The Shriver Center on Poverty Law – Director of Housing Justice (Job posted 7-15-19 until filled)

The Shriver Center on Poverty Law – Director of Housing Justice (Job posted 7-15-19 until filled)

Position Title: Director of Housing Justice
Reports to: Vice President of Advocacy
Supervises: Senior Attorney and Initiative Lead of the Partnership for Just Housing,
Staff Attorney, Law Graduate Fellow, and Housing Justice VISTA
Location: Chicago, IL
The Shriver Center on Poverty Law fights for economic and racial justice. Over the past 50
years, we have secured hundreds of law and policy victories with and for people experiencing
economic instability in Illinois and across the country.
Everything we do is powered by communities most affected by poverty. We litigate, shape local
policy, and train and convene multi-state networks of lawyers, community leaders, and activists
to advance opportunity for all—not just the few.
Our country is rife with laws and policies that systematically disadvantage certain groups while
advantaging others based on their race, gender, and other facets of their identities. We believe
laws and policies—and the institutions that apply them—should be designed to support people.
Together, we’re turning this ideal into reality.
We are building a future where all people, families, and future generations have equal dignity,
respect, and power under the law. Join the fight at povertylaw.org.
Position Overview: The Shiver Center on Poverty Law is seeking a Director of Housing Justice
to provide organizational leadership and management oversight of the its work to ensure that
people living in poverty, communities of color, and members of other protected classes have
access to safe, decent, and affordable housing, and that the systems and structures that create and
sustain racial segregation and markedly different outcomes for communities based upon their
racial makeup are dismantled. The Director of Housing Justice supervises a team of lawyers to
advance equitable housing laws and policies for all in Illinois, nationally through the Shriver
Center on Poverty Law’s national networks, and at the federal level through select projects. The
Director of Housing Justice ensures that the advocacy of the team is community-driven and with
direct community input. The Director of Housing Justice also participates in the formation and
strategy of coordinated multi-state advocacy campaigns, which could include litigation,
legislative, and administrative advocacy strategies, and helps to form and manage interactions
and coordinated projects with other local, state and national networks. The Director of Housing
Justice is also responsible for program and staff evaluations, including collecting data and
information and implementing appropriate program adjustments.

Responsibilities:
• Provides strategic leadership on the housing law and policy efforts of the Shriver Center
on Poverty Law by providing program direction and contributing to the development and
implementation of strategies, plans, and goals.
• Provides guidance and active supervision to attorneys, program associates, interns and
volunteers to ensure they have the skills and tools necessary to advance the Shriver
Center on Poverty Law’s housing justice agenda.
• Promotes and facilitates relationships with current and potential partners and represents
the Shriver Center on Poverty Law in local, state and national coalitions, working groups,
commissions and task forces.
• Leads the policy and administrative advocacy agenda on housing justice issues at the
local, state, and national level and ensures the advocacy agenda is community-driven and
with direct community input.
• In consultation with the Senior Director of Litigation, advances systemic litigation and
represents clients as appropriate.
• Collaborates with the communications department to engage in media and public
relations campaigns to advance the advocacy agenda and serves as Shriver Center on
Poverty Law spokesperson on housing justice advocacy positions.
• Collaborates with the Shriver Center on Poverty Law’s multi-state networks and other
local, state and national networks and allies to support housing justice agenda.
• Serves as a strategic partner to the development team in fundraising efforts for the
housing justice programs, including proposal preparation, budgeting and reporting.
• Collaborates with the advocacy resources and training department to support training
opportunities for advocates.
• Evaluates the progress of the housing justice team consistent with team and
organizational goals.
• Travels in Illinois and national conferences and meetings as needed.
Qualifications:
• Licensed to practice law with a minimum 5 years legal experience.
• Experience and expertise with public and assisted housing programs, fair housing,
healthy housing, tenants’ rights and related advocacy.
• Demonstrated commitment to and success advancing advocacy campaigns on the legal
and policy issues affecting people living in poverty and communities of color, including
experience litigating, lobbying, and working with community organizers and the media,
and other aspects of issue campaigns.
• Ability to motivate and experience managing diverse groups of people; ability to work
well as a team member while also holding team members accountable.
• Self-direction and self-motivation, creative in problem solving, and the ability to work
collaboratively and independently.
• Willingness and ability to travel as needed (est. 20%).
• Complex litigation experience strongly preferred.
• Fundraising experience preferred.
• Multilingual skills are a plus, but not required.
Salary/Benefits: This full-time exempt position offers a competitive annual salary and a
comprehensive benefits package.
Opening/Closing Date: Open immediately; closed when filled.
Applications: Send a cover letter and résumé to Kate Walz at hr@povertylaw.org.
At the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, we know that a richly diverse mix of professionals makes
organizations more effective. As such, we make demographic and experiential diversity a
hallmark and priority of all our work.