Legal Navigator

Why work with YWCA Seattle King Snohomish?

 

YWCA SKS is the region's largest non-profit organization with a 120+ year legacy, focused on the needs of women, with programs serving 7,000 people each year. When you work with YWCA, you make a difference.

 

We're women and BIPOC-led, family-centered, and supportive of employees. As a full-time YWCA employee (30+ hours), you'll enjoy a benefits package including medical insurance, generous vacation, holiday, sick leave plans, and an outstanding retirement plan. Put your passion for racial equity and social justice to work - apply today!

The Legal Navigator works within the YWCA's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) WorkFirst Program alongside WorkFirst Employment Specialists and Instructors.  As a Legal Navigator, you will play a key role in empowerment of TANF WorkFirst participants by providing legal systems navigation, advocacy, and one-on-one legal coaching. You will equip TANF WorkFirst participants with the knowledge, language, and tools they need to navigate family law, criminal justice, and public benefit systems. 

Your Impact: In this role, you will deliver trauma-informed, advocacy-based legal navigation and counseling through a lens that recognizes the interplay of race, gender, and poverty on an interpersonal and structural level.

Expectations of your role:

• Conduct intakes with TANF WorkFirst clients to assess and determine legal needs.
• Support clients in navigating the civil and legal systems (i.e. family law, criminal justice, protection orders, public benefit systems)
• Personally accompany clients to court and/or clerk's office as needed.
• Provide legal and crisis intervention advocacy.
• Develop and maintain a resource library of legal assistance resources.
• Coordinate with Legal Literacy Instructor to develop legal education workshops.
• Develop and maintain relationships with legal community partners to ensure a coordinated approach to services.
• Maintain professional boundaries.
• Complete monthly and quarterly data and narrative reports on program performance.

Must have's to be successful:

• Strong orientation and familiarity toward legal advocacy, with experience navigating multiple systems (municipal court, superior court, legal systems, and law enforcement).
• Knowledge and sensitivity in working with survivors of gender-based violence incorporating trauma-informed approaches.
• Demonstrated understanding of the intersection of racism and poverty, specifically for African Americans and women of color.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex legal concepts in an understandable manner to individuals with varying levels of legal knowledge.
• Reliable transportation and ability to travel independently between multiple worksites. 
Preferred Qualifications
• Bachelors degree related to Criminal Justice, Criminology, or Law
• Previous work experience, certifications or completed training within the legal system, legal advocacy, trauma-informed care, and working with vulnerable populations.
• Ability to provide legal advice, guidance and advocacy with compassion and understanding.

Hours, Rate, and Benefits

• Hourly Rate/Salary $25.00, DOE
• Hours: 40 hours per week
• Excellent benefits package including medical insurance, retirement plan, plus generous vacation, holiday, and sick leave plans
• At the time of hire, employees may enroll voluntarily in the Fidelity 403b Plan
• After two years of employment, employees are eligible to participate in the YWCA Retirement Fund

Physical Requirements

• Continuously performs indoor work including sitting while operating a computer
• Continuously exchanges information through listening and talking with clients, agency staff, employers, representatives of community organizations, and other individuals in the community
• Frequently stands, walks, sits, and climbs in performing duties in the workspace and in the community
• Frequently reaches and grasps in using telephones, computers, fax machines, and other office equipment and supplies
• Occasionally lifts/carries 10 pounds or less
• Occasionally stands, squats, kneels, and bends while performing job duties


*Continuously = Over 80% of the time * Frequently = 20-80% * Occasionally = Under 20%

#LI-Hybrid

At YWCA, we recognize that lived expertise is a powerful asset. This refers to the insights, knowledge, and skills developed by those who have navigated systems and experienced inequity.

Valuing lived expertise helps build trust with program participants, develop culturally responsive programs, and break down barriers to equity. It enriches our collective understanding and enhances our ability to serve communities that are furthest from opportunity.

All new hires must be vaccinated in accordance with CDC guidelines before their first day of employment.

All employees of the YWCA interact with clients who have experienced or are experiencing trauma in various forms, including but not limited to, racial trauma, domestic violence, sexual violence, homelessness, unemployment, and financial hardship. As a result, employees are at risk of secondary trauma. We encourage employees to seek support inside and outside the workplace and maintain self-care routines.

YWCA Seattle King Snohomish is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  To read more about this, view the EEO is the Law Poster and this EEO is the Law Poster Supplement.

Contact us at careers@ywcaworks.org with any questions or if you need accommodation for your application.