Recruiter

Overview 

The Bronx Defenders (BxD), an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx, seeks a Recruiter, specializing in legal recruiting, to join our Recruiting Team.

Founded in 1997, The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that has developed a nationally recognized model of representation called holistic defense, which provides people with teams of lawyers, social workers, and advocates to defend them zealously in court as well as to address the underlying drivers and enmeshed penalties of legal system involvement.

Since opening our doors, we have grown into an organization of more than 400 staff members defending nearly 20,000 New Yorkers each year in criminal, family, civil, and immigration proceedings who face incarceration, family separation, eviction, and deportation, among other devastating consequences.

Today we are reimagining the role of public defense even further, using community organizing and engagement, legislative advocacy, and impact litigation to partner with the communities we represent to bring about long-lasting systemic change.

We also share our model and lessons learned with current and future public defenders. We run two legal clinics at NYC law schools and train public defenders from one end of the country to the next on how to move to a holistic model of representation.

Description

Reporting to the Director of Recruiting, the Recruiter is a key member of BxD’s Recruiting team, who is focused on ensuring that BxD’s talent pipeline continuously and effectively meets the needs of the organization.

The Recruiter optimizes internal and external resources and relationships to identify talent, sources and settings that present successful candidates who can simultaneously advance BxD’s mission and their professional development.

Success in this role requires deep experience in the Public Defender landscape, a strong recruiting background, as well as stellar interpersonal skills. The Recruiter is resourceful and strategic, staying abreast of industry trends and resources and bringing these to the table to continuously fuel BxD’s talent pipeline, which is central to fulfilling our mission.

Responsibilities

• Deliver efficient and effective full-cycle recruiting for all positions
• Be a resourceful and strategic partner to Hiring Managers, including:
• developing and implementing strategies to attract and retain BxD talent
• staying abreast of industry resources trends and developments, providing useful insights and resources, ensuring that BxD is consistently well positioned to attract and retain talent
• Continuously develop BxD’s talent pipeline, including:
• proactively engaging with active and passive candidates across disciplines on all platforms and environments
• participating in key events as well as creating opportunities to engage with prospective BxD employees
• Develop and enhance productive relationships with key partners, groups and organizations, ensuring BxD’s success in engaging talent
• Collaborate with key departments across BxD to ensure that materials and content about our work are current and best positioned to engage talent
• Compile and utilize quantitative and qualitative data to inform and optimize the Recruiting process
• Collaborate with People & Culture colleagues on various projects

Qualifications:

• Minimum 3 years' experience leading high-volume recruiting in a legal setting; preferably a public defender's office or similar organization. JD preferred.
• A record of success in engaging legal talent at all levels
• Skilled in using data to inform the Recruitment process

Applicants should demonstrate:

• A record of success partnering with hiring managers to deliver effective recruiting processes
• Strong relationship-building skills as demonstrated by productive relationships with internal and external partners as well as talent from various sources
• Significant sourcing experience, as evidenced by a record of strategically and creatively identifying candidates and talent pipelines
• Excellent organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to effectively communicate, collaborate, and connect with people with various identities, backgrounds, and experiences
• Ability to work well independently and collaboratively
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to exercise great judgment, discretion, and confidentiality around sensitive issues
• Ability to receive critical feedback constructively, reflect and shift behavior accordingly
• Highly proficient with contemporary ATS platform(s) as well as relevant industry recruiting sources

The following qualifications are preferred, but not required:

• Written and oral Spanish proficiency, validated objectively

Salary is commensurate with experience. For candidates with 3-5 years of directly relevant experience, the salary range for this position is $85,000.00 to $100,000.00 annually. Full-time employees are also eligible for a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to medical, dental, and vision coverage; a 403(b) plan with employer contribution; and a generous vacation, sick leave, and parental leave policy.

This position is exempt. By law, nonexempt employees are compensated hourly based on their annual rate and therefore are entitled to overtime, whereas exempt employees are not.

Approximately 70% of The Bronx Defenders' staff, including attorneys and non-attorneys, are represented by UAW Local 2325 - Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (AFL-CIO). This position is not within the bargaining unit.

To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume as a single document. Applications without both a resume and cover letter will not be considered.

The Bronx Defenders is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a workplace that embraces staff with a diversity of backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We acknowledge the ways in which systemic oppression and injustice can undermine access to professional opportunities and are committed to conducting hiring and promotion processes that are equitable and accessible to those commonly excluded from the workforce. We do not discriminate against and in fact specifically encourage applicants from marginalized communities to apply, including those who identify as Black, Indigenous, people of color, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, disabled, neurodivergent, and those directly impacted by criminal, civil, family, and immigration legal systems. We value lived as well as professional experience and particularly welcome applications from the Bronx community that we serve.