Indigenous Legal Services Program Manager

***NOTE: We use "blind hiring" processes for initial resume and application review. This means that before resumes or cover letters are reviewed by the hiring team, any identifying information is removed (redacted) to prevent bias (conscious or unconscious) from contributing to our decisions on who to interview.

We do however prioritize hiring of employees representative of the community we serve. If your experience as a member of a marginalized group has contributed to your passion for access to justice, you should still feel free to tell us about it in a cover letter.***

Mission Statement
The mission of Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program (CCVLP) is to provide and facilitate access to justice in Clark County for low income individuals and marginalized communities through advocacy and civil legal services.

CCVLP has an organizational commitment to fight racism and to incorporate equity and inclusion in both the work we do and the work environment we create. All staff are expected to uphold this commitment and approach their role with a desire to learn and grow in this area.

Indigenous Legal Services Program Manager
Location: Vancouver, WA
Shift: Day with infrequent nights and weekends
FTE: 1.0 (40 hours/week) Hourly or Salaried, depending on wage threshold at offer
Compensation: $55,000-$60,000 annually
Benefits:

Medical (Regence Gold) paid in full for all permanent employees working at least 20 hrs/week. Option to "buy up" to Platinum and/or add family members, but must be paid in full by employee.

Dental (Ameritas) paid in full for all employees working at least 20 hrs/week. Option to add family members, but must be paid in full by employee.

Key Responsibilities: The primary responsibility of the Indigenous Legal Services Program Manager is to develop and manage a civil legal services program providing legal services to indigenous-identifying individuals throughout Southwest Washington. The Program Manager will have administrative authority to direct the pro bono legal services to low-income individuals in accordance with Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program’s (CCVLP) mission and will report to CCVLP Directors.

The program manager will work closely with Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Legal Aid Program (CWLAP), the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Native American Youth & Family Center (NAYA), and other identified stakeholders to develop and implement a data driven and supported plan to guide the expansion of legal services CCVLP provides to indigenous-identifying community members.

The Indigenous Legal Services Program Manager will work to build collaborative and trusting relationships between CCVLP and the indigenous community to develop a successful model for engaging indigenous-identifying people in civil legal services.

The Indigenous Legal Services Program Manager is responsible for development of a regional advisory committee that includes key stakeholders to oversee the development of the Clark County Indigenous Legal Services Program and coordinate with the Cowlitz Tribal Clinic (as run by Cowlitz-Wahkiaum Legal Aid Program). This committee will meet regularly, review procedures specific to the program, support outreach efforts, and offer direction on engagement with tribes and indigenous communities. The Indigenous Legal Services Program Manager is responsible for organizing those meetings.

Additionally, the Indigenous Legal Services Program Manager works to recruit, hire, and retain necessary program staff. This may include an Indigenous Legal Services Staff Attorney and an Indigenous Legal Services Legal Assistant, should this staffing model be advised by the regional advisory committee. The Indigenous Legal Services Program Manager acts in a supervisory capacity for the non-substantive legal supervision of the Indigenous Legal Services Legal Assistant and/or any other non-attorney positions that should be added to this program.

CCVLP has adopted the Washington Race Equity and Justice Initiative and is committed to fighting racism and advocating for equity and inclusion within the CCVLP organization, the Clark County community, and its court systems. CCVLP expects all staff to engage in this work at an individual and professional level. The Indigenous Legal Services Program Manager will work to ensure legal services are provided to indigenous-identifying community members in a manner which is equitable across all demographics and populations.

Primary duties of this position include, but are not limited to:

New Program Creation

• Formation of an advisory committee, including organizing regular meetings of this committee, incorporating committee feedback into program implementation and ongoing practices, and reporting committee guidance to CCVLP leadership.
• Preparing and finalizing documentation necessary to begin providing legal services under this new program.
• Leading efforts to recruit and hire Indigenous Legal Services program staff based on recommended staffing model from the advisory committee.
• Preparing a budget and requesting necessary supplies to furnish office spaces for the Indigenous Legal Services program.
• Working intentionally and methodically to adjust a newly created program to outwardly expand or collaborate with existing service providers This includes establishing access points for indigenous-identifying community members living throughout the wider region that is Southwest Washington, including Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pierce, Thurston, Snohomish, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties.

Program Management

• Directing and coordinating the delivery of services in the Indigenous Legal Services program.
• Creating and maintaining an organized process for clients as they move between referring agencies and CCVLP’s Indigenous Legal Services program to prevent lapses in client services from one organization to another.
• Facilitating presentations to community partners who want presentations on legal aid available to indigenous-identifying community members from CCVLP by serving as contact person for community partners. This also includes occasionally personally presenting on programmatic access and structure, as well as coordination with Indigenous Legal Services Staff Attorney to present on substantive legal issues.
• Coordinating with venues throughout the area to host off-site Indigenous Legal Services clinics, making all arrangements for the off-site provision of legal services to indigenous-identifying community members.

Community Engagement

• Attending community events on behalf of CCVLP to share resources and maintain visibility.
• Supporting efforts of Indigenous Legal Services Staff Attorney to produce educational materials about issues affecting indigenous-identifying community members by providing “plain language” and client-focused lenses to the content.

Programmatic Leadership

• Providing (with support from existing CCVLP staff) training curriculum for new Indigenous Legal Services program hires.
• Supervising and regularly checking in with Indigenous Legal Services Legal Assistant (and/or any other non-attorney staff that join the program) to ensure high quality legal services are being provided to clients.
• Monitoring the legal assistant’s (or other non-attorney staff) job satisfaction, including answering questions and hearing concerns had by the legal assistant (or other non-attorney staff).
• Responding to requests for time off as well as other personnel issues with support from CCVLP director team as necessary.
• Assisting the Indigenous Legal Services Legal Assistant, Indigenous Legal Services Staff Attorney, additional staff should the program grow or change, non-attorney volunteers and interns as appropriate, with questions as they arise.
• Reporting to the leadership team (directors) regularly on the status of the Indigenous Legal Services program and working collaboratively with staff to resolve any issues.
• Attending local and statewide meetings applicable to facilitating access to legal aid to tribal and indigenous-identifying community members.
• Leading data collection efforts required by CCVLP or funding entities regarding the Indigenous Legal Services program.
• Producing (with input from other Indigenous Legal Services staff) narratives for reporting efforts on behalf of the Indigenous Legal Services program.
• Authoring a monthly report to the CCVLP board of directors inclusive of statistics and a narrative of the status of the program.
• Attending CCVLP board of director meetings, if requested.

As a member of a vast network of local service organizations and statewide legal aid providers, it is imperative that all employees of CCVLP foster and maintain positive relationships with external partners. Specifically, the Indigenous Legal Services Program Manager is expected to:

• Develop collaborative working relationships with advocacy service providers in Clark County, Southwest Washington and Portland, OR.
• Engage with the tribal and indigenous communities of Southwest Washington and participate in events aimed at building relationships with the tribal and indigenous communities.

All employees of Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program are expected to participate in ongoing discussions and training related to Race Equity and Inclusion, to uphold CCVLP Community Agreements in their communications and interactions with coworkers, and to treat all clients, coworkers, opposing counsel, community partners, and court staff with respect and to conduct themselves with a high level of professionalism.

Desired Qualifications

Successful candidates may:

• Have lived experience as an indigenous-identifying person.
• Have experience working within an indigenous community or indigenous-serving organization.
• Have existing partnerships/relationships with indigenous-identifying communities of SW Washington and/or with indigenous-serving organizations.
• Have experience developing and implementing a new service or program.
• Have experience supervising others.
• Be able to maintain client privacy and confidentiality
• Have strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Be able to manage time and prioritize tasks
• Have experience facilitating access to social services to clients
• Have experience de-escalating people in crisis
• Have a strong attention to detail
• Have the ability to problem solve independently and collaboratively
• Be highly proficient in the use of computers and office equipment. This includes comfort with the Microsoft and Adobe products, web browser-based applications and GSuite applications (Gmail, Calendar, Drive, etc.)
• Have a strong web search engine(s) skill set

HOW TO APPLY
Apply on Indeed today! For more information, please feel free to contact the Legal Director* at 360.823.0423. To apply for this position, please respond to this post with a resume and cover letterdescribing how you meet the specific requirements of this position.

*In lieu of a formal HR department and to support our "blind hiring" practices, the point of contact for questions and applications for job postings is always a member of staff not involved in the hiring process for that position.

While we sincerely appreciate all applications, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

DEADLINES

Applications are due by 8am PST March 3rd, 2023.*

Interviews are expected to occur soon after.

*We reserve the right to extend or reopen the application period to ensure a sufficient pool or qualified applicants.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $55,000.00 - $60,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Compensation package:

• Yearly pay

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Monday to Friday

COVID-19 considerations:
A "Safe Work" plan is in place, adhering to CDC and WA DOH guidelines. It is a requirement that all employees are fully vaccinated (including any recommended booster(s)) against COVID-19 by their first date of employment.

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Vancouver, WA 98660: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Preferred)

Application Question(s):

• Are you fully vaccinated against (or will be by first date of employment) COVID-19, including any CDC-recommended booster(s)?
• Do you have lived or working experience with the indigenous-identifying community?

Experience:

• Supervising: 1 year (Preferred)
• Program management: 1 year (Preferred)
• Program development: 1 year (Preferred)

Work Location: One location

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