Director - Health And Welfare

East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) is a non-profit legal services organization, the community-based clinical program for U.C. Berkeley Law School, and one of the Bay Area’s largest and most effective systems disrupters. With a dual service and teaching mission, EBCLC is a racial justice organization committed to building a culturally diverse workplace, centered on equity. With about 80 staff, 150 law students a year, and a nearly $10 million annual budget, EBCLC is the largest provider of free legal services in Alameda County, providing multimodal, collaborative, and holistic legal services to over 5,000 clients annually and engaging in legislative and policy advocacy at the state and local level.

The Opportunity

EBCLC is excited to recruit a Program Director to lead the Health and Welfare Program’s direct legal services work and policy advocacy focused on health equity and the social determinants of poor health outcomes that impact historically excluded and underserved communities in Alameda County. The Director will support a team of 5 advocates in providing holistic legal services to clients referred through several long-standing medical-legal and community partnerships. The Director will also collaborate with the team to develop and pursue policy initiatives aligned with the EBCLC’s Women of Color-Centered Platform . Under the supervision of EBCLC’s Co-Deputy Director, the Program Director supervises 3 Staff Attorneys, a Paralegal and a Program Coordinator, and helps train and supervise law students as part of EBCLC’s clinical program .

The Health & Welfare Program provides critical legal services to Alameda County residents who are at risk of poor health outcomes due to poverty, unsafe living conditions, homelessness, inadequate health care coverage, and other destabilizing social conditions. The program takes a holistic approach in helping clients obtain critical care and income, with a focus on appeals of denied or terminated disability and other public benefit programs, as well as post-entitlement public benefit appeals.

Primary Responsibilities

• Manage the Health and Welfare Program providing vision, planning, and implementation of the work within the context of EBCLC’s larger racial justice mission;

• Supervise a 5-person team providing support and direction on substantive work, professional development, performance evaluation, workload management, and wellness;

• Manage a smaller caseload of public benefits cases;

• Develop and support policy initiatives designed to address the social determinants of poor health outcomes and improve conditions for clients, particularly women of color;

• Engage in community outreach and education;

• Teach, supervise, and mentor law students enrolled in the Health and Welfare Clinic, including helping to design curriculum, providing highly interactive legal and skills training, and co-facilitating weekly individual and group supervision meetings;

• In collaboration with the team, provide technical assistance and support to Berkeley Law Student-Initiated Legal Projects (SLPS), such as the Name and Gender Change Workshop

• Participate in ongoing professional development to improve management skills, client services, and student supervision;

• Work with Executive Director, Deputy Director, and Development team to attract financial support for Health and Welfare, oversee grants management, and provide general administrative oversight;

• Serve on EBCLC’s management team, providing input and support for the broader organization;

• Serve as the primary contact with the community and media, including responding to press and service provider inquiries, making presentations to the public, community, and other professional groups, and overseeing staff to whom these tasks have been delegated; and

• Other tasks as assigned by the Deputy Director.

• JD required;

• Member of California Bar;

• Minimum 5 years of experience providing representation in public benefits cases; administrative hearing experience strongly preferred;

• Strong interest in law student supervision and clinical teaching;

• Demonstrated commitment to racial and disability justice, serving LGBTQ+ communities, and people living with HIV/AIDS

• Demonstrated inclusive leadership skills;

• Excellent time management, priority-setting, and organizational skills;

• Strong interpersonal skills, flexibility, and demonstrated ability to work well independently and as part of a team;

• Ability to provide supervision and guidance within a highly collaborative working environment;

• Excellent oral and written communication and advocacy skills; and

• Ability to partner and work effectively with a diverse range of people, including but not limited to clients, law students, service providers, medical partner staff, school staff, judges and other government employees, community partners, elected officials, and law school faculty.

Salary and Benefits

Starting salary for this exempt position is $102,000 – $113,000, based on law school graduation date, as dictated by the EBCLC salary scale.

Benefits include fully paid health insurance (medical, dental, and vision) for employees and their dependents, life and disability insurance, and generous paid leave (vacation, sick, and holidays); EBCLC also offers flexible spending accounts for qualified health, dependent care, and commute expenditures; and retirement options.

Workplace Expectations

EBCLC is a hybrid workplace. Please note that this position will require attendance at in-person meetings and/or engagement in in-person fieldwork. Your supervisor will review EBCLC’s Office Use Protocol with you, which outlines the safety protocols employees are expected to follow when using the office.

Working at EBCLC

EBCLC is a unionized workplace and members of the bargaining unit are represented by the Engineers and Scientists of California Local 20, IFPTE. This position is part of the bargaining unit. EBCLC is strongly committed to advancing justice through education and advocacy, and the need to transform legal services and legal education. Please take time to review EBCLC’s mission, vision, programs, and website, and ensure that your cover letter reflects how your background, experience, and expertise have prepared you to be successful in performing the responsibilities of the position.

Additionally, EBCLC is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity and providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients. To achieve this goal, EBCLC works actively to improve our office climate, systems and structures, communications, and community engagement to create an inclusive and respectful workplace where differences are acknowledged and valued. In your cover letter, please address how your personal background and experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural responsiveness and diversity amongst our staff.

We strongly encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. EBCLC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior contact with the criminal legal system, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Application Process

How To Apply

Qualified applicants can use the link below to submit an application.

https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Apply/1926639/East-Bay-Community-Law-Center/Director---Health-and-Welfare

A complete application must include a cover letter, resume, short writing sample, and names/contact information for three professional references. The position will remain open until filled. EBCLC will review applications and interview applicants on a rolling basis and will only review complete applications.