Community Advocate

She Leads Justice: Community Advocate (full-time)

Some info about us

We are She Leads Justice, an antiracist, feminist nonprofit in Connecticut. We use our institutional power to serve and center women and communities most impacted by systemic injustice and oppression. Using a justice and equity lens, we work to close the civil legal justice gap, advocate for policy that improves economic security, and organize for statewide systemic change.

Our Legal Education program provides free bilingual legal information, advocacy, and attorney and community referrals related to family and employment law, especially for women of color, trans women and nonbinary people, undocumented women, women impacted by poverty, and women who are survivors of violence.

Who we are looking for

She Leads Justice is looking for a Community Advocate who is passionate about our mission and has experience providing direct services to under-served marginalized communities. In this role, you will work with women one-on-one and help them navigate legal and social service systems. This position directly reports to the Director of Community Advocacy. This is a hybrid position (remote and in-person), with in-person work occurring mainly in Greater Hartford and other urban areas, with some scheduled statewide travel possible.

Essential responsibilities include:

• • Staff our Information and Referral (I&R) phone line as well as meet with clients one-on-one (virtually and in-person), and actively listen to their stories; conduct intake regarding their demographic information, concerns, and the services we provide them
  • Educate clients on their legal rights while providing moral, emotional, and cultural support with a trauma-informed practice
  • Connect clients to attorneys in our private attorney network and to external social service agencies as needed; follow-up with clients and provide further legal advocacy and support as needed
  • Provide translation services to Spanish speakers
  • Guide self-represented parties to successfully navigate the court system
  • Help to train and supervise Legal Education interns and volunteers
  • Support our Director of Community Advocacy to engage with volunteer attorneys and community partners
  • Work with our Community Organizing and Policy teams to identify clients interested in legislative change work
  • Work with our Communications team to document the realities of women’s lives

Minimum qualifications desired for this role

• • Lived experience and connections and networks in the communities we serve, especially Bridgeport, Waterbury or New London
  • A minimum of 3 years of work experience in a related field
  • A passion and commitment to our mission and work
  • Native or fluent Spanish speaker with strong Spanish writing skills
  • Deep cultural competency and compassion, and the ability to effectively work with people of diverse backgrounds (age, race, class, etc.)
  • Excellent listening, written and verbal communication skills
  • Strong problem-solving skills
  • Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and excellent follow-through
  • Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively with staff and external partners, and receive feedback
  • Available between 9-5 and able to attend occasional evening events
  • Driver’s license and access to a vehicle; willingness to travel statewide

Salary and benefits

This is a full-time position. The salary range is $55,000 to $60,000 and comes with a benefits package that includes generous paid time off, medical and dental insurance, retirement contributions, and a flexible schedule.

Our hiring timeline

Our goal is to hire the right person as soon as possible and we will review applications on a rolling basis.

How to submit your application

If you need accommodations or other help applying to this job, then please contact jobs@sheleadsjustice.org and let us know what you need.

1. Please email the materials detailed below to

jobs@sheleadsjustice.org and include “Community Advocate” in the subject line

1. Attach a resume with relevant work experience
2. Attach a cover letter that addresses:
3. Your personal and professional commitment to our mission,
4. An example of how you have sharpened your equity lens with a particular focus on antiracism and intersectional feminism, and
5. A description of your ties to the greater New Haven, Waterbury, Bridgeport or New London communities (if applicable to you).
6. Optional–if you’d like, we welcome you to also submit up to four other materials that further illuminate your passion, experience, and skills (e.g. articles or blogs, pictures, interviews, etc.)

Please note that we will not consider:

• Incomplete applications or applicants who do not address the cover letter request in full
• Applicants who do not have relevant work experience or meet the minimum qualifications

SLJ is an equal opportunity employer that centers and works closely with marginalized communities. For this reason, we strongly encourage people of all historically marginalized identities to apply. SLJ does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under local, state, or federal laws.