Description:

Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC) seeks an advocate—either a Policy Specialist or Staff Attorney—to join our Center for Healthy Communities. This position plays a key role in advancing VPLC's public benefits advocacy across Virginia as part of a team of attorneys, advocates, policy analysts, and health coverage navigators dedicated to strengthening access to essential programs for individuals and families with low income. Some of our Center's major advocacy accomplishments over the past few years include leading the effort to pass Medicaid expansion, expanding SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) to more than 25,000 additional families, and removing a work requirement that forced thousands of legal immigrants to work at least 10 years before qualifying for Medicaid. Our current efforts focus on ensuring equitable access to public benefits and working to identify and remove systemic barriers that perpetuate poverty. This position encourages flexibility to be innovative in developing ongoing ways to improve and defend access to public benefits and address systemic inadequacies in Virginia. We welcome candidates with a strong commitment to removing systemic barriers that keep low-income Virginians in cycles of poverty. Candidates may demonstrate required competencies through professional, volunteer, community-based, or lived experience. We're looking for team members who can develop advocacy strategies, communicate effectively within and outside of the VPLC team, build partnerships, create highquality written products, and exercise advocacy skills in policy and training.

Job Responsibilities 

Assist local legal aid attorneys around Virginia with their public benefits casework which includes advice, research, and training. The staff attorney and senior policy specialist position may involve co-counseling on systemic advocacy issues or complex legal aid cases. However, VPLC is not a direct services organization and most legal work will be systemic or involve advising on cases rather than providing direct representation. The policy specialist position may also provide direct assistance on public benefit cases or support on complex litigation.
Either position level would involve lobbying on public benefit issues at the Virginia General Assembly and advocating for state and federal regulatory and policy changes that benefit low-income Virginians. Lobbying includes: monitoring legislative proposals, proposing legislation, working directly with senators and delegates on bills, speaking at committee, and working in coalition to build support for laws that benefit low-income families.
Conduct training and outreach to legal aids, pro bono attorneys, community-based organizations, and community groups.
Ensure grant deliverables are met under various grants and prepare all necessary narratives and reports for grant funding.

Qualifications Required: 

For the Policy Specialist and Staff Attorney/Senior Policy Specialist level - Prior knowledge of or experience with public benefit policies (SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program, unemployment, SSI, and/or SSDI). Candidates with more than five (5) years of experience preferred. Candidates with lobbying experience but who have limited knowledge of public benefits will be considered with a preference for candidates with personal or professional experience with poverty issues. 
For the Policy Specialist and Senior Policy Specialist level - Law degree not required. 
For the Senior Policy Specialist level – Significant experience with essential safety net benefits in Virginia, legal services programs, and/or the Virginia legislative process. 
For the Staff Attorney level – Admitted to practice law in Virginia with a preference for attorneys with at least five years of experience. If you are not admitted in Virginia, then a minimum of 5 years' membership in any state bar with the ability to waive in to Virginia's Bar (https://barexam.virginia.gov/motion/motionoverview.html); or admission and in good standing in any state bar with at least two years of continuous legal practice and ability to be admitted to the state bar pursuant to the Legal Aid Counsel Certificate (https://barexam.virginia.gov/pdf/Rule1A-9.pdf); or willingness to sit for and pass the state bar if you have less than the required experience for the waiver or Legal Aid Counsel Certificate. 
For the Policy Specialist and Staff Attorney/Senior Policy Specialist level - Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
For the Policy Specialist and Staff Attorney/Senior Policy Specialist level – Willingness to work a flexible schedule that may include evening and weekend events. This position requires lobbying during Virginia's General Assembly, which includes working outside standard business hours in January through early March. At times, Virginia may have a special session that requires lobbying at an additional time of year. Virginia's General Assembly typically has either a 45- or 60-day session depending on the year. To offset these periods of increased in-person workload, VPLC has generous time off policies and supports hybrid work outside of the General Assembly session.
Qualifications Preferred:
Experience representing or advocating for families and individuals who have been denied, terminated from, or had reduced essential safety net benefits.
Experience working in or building coalitions.
Prior work with legal services programs.
Prior commitment to serving low-income individuals.
Familiarity with local, state, and/or federal policy in areas related to poverty.
Familiarity with the Virginia legislative process.
Legal work experience.