Description:
Make a difference! Become a Defender!The Defender Association of Philadelphia is seeking a experienced and deeply committed leader to serve as the Assistant Managing Director of the Child Advocacy Unit (CAU). The Assistant Managing Director is the Managing Director's principal partner in leading a large and dynamic multidisciplinary department to ensure that children and young people in the child welfare and dependency systems receive high-quality, trauma-informed, client-centered legal representation. Our team of attorneys and social workers promotes and protects the legal and best interests of children from birth to twenty-one. This is an opportunity to champion the rights and futures of our most vulnerable clients.
What You'll Do:
Leadership & Operations
- Direct daily legal operations, managing case assignments, workflow distribution, and court coverage.
- Drive strategic unit priorities, utilizing data and client feedback to inform resource allocation and reporting.
- Represent the unit to external stakeholders and serve as acting Managing Director when necessary.
- Mentor a diverse team, fostering a collaborative, accountable, and supportive workplace culture.
- Manage, evaluate, and coach Supervising Attorneys through regular case consultations and courtroom observations.
- Partner with recruitment and training directors to hire, onboard, and develop legal staff.
- Enforce rigorous standards for legal analysis, written advocacy, database management, and ethical representation.
- Advise on complex case strategy and collaborate with appellate counsel on legal developments.
- Maintain a limited caseload, co-counsel cases, and provide emergency court coverage.
- Champion trauma-informed representation that empowers youth voices and challenges systemic biases (e.g., racism, poverty).
- Partner with Social Service Supervisors, peer advocates, and lived experts to ensure cohesive, multidisciplinary client support.
What You'll Need:
Required Qualifications:
- Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
- Admission to the Pennsylvania Bar, or eligibility for admission.
- At least 5 years of dependency or related child-welfare litigation experience, with excellent research, writing, negotiation, and courtroom advocacy skills.
- Strong knowledge of dependency law, child welfare law, and relevant state and federal legal frameworks.
- Demonstrated commitment to public defense, children's rights, family integrity and racial justice, with experience applying anti-racist and trauma-informed approaches to representation and leadership.
- Ability to lead effectively in a complex, high-volume public defense environment.
- Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive representation.
- Sound judgment, attention to detail, effective communication, and reliable follow-through; ability to build trust, manage competing priorities, and lead multidisciplinary work.
Preferred Qualifications:
- At least 3 years of attorney supervisory or management experience.
- Philadelphia dependency practice.
- Multidisciplinary leadership experience.
- Experience with appellate, impact, policy, or systemic advocacy.
- Experience developing training programs or professional development initiatives.
Benefits & Perks:
- Comprehensive Benefits: Affordable medical care options plus employer paid vision, dental, life and long- term disability insurances
- Generous Time Off: 25 days of paid time off (PTO) annually, in addition to all federal holidays
- Wellness Initiatives: Dedicated, separate sick leave policy alongside organizational programming to support your physical and mental health
- Family Support: 10 weeks of paid parental leave
- Retirement: Generous retirement savings plan with Employer Match
- Commuter Benefits: Free Septa All Access Key card
- PSLF: We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible employer
- Culture: Meaningful, mission-driven work within a supportive, learning-focused, and collaborative environment.
To Apply:
Please apply online with a resume and cover letter detailing your interest and relevant experience. Please include a writing sample related to children and youth issues that is no more than 20 pages.
