Supervisor of Strategic Advocacy in Chicago, Illinois at Cabrini Green Legal Aid

About Cabrini Green Legal Aid

Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA) was established in 1973 to serve the legal needs arising from the lack of opportunity, criminalization of poverty, and racial inequity experienced within Chicago's Cabrini Green public housing community. Since then, CGLA has grown beyond a single neighborhood to become a citywide, countywide, and statewide leader in proactively filling the void of legal representation, wraparound services, legal information and resources, and advocacy exclusively for low-income individuals negatively impacted by the criminal legal system. Any engagement with the criminal legal system can greatly disrupt an individual, family, and community's quality of life.

CGLA is distinguished among legal aid service providers locally, throughout Illinois, and nationally as having expertise in legal matters related to the direct and collateral consequences of the criminal legal system. Since 2014, we have been the sole legal aid services provider serving Cook County with the distinction of focusing exclusively on individuals and families who have been adversely impacted by the criminal legal system in all legal program areas: criminal records, emerging adults, criminal defense, housing law, and family law. We provide direct legal services, advocate for policy reforms, and provide legal information and resources to other legal aid organizations, pro bono attorneys, and the general public. We also support our clients holistically with wraparound social services from our social workers. Our policy and advocacy work is not performed as a separate entity; rather it is informed by our legal services and the lived experiences of our Leadership Council, an Advisory Group made up of former CGLA clients and community members directly impacted by the criminal legal system.

CGLA’s Mission, Purpose and Vision

Mission: We provide holistic legal services that include social support services and advocacy for individuals and communities negatively impacted by the criminal legal system.Purpose: CGLA exists to remove barriers to equity in the criminal legal system.Vision: A more just and equitable criminal legal system.

Pay Range: $72,500 - $77,500

Position Overview

The Supervisor of Strategic Advocacy will manage the Strategic Advocacy team, working to implement broader systems change through community and base building, policy change, and community outreach and partnerships. The Supervisor will help identify and implement strategic initiatives to greatly increase visibility and knowledge of CGLA’s work to advance our active campaigns and policy agendas. The Supervisor will create and lead opportunities for clients and Leadership Council members to share their experiences, elevate their voices, and shape public understanding of the harms of the criminal legal system and the need for transformative change.

The Supervisor in collaboration with the Director will oversee CGLA’s community engagement and advocacy work by supporting staff and managers in advancing the vision and mission of the Leadership Council, strengthening partnership strategies for coalition and base-building, engaging with a variety of system stakeholders both locally and statewide, advocating for legislative change in Springfield, collaborating with staff and leaders on the development of CGLA’s policy initiative, and developing the systems and infrastructure needed to sustain this work.

This position will supervise and work closely with the Policy Manager, Community Outreach Coordinator, and Community Navigator—as well as future Strategic Advocacy staff—to provide guidance, support, and structure in advancing an integrated advocacy model. The Supervisor will regularly collaborate with supervisors across departments to ensure effective cross-team coordination, referrals, and support.

Essential Duties

Policy Leadership/ Community & Coalition Engagement

Build and support effective working relationships with directly affected communities, community and advocacy organizations, key public officials and system stakeholders to address criminal system change. Serve as an external face of CGLA’s policy agenda, working with a wide array of stakeholders. Supervise the coordination of the Criminal Justice Advocates coalition that brings together advocacy organizations around issues of criminal legal system change. Support CGLA’s Community Navigator, Leadership Council, and organizing efforts to engage impacted communities and provide educational forums throughout the State of Illinois. Work with CGLA staff and Leadership Council members to ensure CGLA is represented at relevant policy tables and coalition meetings. Help to draft annual policy agenda in collaboration with the Director of Client and Community Experience, CGLA Strategic Advocacy team, Leadership Council, program staff and supervisors, and Executive Director. Collaborate with the Communications Manager and staff to provide communications support where needed, including drafting communications and other written material for specific projects, campaigns, and events. Manage the Strategic Advocacy team’s use of EveryAction, an online database and base building tool that helps streamline online engagement and advocacy efforts.

Education and Awareness

Provide training for staff, leaders, and coalition members on effective advocacy practices, leading teams in campaign efforts in Springfield; deliver testimony as needed. Develop talking points and provide media training for CGLA staff and Leadership Council members who engage in public speaking and public facing activities. Design and facilitate strategic and impactful convenings (e.g., meetings, conferences, etc.) to effect change, strengthen systems, and assess policy on a local, state-wide, and national scale. Ensure all Know Your Rights and Community Education materials and trainings are accurate, accessible, and up to date with current laws and standards.

Personnel Management

Provide leadership, coaching, and accountability for all direct reports; build a positive and collaborative departmental culture. Collaborate with the Director to develop and execute a department workplan for the fiscal year. Ensure that timely, consistent, and detailed performance feedback is provided to each direct report. Responsible for ensuring direct reports are performing at a satisfactory level. Provide resources and support to address staff’s needs, identify and secure professional development opportunities for staff, provides coaching and supervision, and manage and resolve conflict. Monitor and report regularly on the progress of the program.

Budget Management

Collaborate with the Director to create and manage the annual department budget, including monitoring department spending and alignment with grant vouchering.Ensure compliance with funders’ reporting requirements. Responsible for approving all team expenses and reimbursements according to financial department procedures.

Travel Requirements

In-state and out-of-state travel will be required, including travel to Springfield during legislative sessions.Ability to travel to community outreach events throughout the city of Chicago.Consistent access to transportation is required for this position.

Other Responsibilities:

Must have the ability to work a flex schedule to accommodate events in the evenings and on some weekends.Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education:

Minimum of a master's degree in public administration, public policy, community organizing, law, or related field. J.D. preferred, and/or deep knowledge of statute construction and interpretation.

Experience:

6 years or more of professional experience in a nonprofit organization with a demonstrated success in a leadership role. Minimum of 3 years of relevant work experience in policy development, community organizing, or similar with significant expertise in criminal legal system and community engagement activities. Expertise or familiarity with a broad range of criminal legal system issues, including racial justice, the impact of incarceration, permanent punishments, overlapping civil legal issues; and with litigation, the courts, the American legal system, and/or the legislative and political process at the local, state, and/or federal level. Comfortable speaking to small and large groups. Proven experience managing multiple full-time direct report and working collaboratively with a leadership team. Possess knowledge of government policy making, legislative processes, and base-building efforts.

Required Skills:

Project Leadership: Experience in planning and managing development projects, including coordinating with peers to achieve desired outcomes, and tracking and reporting on progress. Strong organizational skills. Influencing: Gets others to accept ideas by using convincing arguments, creates a win-win situation and responds appropriately to key stakeholders both internally and externally; Possess ability to influence and engage direct and indirect reports. Collaboration: Effective at working with others to reach common goals and objectives. Relationship Building: Skilled at establishing and cultivating strong relationships with peers, across different levels of the organization and externally; Excellent people skills, with experience collaborating in a multi-disciplinary, diverse, and dynamic team environmentTechnical Experience: Strong computer skills including proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel & PowerPoint

Supervisory Responsibility:

Directly Supervises Policy Manager and Outreach Coordinator.Indirectly Supervises Community Navigator.

Physical Requirements:

Communicate clearly.

· Understand the speech of another person.

· Must be able to handle high levels of mental stress.

· The employee is frequently required to use hands and fingers to type, handle, or feel and reach. The employee is regularly required to stand and walk. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.

Working Conditions:

CGLA has implemented a telecommuter and flexible work policy that allows employees to perform work remotely at the employee’s home or at an approved offsite location. Employees must have adequate internet access to work from home. If working in the office, you must be able to work in an open office setting with moderate noise levels and follow all COVID-19 safety protocols. Employee must have reliable internet access to work remotely.

Benefits:

We offer a generous benefits plan that includes Blue Cross Blue Shield - Health insurance, Vision Service Plan – Vision insurance, Principal Dental insurance and 100% employer paid life insurance, (EAP) Employee Assistance Program, Dependent Care and Medical Flexible spending accounts, Pet insurance, Pre-Tax Programs for parking, local transit for Ventra and Metra and UberPool, and Vanguard 403(b) retirement matching. Additionally, CGLA offers generous Paid Time-off, Floating Holidays and 15 paid holidays per year. During the summer months we celebrate Summer Fridays by closing the office early.

CGLA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages qualified candidates of all backgrounds to apply for this position.