Community Navigator Manager - Illinois Metro-East region

COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR MANAGER for Illinois Metro-East region Communities Impacted by Incarceration

The Community Navigator (CN) Manager directs Illinois Legal Aid Online’s (ILAO) Community Navigator Program for communities in and around southern Illinois that are impacted by incarceration, with an initial focus on the East St. Louis/St. Clair County area. The Navigator Program promotes an asset-based approach to family stability and community welfare by recognizing the role, talent, and expertise of community members directly affected by incarceration.

The CN Manager will recruit, train, and support volunteer Community Navigators from communities impacted by incarceration in and around the target communities. These Navigators act as community educators and connectors by engaging with members of affected communities and conducting public educational “Know Your Rights” (KYR) presentations to provide access to and assistance with legal self-help information that helps people overcome barriers to work and other collateral consequences of incarceration, with the goals of strengthening and promoting community safety and prosperity.

The CN Manager will engage and partner with local community organizations to expand ILAO’s reach to communities in need of legal resources and to increase the capacity of local organizations to help the people they serve. The CN Manager will also assist community members with legal issues through the use of ILAO’s resources and tools. The Community Navigator Manager reports to ILAO’s Community Engagement Director.

People who have had interactions with the criminal justice system as defendants and meet the other qualifications are encouraged to apply.

What you’ll do:

• Recruit Community Navigators from the target communities;
• Assist in developing educational curriculum for Navigators;
• Plan, schedule, and conduct Community Navigator training sessions;
• Supervise Community Navigators and provide timely, constructive feedback; support Navigators remotely via email and web conferencing (and in person, when possible); participate in educational presentations as needed;
• Assist Community Navigators in scheduling and promoting “Know Your Rights” (KYR) presentations to meet their goals;
• Monitor and track Community Navigator activities, including contacts they make with community organizations and leaders;
• Use attendee surveys and observation to evaluate Community Navigators’ participation and performance in educational presentations;
• Identify and cultivate community organizations and leaders to be partners, including hosting and promoting KYR presentations;
• Train community partners on how to find and use the legal information resources and tools on IllinoisLegalAid.org to help their clients resolve their legal issues;
• Provide one-to-one assistance through legal information and referrals to community members to help them resolve their legal issues;
• Collaborate with ILAO’s content managers and technical team to ensure IllinoisLegalAid.org resources meet community needs;
• Work with the community engagement team to continually evaluate and improve ILAO’s community partnerships, outreach, and engagement activities;
• Meet periodically with the Community Engagement Director to report on program status;
• Participate in staff meetings and other organizational administrative meetings;
• Participate in organizational ARDEI activities; and
• Conduct other activities as assigned.

Core competencies

• Demonstrated leadership and motivational skills
• Strong public speaking and presentation skills
• Self-directed and self-motivated learner; able to work independently and remotely
• Superior technology skills, including fluency in using the Internet and proficiency in Google Apps
• Detail-oriented and highly organized
• Passion for the mission and vision of Illinois Legal Aid Online

Education/Experience

• Experience with communities and people impacted by incarceration (people who have had interactions with the criminal justice system as a defendant are encouraged to apply)
• Experience recruiting, training, and managing staff or volunteers
• Experience in community organizing, advocacy, or otherwise working with the public and offering responsive customer service
• Live in and willing and able to travel in and around southern Illinois, and possess a valid driver's license

To Apply:

Apply via this page. No recruiters and no snail mail, please. Must be authorized to work in the United States for any employer. Must be based in or around the Metro-East area.

Deadline to Apply: May 30, 2025

Start date: July 1, 2025

Salary: $46,000 - $51,000

Benefits: ILAO offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health and dental insurance, life insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance, health and dependent care flex spending account; 15 paid days off and 15 holidays in the first calendar year of employment; and, 403(b) retirement plan, to which ILAO contributes a required 1% of salary monthly. ILAO has a flexible workplace policy that supports remote work, wellness, and work-life balance.

About ILAO

At ILAO, we believe in justice. We believe the law is for everyone. We know, however, that not everyone is equal in the eyes of the legal system. Race and culture, language, education, location, time, disability, and income are enormous barriers to using the law to get justice.

For more than 20 years, Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) has simplified the law so that people can seek justice and resolve their problems, especially those from historically oppressed communities and groups. Through innovation, we make the law understandable and accessible.

We believe that, with the right knowledge and guidance, people can be their own best advocates. We mobilize people with plain-language, 24/7 tools - in three languages - so families can understand and assert their legal rights. ILAO helps people, who are unable to find or afford attorneys, overcome the barriers that keep them from getting justice.

Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) is open to all. Working with and helping people with a wide variety of lived experience brings us closer to meeting our ideal of a society where all people can get justice. Because our services and products—like the law—are for everyone, we believe in including everyone. We know that justice is scarcest for those who need it most. People with intersectionalities of historically oppressed identities face the greatest barriers to justice. ILAO seeks to break these barriers. ILAO believes that, equipped with the right tools, opportunities, and connections, people can shift the power differentials and use the law to get justice.

Inclusion, equity, and diversity are key in our work to champion opportunities, equality, and justice for those who need it most. As a community and individuals, we honor and respect differences; practice equity; and support the professional development and wellness of our colleagues.

ILAO's free programs provide essential legal services and support 24/7/365 to the people of Illinois, focused on individuals and families from historically oppressed populations and communities, who face the greatest barriers to justice.