The Legal Aid Society, the nation’s oldest and largest social justice legal services organization, has an immediate opening for a dedicated, passionate Social Work Supervisor in the Criminal Defense Practice’s Manhattan Trial Office. The Criminal Defense Practice is the primary public defender in New York City, providing holistic, client-centered vertical representation to over 200,000 people facing misdemeanor, felony, and homicide charges.  The Social Work Supervisor will take the lead in evaluating current social work practice and developing new protocols and strategies to respond to changing needs. Applicants should have a demonstrated commitment to interdisciplinary practice and decision-making, prior supervisory responsibility and substantive experience in working with individuals with mental health issues, substance abuse and involvement with the criminal justice system.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide individual social work supervision to all social work staff.
• Provide direct supervision and professional development to Assistant Social Work Supervisor
• Partner and collaborate with Attorney in Charge, Chief Deputy Attorney and other managers to shape and develop professional practice and office culture
• Create and support new approaches to meeting staff and client needs
• Monitor social work practice and caseloads
• Identify and create opportunities for staff development
• Provide emergency office and case coverage
• Initiate and coordinate special projects
• Provide in-service training and case consultation
• Conduct case reviews and performance evaluations
• Participate in staffing and personnel decisions
• Maintain a small caseload, according to office workload needs
• Develop and implement procedures and policies
• Participate in supervisory and management meetings
• Represent the Practice at external meetings and conferences
• Collaborate with other Criminal Justice organizations and stakeholders to inform and influence policies and best practices within the borough and/or citywide
• Other duties as assigned

Team Development and Supervision

• Schedule employee hours, assign work, approve time off and remote work schedule requests following the guidance of LAS policy and procedures
• Manage and coordinate staffing changes, i.e. processing separations, requesting new job postings, hires, coordination of leaves and accommodations
• Attend management meetings, participate in management trainings, and utilize current employment policies, practices and guidance as provided by management and Human Resources
• Conduct management and supervision practices that affirmatively support equity and inclusion in the workplace
• Supervise direct reports in setting performance standards, provide routine feedback as well as coaching/counseling, and issue disciplinary action as needed
• Identify and provide training and development opportunities and ensure mandatory trainings are completed
• Identify, delegate, and document work responsibilities, roles, and procedures to meet the mission of the department
• Identify and implement department/unit management and accountability practices to improve performance
• Resolve employee conflict, complaints, and address union concerns, with guidance from Human Resources
• Lead organizational and culture change for the unit

Professional Development and other duties as assigned

• Participate in continuous professional development
• Continuously learn about forms of bias in the workplace and demonstrate affirmative behaviors that support an inclusive work environment
• Other duties as assigned

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

• MSW degree
• NYS License in Social Work (LMSW or LCSW)
• Five years related supervisory experience
• Knowledge of criminal justice system, mental health and substance abuse service delivery systems
• Demonstrated skills in advocacy, mediation and interviewing
• Substantial supervisory experience (may include supervision of staff, volunteers or students)
• Ability to work in a team setting
• Excellent interpersonal and advocacy skills
• Experience working with adults in the criminal justice system. Prior work history with CDP preferred

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Please submit these documents as a single combined PDF when you apply via the LAS (Legal Aid Society) Recruitment Portal.

• Cover Letter
• Resume

SALARY TRANSPARENCY

The posting reflects the range of potential salaries for the role. The specific salary offers will be dependent on candidate qualifications, including collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range/ Salary: $110,000 – $119,600

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients. We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information. Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if an offer is made.

Click here to read more about the benefits of working at The Legal Aid Society 

HIGHER EDUCATION AND LOAN FORGIVENESS

The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs.

Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice. To learn more, click the links below.

studentaid.gov 

hesc.ny.gov/loan-forgiveness-programs 

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The leadership of The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.

WORK AUTHORIZATION

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process. For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jo**************@le*******.org.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.