Civil Rights Hub Director

PRP has partnered with Risepoint for the search of this role; due to volume of applications received, we will be unable to respond to individual inquiries

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Public Rights Project (PRP) is a public interest legal nonprofit with an all-remote team based throughout the United States. Our mission is to help local government officials fight for civil rights.

Since its founding in 2017, PRP has litigated in more than 100 cases (either as a party or amicus), trained 131 prosecutors and government lawyers in 24 states, built a partner network of over 670 government offices, elected officials, and community-based organizations in 43 states, secured court victories on police accountability, abortion, immigrant, worker, and voting rights, and helped to recover over $46 million in relief for marginalized people. Learn more about our work.

PRP supports local government partners in the face of an onslaught of federal and state abuses of power. We provide direct representation, legal analysis, research, training, and community partnerships to help local governments develop strategies that protect their residents’ civil rights. 

JOB SUMMARY

The Civil Rights Hub Director will oversee the development of and lead PRP’s new Civil Rights Hub (“CRH”). This position will manage and run PRP’s efforts to develop the preeminent network of local governments committed to protecting and advancing civil rights in the country. 

The Director will build and manage the core CRH team, run a cross-cutting group of PRP staff involved in CRH activities, and oversee all CRH activities. These activities include: fulfilling requests for technical assistance, filing amicus briefs, engaging in outreach to government and non-government partners, providing space for government collaborators to connect, and, in combination with the Litigation Director, developing high-profile cases for litigation. This docket of legal services will relate to economic justice, including housing and workers rights, reproductive justice, and immigration rights. 

The CRH Director will work closely with the Chief Program Officer, the Litigation Director, and the Director of Organizing to identify and pursue opportunities for PRP to promote high-impact partnerships with state and local governments as well as partnerships with peer organizations engaged in civil rights advocacy. This position reports to the Chief Program Officer.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Launch the CRH and implement policies and systems to ensure that the CRH functions as a high-performing and collaborative multi-function team;  
• Hire, supervise, coach, and develop direct reports on the CRH team to high performance, including staff attorneys and a paralegal. The scope of the team is subject to change as needs shift;
• Develop and implement an organizing campaign to recruit up to 200 local officials to the CRH;  
• Oversee the tracking of progress to metrics for CRH in partnership with the Salesforce Platform Manager and the CRH paralegal;
• Provide timely updates on progress to goals for grant deliverables to PRP’s Development Team, and participate in funder briefings and meetings as needed; 
• Develop CRH marketing materials to recruit, engage, and sustain government and non-government partnerships; 
• Represent PRP and the CRH at third-party coalition, conferences, presentations, and other networking-building events, including events that require travel; 
• Represent PRP and the CRH in briefings and conversations with members of the media as necessary, in collaboration with our communications team;
• Oversee and review technical assistance matters and amicus briefs for the CRH;
• Provide input to and participate in training sessions relating to the CRH network;
• Coordinate a broad range of advocacy strategies that promote civil rights and the rule of law, alongside PRP’s government and community partners;
• Collaborate with PRP’s Chief Program Officer to oversee and manage the CRH’s budget, including tracking expenditures, forecasting needs, and ensuring alignment with organizational financial goals and grant requirements;
• Identify and potentially assist with litigation, amicus, regulatory, and other advocacy opportunities to defend state and local efforts to advance civil rights especially from threats by abusive state and federal action and third-party actors in coordination with the Chief Program Officer and the Litigation Director; and
• Assist PRP with other advocacy efforts as needed.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

• Law degree and bar membership in good standing in one or more states;
• At least 8 years of legal practice preferred;
• Prior experience with civil rights law and advocacy;
• Prior experience managing teams, including temporary team members, as part of a multi-functional effort; 
• Prior experience working in or with government officials or candidates for public office preferred; and
• Prior experience tracking metrics and deliverables as well as working in coalition with government and non-government partners. 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Substantial knowledge of constitutional and statutory law of immigrants’ rights, workers rights, reproductive rights, or other civil rights subjects;
• Excellent  analytical, legal research, and legal writing skills;
• Excellent communication skills, both in writing and orally; 
• Excellent judgment about both legal issues and strategy;
• Creativity and a problem-solving mentality;
• Ability and eagerness to be flexible to account for unforeseen challenges and opportunities in a fast-paced and evolving legal and political environment;
• Ability to work well with diverse partners inside and outside of government;
• Ability to manage fast-moving and complex relationships with partners inside and outside of government;
• Willingness to travel regularly;
• Team player who can work with government partners, co-counsel, community-based organizations, and other advocates, as well as internal teams;
• Strong project management skills and ability to use electronic tools, such as Asana and Salesforce, to support the participation and contribution of other team members; 
• Commitment to building a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at PRP, and ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds;
• Demonstrated positive and respectful attitude, capacity to show presence, self-confidence, common sense, and good listening ability; and
• Belief in the power of state and local government to make positive change in the world.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIP

This position reports to the Chief Program Officer. This position will also work closely with the Director of PRP’s Litigation Team, the Director of PRP’s Election Protection Hub, members of the Litigation Team, and other Program Team staff.  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Requires sitting, talking, and listening for up to 8 hours per day. Certain situations may require lifting items up to 20 pounds. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Fully remote organization and team. This role requires travel several times a year to PRP events, case hearings, conferences or meetings. 

COMPENSATION

The determined salary range for this role is set between $135,000 - $170,000, exact salary will be based on candidate experience. For internal equity purposes, PRP will not negotiate with candidates outside of the role’s designated range.