WHO WE ARE: Founded in 1966, CRLA’s mission is to fight for justice and individual rights alongside the most exploited communities of our society. Through a network of regional offices and cross-cutting programs, CRLA provides legal services to over 42,000 low-income people annually. Our work impacts farm workers, individuals with disabilities, immigrant populations, LGBTQ+ communities, women, children and families in rural areas.
- Position: Program Coordinator – Community Equity Initiative
- Experience: 2+ years of Administrative, Grant Reporting and/or Communications role
- Application Deadline: Open until filled
- Location: Marysville, Modesto, Salinas, or Fresno, CA [Hybrid]
- Other: FLSA Non-Exempt, Non-Union Position, Full-Time (37.5hrs per work week)
The Community Equity Initiative (CEI) program covers a wide array of environmental justice issues ranging from access to services such as drinking water and broadband to the equitable distribution of resources and siting of hazardous land uses. CEI’s client communities are Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities (DUCs) that suffer the consequences of historic underinvestment and discriminatory policies.
The Community Equity Initiative works out of three CRLA offices: Modesto, Fresno and Salinas, and utilizes a community lawyering model that pairs an attorney and a community worker to address environmental justice issues in disadvantaged communities. The model calls for creative, innovative advocacy that uses a multi-pronged approach to address the issues and their systemic roots. Approaches such as community leadership development and advocacy around policies are as important to the work as traditional legal advocacy. In addition, CEI uses media as a tool to affect systemic change. This program relies on a wide range of funding, primarily grant funding.
The Program Coordinator would serve to assist the Legal Director in knitting together the three CEI offices, as well as facilitating collaboration with other CRLA programs and offices, conducting grant reporting and other funding-related activities, and working with the Legal Director, all three offices, and the CRLA media team to conduct long term strategic media campaigns to achieve systemic and case-related change and to work with the communities we represent to aid them in being effective spokespeople for the change they seek.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Media coordination:
- Working with staff and the CRLA media team, with input from clients, to create a cohesive media strategy that reflects our community-based model and that aids in achieving systemic change
- Ability to understand and summarize complex legal issues into media-friendly short statements.
- Developing relationships with media outlets
- Working with clients and staff (especially Community Workers) to develop messaging that represents the voice of our client communities and that supports those voices driving systemic change.
Monitoring Program Outcomes:
- Monitoring and tracking of program outcomes, including for grant reporting purposes
- Oversight or support of grant reporting needs, including compiling and analyzing data
- Monitoring and oversight of case management system, and particularly timekeeping entries, to ensure compliance with LSC and other funder requirements.
Coordination across the CEI program and between CEI and other programs:
- Coordination with other field offices or programs to ensure accurate, updated external referrals and internal case-transfer practices
- Work with CRLA Language Justice Initiative staff to coordinate language justice needs
- Aiding the Legal Director and ALS
- Working with Finance to order supplies and pay for necessary expenses for operations
- Other duties as assigned
Required Qualifications:
- Experience working with low-income communities and elevating their voices
- Ability to sympathize or empathize with the client community
- Ability to work independently and demonstrate initiative and leadership
- Good interpersonal skills and the ability to interact constructively
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
- Superior organizational skills, especially as demonstrated by the ability to meet deadlines
- Experience handling sensitive information and confidentiality.
- Demonstrated experience in tracking and monitoring program outcomes
- Computer and data analysis skills
- Experience using Microsoft Office Suite applications
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in a non-profit legal services environment.
- Spanish fluency or additional language ability relevant to the primary communities.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:
CRLA offers a diverse, family-friendly environment and compensation based on competitive public interest salaries; the expected hourly pay range for this position is $28.72- $40.00. CRLA provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what is reasonably expected to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, the program’s budget availability, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Generous benefits package includes 100% employer-covered medical, dental, vision, life, and short & long-term disability insurance for employees and up to 50% for dependents coverage; and 401K retirement plan with CRLA contribution effective immediately. Generous paid leave policy includes 15 days of sick leave, 15 holidays each year, and vacation (accrue 15 days for the first year of service and 20 days after one year of service at CRLA).
APPLICATION:
CRLA invites all applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how your unique background and/or experiences might contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and legal services practice.
CRLA requires that all employees are Fully Vaccinated, defined as a CDC-approved COVID vaccination and one booster shot. This offer is contingent on meeting this requirement. The complete vaccination policy, including the process for reasonable allowable accommodations, is available for your review upon request.
California Rural Legal Assistance thrives on our diversity, and we are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to building a culturally diverse workplace and strongly encourage women, persons of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, persons with disabilities, and persons from other underrepresented groups to apply.
