Legal Administrative Manager

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) is seeking a Legal Administrative Manager in our Chapel Hill, NC office. This individual will join our Administration team and report to our Director of Administration. The Legal Administrative Manager works with the NC Office Director and the Director of Administration to manage legal support staff, including hiring, onboarding, mentoring, and supporting their professional development. This role is also responsible for coordinating administrative coverage for legal filings, assisting with onboarding attorney and policy staff in the Chapel Hill office, and liaising with the Legal Practice Administrator to develop and strengthen legal support best practices and trainings. This is an excellent opportunity to join a highly successful, nationally recognized organization that is effectively addressing some of the most pressing and challenging environmental issues throughout the South and the nation.

SELC has a hybrid work model that offers employees flexibility to work remotely up to two days per week. This is a full-time, exempt position.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Supervise up to ten legal support staff including hiring and training; conduct regular check-ins and annual performance reviews; and synthesize feedback from attorneys.
• Manage the in-office schedule for legal administrative staff to ensure coverage for legal filings and other office duties.
• Communicate regularly with attorneys to monitor staff workloads and adjust as needed; discuss performance.
• Facilitate team debrief discussions after filings or projects to assess what worked, synthesize lessons learned, and develop improvements for future work.
• Develop and implement professional development plans; partner with Director of Administration to ensure adoption of new legal assistant position framework in Chapel Hill.
• Partner with Legal Practice Administrator and Director of Administration to gather and develop professional development resources and trainings.
• Lead regular meetings with Chapel Hill legal assistants to coordinate schedules, plan upcoming work, share knowledge and tips, and identify solutions to challenges.
• Coordinate with the Legal Practice Administrator to address legal support questions, resolve issues, and identify training needs.
• Assist the Office Operations Manager with onboarding legal and policy staff; serve as a member on the internal Onboarding Committee.
• Pay North Carolina bar dues and other local dues for attorneys.
• Provide backup support to attorneys as needed (as appropriate based on experience).
• Partner with IT to establish e-discovery best practices and serve as a regional resource (as appropriate based on experience).

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 8 years of relevant administrative and people management experience, with a demonstrated track record of successfully managing and mentoring staff in both in-person and remote settings, including hiring and training.
• Excellent communicator. Strong written and verbal communicator with experience collaborating across large groups of staff and across departments; skilled at adapting communication style and handling sensitive situations with professionalism.
• Solutions-oriented. Adaptable and solutions-focused, with a positive mindset. Encourages team input to foster collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Technical Capabilities. Demonstrates a strong working knowledge and practical experience in utilizing digital tools, including Microsoft applications (Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and specialized platforms for legal operations and administrative processes.

Desired Qualifications:

• Advanced degree preferred.
• Legal or policy experience, preferably within a law firm, environmental organization, or nonprofit, or a willingness to learn and develop in‑depth understanding of the practice of law and environmental advocacy.
• Paralegal experience with document preparation and processing, Bluebook citations, Tables of Authorities, interpreting court rules, and using electronic court filing platforms.
• Hands-on e-discovery experience using e-discovery platform(s) to support document collection and review, tagging, productions, and privilege logs.
• A genuine interest in and commitment to helping SELC create and foster an equitable and inclusive workplace that welcomes people from across the rich racial and cultural diversity of our region.

About SELC:

The Southern Environmental Law Center is one of the nation’s most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted in the South. With a long track record, SELC takes on the toughest environmental challenges in court, in government, and in our communities to protect our region’s air, water, climate, wildlife, lands, and people. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization has a staff of 250, including more than 160 legal and policy experts and advocates. Headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, SELC has offices in Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, and Washington, DC.

At our core, we are place-based, rooted in our region, and connected with the communities and clients we serve. We believe in an equitable and inclusive workplace that welcomes people from across the rich racial and cultural diversity of our region and values diverse perspectives. We approach our work with the highest level of integrity, holding ourselves to high standards with an emphasis on honesty, accountability, and thoughtfulness. We value collaboration and camaraderie, realizing we are strongest when we work together and knowing that everyone has a critical role to play. We strive for impact through a strategic, bold, pragmatic, and ambitious outlook that is dedicated to achieving powerful results. We believe in these values and in the power of SELC. We hope you consider joining us. Learn more at https://www.selc.org/.

Compensation & Benefits:

SELC offers salaries competitive with other leading environmental nonprofits nationally and provides an excellent benefits package. The starting salary range for this position is $84,000- $95,700, based on experience. For more details about our benefits package, please visit our Careers page.

SELC is a PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness) eligible employer. All employees are required to reside in our region.

SELC will provide relocation reimbursement up to a specific dollar amount for those relocating at least 50 miles from their current primary residence.

To Apply:

To apply, click on the ‘Apply Now’ button below to be directed to an online application where you may upload your application materials. Applicants must submit a cover letter, resume, and professional references. The initial deadline for receipt of complete applications is Sunday, April 26, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET. However, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

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SELC is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to fostering an inclusive workplace environment. We are eager to welcome new team members who share this commitment. Qualified individuals of all backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

Medical and Dental Coverage: High-quality, affordable health and dental insurance is available for all full-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and their dependents.

Vision Coverage: Vision insurance provides employees with coverage on eye exams, frames, and lenses every 12 months.

Flexible Spending Plan: Eligible employees may put aside pre-tax dollars for medical and dependent care expenses.

Retirement Plan: Eligible employees may participate in SELC’s 403(b) retirement plan immediately. After one year of employment, SELC begins making contributions to employees’ accounts.

Vacation and Sick Leave: Employees accrue generous vacation leave to ensure a healthy work-life balance and a separate sick leave accrual to cover sick days.

Holidays: SELC observes an average of 9 paid holidays and a Winter Break each year.

Life Insurance: SELC covers the cost of life insurance to all full-time employees, equal to 2x their salary.

Voluntary Life Insurance: Employees may elect additional life insurance for themselves, their spouses, or domestic partners, and their dependents.

Disability Insurance: SELC offers short-term and long-term disability insurance at no cost to employees. Disability insurance covers a portion of salary during periods of extended leave due to injury or disability.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP): The EAP provides employees and their family members with support services when dealing with life’s struggles.

Parental Leave: SELC employees are entitled to 12 weeks of paid parental leave following childbirth or adoption. The leave can be taken up to one year after childbirth or adoption and can be broken up in any manner that best accommodates the needs of the family. Once available parental leave has been used, employees have the additional option of requesting to return to work on a reduced schedule for up to 12 weeks.

Family Leave: SELC employees are entitled to 6 weeks of paid leave to care for a family member suffering from a serious health condition.