Partners for Justice (PFJ) works closely with public defender offices to help them adopt more collaborative and holistic defense practice. Our flagship program embeds trained Client Advocates in a host public defender, immediately expanding their ability to provide clients with wraparound support and navigate the enmeshed civil penalties of arrest. The Program Manager will have responsibility for a portfolio of public defender partnerships in the West Region. The Program Manager will help recruit and train Client Advocates, build relationships within public defender offices, provide resources and support to the Advocates’ on-site supervisors, build a network of local partner organizations (including civil legal providers), and provide coaching and support to Advocates. This work is critical to ensure that these offices are equipped with the knowledge, capacity, and resources to implement collaborative and holistic defense practices.
Program Manager Responsibilities:
- Program Management: The Program Manager will have shared responsibility for the success of PFJ
programs in the West Region and direct responsibility for one or more PFJ programs at specific partner offices. This includes ensuring that PFJ meets all programmatic objectives and goals, including
recruitment, training delivery, and service provision (with support from the PFJ national team). - Technical assistance to West Region offices: Serve as primary point of contact with designated public defender partners, building meaningful, credible relationships with Advocate supervisors. Offer advice and best practices on integrating holistic defense generally and the PFJ program specifically into office practice.
- Coach, empower and supervise PFJ Advocates: Provide one-on-one coaching and mentorship to Client Advocates on service delivery, case management, and professional and personal development. Ensure PFJ’s Advocate performance expectations are consistently met. Organize regular trainings or workshops to deliver local learning experiences that meet Advocate needs (in partnership with office supervisors).
- Resource development: Working with Advocates and office supervisors, identify and build relationships with legal aid providers, community-based organizations, and government agencies providing services that benefit clients.
- National resources: Help define the PFJ Advocate role and experience. Gather best practices and contribute to national resources and programming to enhance the Advocate practice and experience. Contribute to PFJ’s annual and ongoing training events.
Compensation and other perks: This is a full-time, salaried position with a salary range from $85,000 - $95,000, commensurate with skills and experience. PFJ’s benefits package includes employer-paid medical and dental coverage, a 401k program, and reimbursement for Bar or other professional dues among other programs. PFJ employees work remotely with the benefit of flexible hours. We also encourage our team to rest and take care of themselves, which we support with flexible sick leave and vacation, as well as 12 office holidays and a year-end rest period.
- Commitment to PFJ’s mission and to our vision of collaborative, client-centered representation for low-income people involved in the criminal legal system
- JD or LCSW, and minimum of two years’ experience providing services to low-income people
- Prior work within a public defender’s office or a civil legal aid provider is a strong plus, especially an office with holistic or client-centered practices. Applicants with civil, immigration, or family law experience are also strongly encouraged to apply
- Supervising or coaching others; while direct line supervision responsibilities are preferred, this could include serving as a teaching assistant or faculty member, a resident advisor, overseeing interns, or similar
- While we primarily work remotely, candidates will ideally live within California or be willing to relocate. Deep familiarity with California is a requirement, including knowledge of the legal system, government agencies, and other institutions that low-income people regularly interact with
- Ability to travel for two to three days approximately once per month to visit PFJ programs and to participate in team meetings (25-30%)
- Working remotely with distributed teams and/or working in a start-up environment
Please send a cover letter, resume, and two references to [email protected] with “West Region Program Manager” in the subject line. Be advised that if you do not include this subject line, we may not receive your application. Interviews for this role begin in January 2026, with a target start date of February or March 2026 for the successful candidate.
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