labor relations, labor law, human resources, organizational behavior, economics, etc.);
• Minimum seven years of experience in the labor movement, as staff or elected leader in a union or worker organization; experience in multiple organizations preferred;
• Demonstrated practical experience applying organizational development to the labor movement—strategic planning, internal leadership development, external client work;
• Significant experience with adult education (union education program, adult education principles, adult learners);
• Demonstrated ability to design participatory curriculum;
• Professional leadership and network development at state, regional, national, or international levels in relevant networks;
• Ability to travel frequently for retreats and customized union programs;
• Experience modeling inclusion, belonging, and wellbeing values and programs.

You will be a top candidate with our preferred qualifications:

• Terminal degree in a related field preferred;
• Experience working with at least two of the…