Deputy Director for Advocacy
LAJC is seeking an experienced attorney to serve as the Deputy Director for Advocacy. This position will provide leadership, strategic vision for, and supervision to LAJC’s ambitious programmatic impact work across all of our practice areas and strategies. Working alongside the Executive Director, the Deputy Director for Advocacy will help determine and execute LAJC’s strategic vision and work to advance LAJC’s ambitious agenda to achieve economic, racial, and social justice throughout the state.
LAJC’s programs use various tools to dismantle the systems that contribute to poverty in Virginia, including individual representation, organizing, policy advocacy, major litigation, and community education and technical assistance. The Deputy Director for Advocacy is expected to have enough familiarity with each tool to assist with each program’s development and execution of multi-faceted impact advocacy campaigns.
The Deputy Director is also expected to mentor and directly supervise senior advocacy staff; build relationships with directly impacted community members, members of the bench and bar, agency heads and elected officials; and work in coalition with other legal, non-profit and community-based advocacy organizations. LAJC also hosts the University of Virginia Law School’s Civil Rights Clinic, and depending on interest, experience, and staffing needs, the Deputy Director for Advocacy may work with other staff to provide supervision and instruction to clinic students. Finally, the Deputy Director for Advocacy serves as a thought leader for the organization and a key member of LAJC’s management team, which advises the Executive Director as she decides organizational priorities for all programmatic work and provides stewardship of organizational resources.
Required
Qualifications
- Minimum 7 years’ membership in any state bar; if not admitted in Virginia, must be eligible for admission to the Virginia Bar without examination
- Mission-aligned experience (work or lived) partnering with and advocating in low-wealth communities and communities of color
- Strong management skills and demonstrated ability to manage high-performing teams
- Ability to work and communicate effectively across lines of identity and difference
- Ability to effectively supervise across lines of identity and difference
- Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively
- Strong oral advocacy, research and writing skills
- Willingness to work a flexible schedule that may include evening and weekend events, as well as travel (primarily within Virginia)
Preferred
Qualifications
- Federal civil rights litigation experience
- Policy advocacy at the agency and legislative level
- Familiarity with organizing campaigns and/or community lawyering
- Prior advocacy experience (work or lived) using an explicit race equity lens
- Minimum 5 years’ prior supervisory experience (in official capacity as supervisor or substantially similar work without official title)
Location
Richmond, Charlottesville, or Falls Church, Virginia but statewide travel is necessary
Salary
Salary range is $90,000 to $115,000 based on experience and LAJC’s salary scale (upward cost-of-living adjustment is available for positions based in Falls Church).
Benefits
- Generous leave
- Excellent family health, dental and vision insurance
- 403(b) retirement plan & loan repayment assistance
- Personal professional development budget & paid bar dues
Application
Instructions
Email a cover letter, resume, three references, and a writing sample to Angela Ciolfi, Executive Director, at hiring@justice4all.org. The cover letter should highlight any experience (lived or worked) advocating for justice for people who experience marginalization because of their race or economic status and/or specialized skills, such as data analysis, technology skills, or language fluency.
Open until filled. Applications will start being reviewed immediately and on a rolling basis. Questions? Contact Angela Ciolfi at hiring@justice4all.org.
The Legal Aid Justice Center is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, experiences, and communities to apply. The Legal Aid Justice Center is committed to strengthening the voices of our low-income clients, working in collaboration with community partners, and rooting out the inequities that keep people in poverty. We strive to take on the issues that have broad impact on our client communities and to be responsive to client input. Recognizing the particular impact of racism on our clients and staff, we devote special attention to dismantling racial injustice. All applicants must be dedicated to working in and sustaining an environment that enables staff and clients to feel empowered, valued, respected, and safe. In reviewing applications, we look for evidence that applicants have experience and/or thoughtfulness in working with traditionally marginalized populations.