Positively Partners

National Black Lawyers Top 100; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 190,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Public Rights Project is seeking a strategic Deputy Chief of Programs to serve as a senior leader across the Civil Rights Hub, Litigation Team, and Election Protection Hub. The role reports to the Chief Program Officer and requires deep civil rights litigation credibility and strong operational judgment.

The Deputy Chief of Programs will review and elevate legal work, mentor staff, manage risk, and drive cross-functional initiatives to improve program quality and coordination.

Qualifications

• J.D. and active bar membership.
• 10+ years of public interest law experience, including substantial impact civil litigation.
• Deep expertise in civil rights law and justice.
• Excellent legal writing, analysis, and strategic judgment.
• Demonstrated ability to review and improve the work of other attorneys or legal staff.
• Strong project management skills across multiple workstreams.
• Ability to operate strategically and tactically with sound judgment.
• Strong communication and relationship-building across teams and functions.
• Experience supporting senior leadership and managing up.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior strategic partner to the Chief Program Officer on priorities.
• Provide oversight across PRP’s Civil Rights Hub, Litigation Team, and Election Protection Hub.
• Drive alignment, communication, and effective decision-making across multiple workstreams.
• Lead or support high-priority cross-functional initiatives to strengthen program effectiveness.

Skills

Legal writing

Strategic judgment

Leadership

Project management

Communication

Education

J.D. and active bar membership

10+ years public interest law experience

Job description

Public Rights Project
Location: Fully remote
Status: Full-time, exempt
Salary: $190,000–$225,000
Start Date: Expected late Fall 2026
Travel: Occasional travel several times per year

About Public Rights Project

Public Rights Project is a public interest legal nonprofit that helps local government officials fight for civil rights. We work with government leaders, advocates, and community partners to protect and advance civil rights at the local level, with a focus on building the capacity of state and local governments to serve as a force for equity and justice.

Founded in Oakland, California, PRP has litigated more than 100 cases, trained 131 prosecutors and government lawyers across 24 states, and built a network of 670+ government offices, elected officials, and community-based organizations in 43 states. Our work spans issues including voting rights, immigrant rights, workers’ rights, environmental justice, reproductive rights, and economic justice.

The Opportunity

Public Rights Project is seeking a strategic, experienced, and highly collaborative Deputy Chief of Programs to serve as a senior leader within our programs function. This is a newly created role reporting to the Chief Program Officer and designed for a seasoned public interest lawyer who brings both deep civil rights litigation credibility and exceptional operational judgment.

The Deputy Chief of Programs will be a strategic partner to the Chief Program Officer and a senior legal and program operator across PRP’s programmatic portfolio, including the Civil Rights Hub, Litigation Team, and Election Protection Hub. This leader will help strengthen the quality, coordination, and effectiveness of PRP’s legal and programmatic work across teams.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of legal strategy, program leadership, and internal systems-building. The Deputy Chief of Programs will review and elevate legal work product, spot risks and gaps, strengthen knowledge management and legal compliance practices, and lead high-priority cross-functional initiatives. They will also serve as a trusted thought partner to senior leadership and a mentor to legal and program staff.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Program and Legal Leadership

• Serve as a senior strategic partner to the Chief Program Officer on programmatic, legal, and operational priorities.
• Provide senior-level oversight and coordination across PRP’s Civil Rights Hub, Litigation Team, and Election Protection Hub.
• Help drive alignment, communication, and effective decision-making across multiple legal and program workstreams.
• Lead or support high-priority cross-functional initiatives that strengthen program effectiveness, quality, and collaboration.

Legal Review and Quality Control

• Review, refine, and elevate major legal work product, including briefs, memos, litigation materials, strategic plans, and other substantive deliverables.
• Support high standards of legal analysis, writing, and strategic rigor across teams.
• Identify legal risks, inconsistencies, and gaps in work product, processes, or strategy, and recommend practical solutions.
• Contribute directly to select legal matters as needed.

Legal Operations, Compliance, and Knowledge Management

• Oversee and strengthen systems related to legal compliance, conflict checks, and multistate practice considerations.
• Help ensure PRP’s legal work is supported by sound internal protocols and risk management practices.
• Build and improve knowledge-management systems that support quality, consistency, and learning across teams.
• Monitor legal and policy developments relevant to PRP’s work and help translate them into internal guidance and action.

Leadership, Advising, and Collaboration

• Advise program directors, legal staff, and senior leaders on legal, strategic, and operational matters.
• Mentor staff and provide constructive feedback that strengthens individual and team performance.
• Build trust across teams and functions, helping create strong cross-functional communication and shared accountability.
• Support organizational change, implementation, and buy-in for new processes or initiatives.

External Representation

• Represent PRP in coalitions, conferences, meetings, and external partnerships as appropriate.
• Help strengthen PRP’s visibility and credibility with partners, government offices, and peer organizations.

Qualifications

Required

• J.D. and active bar membership.
• At least 10 years of public interest law experience, including substantial impact civil litigation experience.
• Deep expertise in civil rights law and a strong commitment to racial, economic, gender, and environmental justice.
• Excellent legal writing, analysis, and strategic judgment.
• Demonstrated ability to review and improve the work of other attorneys or legal staff.
• Strong project management skills, with experience managing multiple complex workstreams at once.
• Proven ability to operate strategically and tactically, balancing big-picture leadership with hands-on execution.
• Exceptional judgment, discretion, and ability to identify and navigate legal and organizational risk.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills across teams, functions, and perspectives.
• Experience supporting senior leadership and managing up effectively.

Preferred

• Management or supervisory experience.
• Experience across multiple civil rights issue areas, such as voting rights, workers’ rights, immigrant rights, reproductive rights, environmental justice, or consumer protection.
• Experience working with or supporting state or local government entities.
• Experience in legal compliance, legal operations, or knowledge management.

The Ideal Candidate

The strongest candidates will be senior public interest lawyers who combine legal excellence with organizational leadership. They will bring credibility as an impact litigator, along with the judgment, flexibility, and systems mindset needed to strengthen legal and program operations across a growing, multi-state organization.

They will be collaborative without being passive, hands-on without needing to own every matter directly, and strategic without losing sight of execution. They will be trusted by colleagues, effective across functions, and motivated by the opportunity to help PRP do its best and most impactful work.

Compensation and Benefits

This is a full-time, exempt, fully remote role with a salary range of $190,000–$225,000, depending on experience and qualifications. PRP also offers a competitive benefits package.