Description
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
Public Rights Project (PRP) is a public interest legal nonprofit, headquartered in Oakland, with a remote team based throughout the United States. Our mission is to help local government officials fight for civil rights.
Since its founding in 2017, PRP has litigated in more than 100 cases (either as a party or amicus), trained 131 prosecutors and government lawyers in 24 states, built a partner network of over 670 government offices, elected officials, and community-based organizations in 43 states, and secured court victories on police accountability, abortion, immigrant, worker, and voting rights.
PRP supports local government partners in the face of an onslaught of federal and state abuses of power. We provide direct representation, legal analysis, research, training, and community partnerships to help local governments develop strategies that protect their residents’ civil rights.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Public Rights Project seeks to hire a Deputy Chief of Programs. The Deputy Chief is a critical new role that will serve as a strategic partner to the Chief Program Officer and will manage and review legal work across the organization. PRP is in a period of rapid expansion, seeking to meet the needs of our local partners as they face increasing pressures from the federal government. This role will primarily work with our Civil Rights Hub (CRH), which prioritizes work in issue areas, including reproductive and gender rights, economic justice and security, and immigrant rights; our Litigation team, which provides legal representation to local governments in both state and federal courts; and our Election Protection Hub (EPH), which supports election officials and local governments on election law, voting rights, and election administration matters. The Deputy Chief will ensure excellence and efficiency in their crucial work to protect rights across America.
This is a primarily internal, process-oriented role with external-facing components. The Deputy Chief will lead a developing program operations function, driving the systems, processes, and tools that allow our legal and program teams to scale their impact across a complex, multi-state practice. The position requires a seasoned public interest lawyer who can work hands-on across multiple workstreams, manage complex workflows, and provide strategic oversight to ensure the highest quality legal work and impact for the communities we serve. The Deputy Chief reports to the Chief Program Officer and works closely with department directors across PRP.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Legal Practice and Quality Oversight
- Ownership of practice of law and systems issues relating to multi-state compliance, conflict checks, and other legal compliance needs of the organization
- Oversight of knowledge management and tracking across legal work, including research, analysis, and other insights gained from practice and client services
- Review of key work product from attorneys across the organization, including major legal briefs, memoranda, strategic plans, and certain litigation materials
- Identify gaps, risks, or challenges in legal strategy and communicate them promptly to relevant stakeholders
- Individually contribute to certain legal teams on a project- or case-specific basis, as workload allows and team needs are identified
Workflow and Project Management
- Lead high-priority cross-functional initiatives that span the Civil Rights Hub, Litigation, and Election Protection Hub, including convening teams, ensuring follow-through, and integrating expertise across workstreams without owning each project end-to-end
- Lead workflow and project coordination with the Program team for cross-organizational projects to ensure efficient operations and integration of legal work product and insights into other functional teams’ outputs
- Contribute directly to priority projects by working hands-on within key workstreams when needed to move initiatives forward
- Partner with the Chief Program Officer to coordinate work across the Program team, strengthen cross-functional collaboration, information sharing, and decision-making, and ensure clear communication and follow-through on shared priorities
Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Support
- Attend and participate in meetings with internal and external stakeholders to understand needs and ensure effective service delivery
- Monitor and assess legal and policy developments in core issue areas to inform programmatic strategy
Team Leadership and Development
- Serve as a strategic thought partner and advisor to program directors and legal staff
- May take on direct management responsibilities over time as PRP evolves; in the near term, will lead cross-functional initiatives and sub-teams without formal supervisory authority
- Notice and address issues that others may not see, bringing proactive solutions to leadership
- Foster a culture of continuous learning, constructive feedback, and excellence in legal practice
- Mentor and support the professional development of the Program team staff
External Representation
- Represent PRP at coalition meetings, conferences, presentations, and other networking events as needed
- Travel occasionally for PRP events, meetings, or other organizational needs
QUALIFICATIONS
There are innumerable ways to learn, grow, and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad view of each applicant's experience. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. This said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below:
- J.D. and active bar membership in good standing
- 15+ years of public interest law experience, including with impact civil litigation
- Deep expertise in civil rights law with strong legal writing and analytical skills
- Proven ability to review and elevate others' legal work
- Exceptional project management skills with the ability to manage multiple complex workstreams concurrently
- Strategic thinker who can also provide hands-on tactical support
- Strong leadership skills, including change management, building buy-in, and providing constructive feedback
- Keen eye for identifying gaps, risks, and opportunities before they escalate
- Excellent judgment and discretion in handling confidential matters
- Outstanding communication skills and ability to build trust across differences
- Experience supporting senior leadership and managing up effectively
- Commitment to economic, racial, gender, and environmental justice
- Legal compliance and/or knowledge management
Preferred:
- Experience working across multiple subject areas in civil rights, including areas such as voting rights, workers' rights, immigrant rights, reproductive rights, environmental justice, consumer protection, or related fields
- Management or supervisory experience
- Experience working with or supporting state and local government entities
COMPENSATION, BENEFITS & SPECIFICATIONS
This is a full-time, fully remote, exempt role with a salary range of $190,000-$225,000. The exact salary will be based on the candidate's experience. For internal equity purposes, PRP will not negotiate with candidates outside of the role’s designated range. Public Rights Project offers a robust suite of benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings, and stipends for cell phones, home office, and professional development. You can see details of the benefits offered here.
This role requires travel several times a year to PRP events, case hearings, conferences, or meetings. This role requires sitting, talking, and listening for up to 8 hours per day. Certain situations may require lifting items up to 20 pounds.
HOW TO APPLY
Interested candidates are encouraged to promptly submit their applications through our online portal. All applicants will receive a response to their application. Please email rcostello@positivelypartners.org with questions or for support in submitting your application.
Candidates who advance should expect:
- Initial interviews with the recruitment team at Positively Partners
- A virtual interview with Jonathan Miller, Chief Program Officer
- A virtual, multipart interview, including a work exercise with a range of PRP stakeholders
The expected start date is in late Fall 2026. Positively Partners is committed to conducting an equitable, accessible assessment process. If you would like to request an accommodation during the interview process, please email search@positivelypartners.org. Accommodation requests will be handled confidentially.
PRP HIRING COMMITMENT
PRP is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity. A diverse and inclusive workplace, both at PRP and within the government offices we serve, is a key ingredient for achieving our mission of building equitable enforcement capacity within state and local government.
We aim to assemble a team that reflects the world we live in and the communities we serve with respect to race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and immigration status. People with personal or family experience with the type of harms we seek to combat, including wage theft, predatory lending, fraud, discrimination, and environmental degradation, are particularly encouraged to apply.
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