Special Project Director | Austin Tenants Council Project

Austin 

Posted 04/30/2024

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) seeks a full-time attorney to serve as the Special Project Director of the Austin Tenants Council Project. The Director will supervise and manage a project to assist tenants in Austin/Travis County and surrounding areas and implement a strategy for the project to become the authority for tenant rights throughout Texas. Under the supervision of the Director of Strategic Initiatives, the project will distribute legal information to tenants in select counties, conduct fair housing investigations and testing, and become the primary resource for all tenants of Texas to learn about their rights. 

Primary duties and responsibilities of this position include: 

  • Manage staff assigned to the project. 

  • Direct the distribution of legal information to tenants. 

  • Oversee and monitor the project's activities to ensure all grant conditions are being followed and cooperate with other TRLA staff to comply with timely reporting requirements. 

  • Supervise the provision of fair housing services to tenants, including discrimination complaint intake and investigation, testing for fair housing violations, and assistance with reasonable accommodation and reasonable modification requests. 

  • Develop and implement a fair housing testing and investigation strategy. 

  • Transition data collection to a new platform to enable reporting to be streamlined and compatible with funder requirements. 

  • Collaborate, develop, and implement a strategy to provide legal information to the public throughout Texas using various methods (including AI) and target members of the media to publicize the rights of tenants and the identity of the project in coordination with TRLA’s Public Relations Manager. 

  • Monitor and review changes in laws and train project staff on those changes.  

  • Identify situations that require additional assistance beyond legal information to persons eligible for legal advice and representation.  

  • Collaborate with TRLA’s Communication Team to create, update, and develop legal information for consumption by the public and media in multiple ways while also coordinating community outreach activities. 

  • Enforce compliance with funding regulations and program policies.  

  • Affirmatively maintain a good relationship role with the funders of the project and other community organizations.  

Qualifications and Preferences: 

  • Licensed to practice law in Texas. 

  • Staff supervision or management experience. 

  • Experienced public speaker with a working knowledge of media relations preferred. 

  • Preference is given to persons who are bilingual in English and Spanish. 

Compensation and Benefits:     

Salary is commensurate with experience and includes an excellent fringe benefits package, including law school loan repayment, generous paid leave, healthcare insurance, a retirement plan, and training & travel stipends.   

TRLA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER    

At TRLA, we are committed to offering fair and equal employment opportunities to all job applicants and employees. We strictly prohibit any form of discrimination and harassment of any type based on race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.