Interim Disability & Health Justice Program Director

Go Fractional; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 97,000 - 187,000; Full time

Job summary

Legal Aid at Work in California seeks an Interim Disability & Health Justice Program Director with a deep commitment to advancing disability justice and the rights of low-wage workers. The role blends litigation, policy advocacy, community education, and direct services, guiding a creative team of attorneys and staff.

The ideal candidate has extensive litigation experience in civil rights, a demonstrated commitment to movement lawyering, and the ability to work collaboratively across teams and

Qualifications

• 8+ years of litigation experience with demonstrated impact.
• 3+ years supervisory experience preferred.
• Experience with disability and civil rights issues.
• Willingness to travel within CA and nationally.
• Strong legal research, writing, and analytical skills.
• Commitment to movement lawyering and social justice.
• Ability to lead a small team and collaborate with partners.

Responsibilities

• Implement program strategy with the VP of Programs and Litigation, and Director of Litigation.
• Oversee the Program's litigation docket, including class actions and amicus work.
• Identify areas for collaboration across Program teams.
• Oversee collaborations with community partners.
• Manage program administration, including budget, projects, supervision, reporting.

Skills

Movement lawyering

Disability rights

Litigation

Collaboration

Strategic thinking

Racial equity focus

Diversity & inclusion

Travel readiness

Job description

SUMMARY

Legal Aid at Work seeks an Interim Disability & Health Justice Program (DHJP) Director with a deep commitment to advancing disability justice, combating ableism and advocating for the rights of low-income workers. The DHJP's practice is rooted in intersectional, impact, and enforcement driven work that spans litigation, policy advocacy, community education, and direct services. Our work is focused on:

• Defending and expanding protections for workers with disabilities
• Confronting the unequal health risks created by climate change and unsafe workplaces, especially impacting rural and agricultural workers
• Championing the rights of incarcerated workers and immigrant workers who are disproportionately vulnerable to exploitation
• Advancing a vision of justice that puts the voices and needs of workers with disabilities at the center

This is a unique opportunity for a civil rights attorney with significant litigation experience to lead a creative team. The ideal candidate will bring enthusiasm and proven commitment for systems-level impact in the disability rights, employment discrimination, and/or occupational health and safety space.

While experience in employment law is beneficial, broad legal experience across various civil rights and social justice issue areas is preferred. A demonstrated commitment to the principles of movement lawyering is essential.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Interim Program Director will work within and across teams to further the goals of the Program, with an emphasis on executing against the Program's strategy, managing the litigation docket, and overseeing a team of a Staff Attorney, a Senior Paralegal, a Fellow, and law clerks.

The Interim Program Director is responsible for:

• Implementing the strategy for the program in partnership with the VP of Programs and Litigation, the Director of Litigation, and the other legal staff on the team
• Overseeing the Program's litigation docket, including class actions, representative actions, individual actions, and amicus work and other advocacy efforts
• Identifying areas for collaboration across Program teams
• Overseeing the Program's collaborations with community partners
• Managing the Program administration, including preparing the program budget, coordinating program projects, supervising Program attorneys and staff, timekeeping, and assisting with the preparation of grant applications and reports

REQUIREMENTS

The full-time Interim Program Director will join our organization as soon as possible for a minimum of eight months. While not guaranteed, there is the possibility of extension for this temporary position pending organizational needs. Candidates must be active members of the California State Bar and be based in California.

Legal Aid at Work offers employees the flexibility to work primarily from home, contingent on business needs and professional responsibilities. Strong preference will be given to applicants with personal or professional experience working with impacted communities.

• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and civil rights work and movement lawyering
• Passion for Legal Aid at Work's mission of seeking justice for low-wage workers
• 8+ years of litigation experience; demonstrated track record bringing forth impact and class action litigation and a passion for doing so at LAAW
• A minimum of 3 years of supervisory experience strongly preferred
• Demonstrated track record setting and executing against programmatic strategies
• Experience working with people with disabilities (those who are neurodivergent, have mental health disabilities and/or sensory disabilities), people who are low-income, or incarcerated populations
• Experience with investigating, developing, and litigating civil rights cases (including discovery, motion practice, hearings, trials and/or appeals in state and federal court)
• Ability to lead and work collaboratively with a small team of attorneys and paralegals
• Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously, and prioritizing competing deadlines
• Willingness to develop projects on their own initiative
• Strong legal research, writing, and analytical skills
• Demonstrated experience thinking strategically about the role of a legal nonprofit in supporting grassroots organizing efforts
• Deep commitment to racial equity work and incorporating racial equity principles into legal advocacy
• Deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and the ability to hold and foster difficult and necessary conversations about race, color, disability, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other protected categories
• Ability to use tact and diplomacy when dealing with sensitive issues and to maintain confidentiality
• Strong interpersonal skills, initiative, leadership, and organizational abilities
• Ability travel as necessary within California and to other parts of the country for litigation, speaking events, meetings, and conferences

ADDITIONAL PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge of California employment law and court and/or administrative procedures
• Fluency in Spanish, Mandarin, Vietnamese or other languages commonly spoken by low-wage workers in California

COMPENSATION

Legal Aid at Work offers salaries that are competitive in the public interest law community. Benefits include health plans, long-term disability and life insurance, 403(b) retirement plan, and generous paid vacation and holidays. As a unionized organization, Legal Aid at Work believes in the importance of employees organizing to improve their working conditions. This position is included in the bargaining unit represented by ESC Local 20. Salary placement at hire and salary advancement will be in accordance with the negotiated salary scale in the union contract for this position. The current salary scale is $97,344 to $187,063, depending on years out of law school. A language bonus of $75 per pay period will also be applied for qualified candidates. This Program Director position will receive a pro-rated annual premium payment of $15,000.