Assistant Managing Director

Defender Association of Philadelphia; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

25 days PTO annually

Wellness initiatives

10 weeks paid parental leave

Retirement plan with employer match

Commuter benefits

Job summary

Defender Association of Philadelphia seeks an experienced leader to serve as Assistant Managing Director of the Child Advocacy Unit (CAU). You will guide daily operations, supervise staff, and champion trauma-informed, client-centered representation for youth in child welfare and dependency matters.

You will mentor attorneys, set strategic priorities, and collaborate with social workers to ensure high-quality advocacy while maintaining a manageable caseload and coordinating with appellate

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Admission to the Pennsylvania Bar, or eligibility for admission.
• At least 5 years of dependency or related child-welfare litigation experience, with excellent research, writing, negotiation, and courtroom advocacy skills.
• Strong knowledge of dependency law, child welfare law, and relevant state and federal legal frameworks.
• Demonstrated commitment to public defense, children’s rights, family integrity and racial justice, with experience applying anti-racist and trauma-informed approaches to representation and leadership.

Responsibilities

• Direct daily legal operations, managing case assignments, workflow distribution, and court coverage.
• Drive strategic unit priorities, using data and client feedback to inform resource allocation and reporting.
• Represent the unit to external stakeholders and serve as acting Managing Director when necessary.
• Mentor a diverse team, fostering a collaborative, accountable, and supportive workplace culture.
• Manage, evaluate, and coach Supervising Attorneys through regular case consultations and courtroom observations.
• Partner with recruitment and training directors to hire, onboard, and develop legal staff.
• Enforce standards for legal analysis, written advocacy, database management, and ethical representation.
• Advise on complex case strategy and collaborate with appellate counsel on legal developments.
• Maintain a limited caseload, co-counsel cases, and provide emergency court coverage.
• Champion trauma-informed representation that empowers youth voices and challenges systemic biases; collaborate with multidisciplinary teams.

Skills

Leadership

Operations

Staff supervision

Policy & advocacy

Equity & inclusion

Trauma-informed practice

Stakeholder collaboration

Mentoring

Public defense leadership

Legal strategy

Education

Juris Doctor degree

Bar admission – PA

5+ years of child-welfare litigation

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Attorneys Full Time Regular Main Office, Philadelphia, PA, US

Make a difference! Become a Defender!

The Defender Association of Philadelphia is seeking a experienced and deeply committed leader to serve as the Assistant Managing Director of the Child Advocacy Unit (CAU). The Assistant Managing Director is the Managing Director’s principal partner in leading a large and dynamic multidisciplinary department to ensure that children and young people in the child welfare and dependency systems receive high-quality, trauma-informed, client-centered legal representation. Our team of attorneys and social workers promotes and protects the legal and best interests of children from birth to twenty-one. This is an opportunity to champion the rights and futures of our most vulnerable clients.

What You’ll Do

Leadership & Operations

• Direct daily legal operations, managing case assignments, workflow distribution, and court coverage.
• Drive strategic unit priorities, utilizing data and client feedback to inform resource allocation and reporting.
• Represent the unit to external stakeholders and serve as acting Managing Director when necessary.
• Mentor a diverse team, fostering a collaborative, accountable, and supportive workplace culture.

Staff Supervision & Development

• Manage, evaluate, and coach Supervising Attorneys through regular case consultations and courtroom observations.
• Partner with recruitment and training directors to hire, onboard, and develop legal staff.
• Enforce rigorous standards for legal analysis, written advocacy, database management, and ethical representation.
• Advise on complex case strategy and collaborate with appellate counsel on legal developments.
• Maintain a limited caseload, co-counsel cases, and provide emergency court coverage.

Equitable & Multidisciplinary Advocacy

• Champion trauma-informed representation that empowers youth voices and challenges systemic biases (e.g., racism, poverty).
• Partner with Social Service Supervisors, peer advocates, and lived experts to ensure cohesive, multidisciplinary client support.

What You’ll Need

Required Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Admission to the Pennsylvania Bar, or eligibility for admission.
• At least 5 years of dependency or related child-welfare litigation experience, with excellent research, writing, negotiation, and courtroom advocacy skills.
• Strong knowledge of dependency law, child welfare law, and relevant state and federal legal frameworks.
• Demonstrated commitment to public defense, children’s rights, family integrity and racial justice, with experience applying anti-racist and trauma-informed approaches to representation and leadership.
• Ability to lead effectively in a complex, high-volume public defense environment.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive representation.
• Sound judgment, attention to detail, effective communication, and reliable follow-through; ability to build trust, manage competing priorities, and lead multidisciplinary work.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least 3 years of attorney supervisory or management experience.
• Multidisciplinary leadership experience.
• Experience with appellate, impact, policy, or systemic advocacy.
• Experience developing training programs or professional development initiatives.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Affordable medical care options plus employer paid vision, dental, life and long- term disability insurances
• Generous Time Off: 25 days of paid time off (PTO) annually, in addition to all federal holidays
• Wellness Initiatives: Dedicated, separate sick leave policy alongside organizational programming to support your physical and mental health
• Family Support: 10 weeks of paid parental leave
• Retirement:Generous retirement savings plan withEmployer Match
• Commuter Benefits: Free Septa All Access Key card
• PSLF: We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible employer
• Culture: Meaningful, mission-driven work within a supportive, learning-focused, and collaborative environment.

Who is the Defender Association?

The Defender Association of Philadelphia is more than just a law firm. We’re the community’s lawyers. The Defender team – more than 500 attorneys, social workers, investigators, administrators, and other staff – make sure that everyone, regardless of income, has access to high-quality defense when facing criminal charges. Our mission-driven, client-centered model focuses on outcomes that support a system that is fundamentally fair and creates safer, stronger communities. Follow us @PhilllyDefenders (Twitter, Instagram & TikTok) and on LinkedIn .

The Defender Association provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, the Defender Association complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.