BronxWorks Legal Services - Early Intervention Team
BronxWorks works to break the cycle of poverty through a holistic approach that helps individuals and families move from crisis to self-sufficiency. A key part of this mission is BronxWorks Legal Services, which provides free legal assistance for immigration, housing, and domestic violence matters.
The Early Intervention Team helps low-income tenants maintain housing stability by providing legal representation in eviction cases and assistance with public benefits and housing subsidies.
BronxWorks is seeking an experienced Program Director to lead the Early Intervention Team, oversee program operations and staff, and ensure high-quality legal representation and client services. The ideal candidate is passionate about social justice, knowledgeable in NYC housing law and benefits, and skilled in team leadership.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Oversee all aspects of program development, operation, and quality for the Early Intervention Team.
- Directly supervise a supervising attorney and Intake Paralegal, providing appropriate and timely training, coaching, mentoring, regular supervision, evaluation, and feedback.
- Ensure high standards of legal representation and client service, implementing processes and structures to ensure competent legal representations and effective supervision of all aspects of legal representations. Monitor and oversee appropriate allocation of caseloads among teams and attorneys. Ensure required program deliverables are met.
- Oversee the development and maintenance of practice guidance and templates, staff training, and ongoing professional development.
- Responsible for recruiting, hiring, and training qualified personnel in alignment with program budgets and grant requirements.
- Ensure the program operates in compliance with applicable contractual, legal, and ethical requirements.
- Secure and manage appropriate resources including software, research tools, supplies, and equipment.
- Develop and implement policies and procedures for best practices and service quality.
- Manage the program's budget, ensuring sound fiscal management.
- Identify and oversee efforts to secure appropriate new funding opportunities to support and grow the legal services portfolio's operations and scope.
- Develop metrics, reports, and dashboards to evaluate and communicate program performance against contract deliverables. Timely submit all required grant reporting.
- Represent the Early Intervention Program and organization with funding agencies, provider networks and coalitions, and internal leadership groups.
- Build relationships with BronxWorks programs, community organizations, advocates, government agencies, elected officials, provider networks, and the courts. Attend meetings and participate in networks and coalitions to promote organizational, program, and client interests.
- Ensure Early Intervention personnel effectively collaborate with other BronxWorks programs and external resources to comprehensively address client needs.
- May maintain a very reduced client caseload, as may be appropriate and needed due to case complexity, legal importance, staffing vacancies, or other factors.
- Oversee creation of program materials, such as reports, proposals, website content, annual impact report, social media, and similar content.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Admission to the New York State Bar in good standing or eligible for admission through reciprocity.
- A minimum of 5-7 years of progressively responsible practice experience as an admitted attorney, including at least 5 years of experience supervising attorneys performing legal representations.
- Significant litigation experience representing tenants in eviction proceedings. Comprehensive knowledge of NYC housing law and related government benefits.
- Experience managing relationships with funders and program budgets. Experience as the manager accountable for ensuring program(s) or team(s) accomplish grant or contract deliverables.
- Demonstrated commitment to social justice and working in low-income communities and communities of color to advance equity.
- Ability to effectively communicate with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
- Excellent legal research, oral and written advocacy, analytical, communication, and litigation skills.
- Strong leadership skills and a commitment to supporting, training, and mentoring staff.
- Sound judgment, strategic, and driven towards continuous practice improvements and program development.
- Experience writing narrative reports and reporting on program metrics.
- Proficiency in computer skills for database tracking, report preparation, communication, and administrative tasks.
- Strong time-management and organizational skills.
- Ability to work well independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary setting.
Preferred Qualifications
- Fluency or proficiency in either Spanish or another relevant language in addition to English.
- Experience as a supervising attorney or director in a NYC Universal Access to Counsel Program or other relevant NYC-based public interest housing legal services program
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Ability to use a computer for prolonged periods.
- Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
- Ability to stand, walk, or sit for long periods of time.
- Ability to climb five flights of stairs, if required to conduct home visits and/or fieldwork.
- Ability to bend and retrieve objects and/or documents.
- Ability to travel in the boroughs of New York City and its adjacent counties via public transportation.
- Ability to travel for a minimum of 1 mile within a reasonable amount of time and in all types of weather, including inclement weather, if required to conduct home visits and/or field work.
