Citywide Director – Employment Law Unit

Citywide Director – Employment Law Unit #26-96
New York, New York, United States

Deadline is 3:00 PM EST for Date Listed
Nov 06, 2026

Job Description
The Legal Aid Society's Civil Practice has an opening for a Citywide Director of the Employment Law Unit (ELU). This is an opportunity to lead a multifaceted employment law practice that combines individual representation with systemic advocacy on behalf of low-wage and unemployed workers. The Director oversees a team of Staff Attorneys, Paralegals, and a Supervising Attorney whose work spans direct legal services, impact and class litigation, legislative and policy advocacy, and community-based partnerships aimed at achieving broad and lasting improvements in workers' rights.
 
Most of ELU’s cases involve violations of wage-and-hour laws, workplace discrimination, family and medical leave, labor trafficking, whistleblowing, and claims for unemployment insurance. In its discrimination cases, ELU assists the most vulnerable New Yorkers who are sexually harassed, discriminated against based on race, national origin, immigration status, pregnancy, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a domestic violence victim, or criminal background, or who are denied reasonable accommodations needed due to pregnancy or disabilities. Our clients are overwhelmingly people of color living paycheck to paycheck.
 
ELU’s docket includes complex individual, group, and class actions in federal and state courts and administrative forums, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the New York State Department of Labor. The Unit partners closely with leading law firms who serve as pro bono co-counsel. ELU's cases not only secure justice for individual workers but also create more equitable conditions for workers and communities in New York City. Most recently, ELU obtained a $162 million settlement on behalf of approximately 200,000 personal assistants who had been improperly compensated.
 
ELU engages in extensive policy and legislative advocacy, helping secure reforms that strengthen workplace protections and expand economic opportunity for low-income New Yorkers. The Unit also partners closely with community organizations, providing workers' rights trainings, legal advice and assistance, and support in addressing emerging workplace issues affecting vulnerable communities.
 
Legal Aid's size and breadth make it uniquely positioned to provide holistic representation. ELU regularly collaborates with attorneys across the Civil Practice and Criminal Defense Practice to address the interconnected legal challenges facing clients. For example, ELU works closely with the Immigration Law Unit to secure immigration protections for workers, including U and T visas. These collaborations are particularly important because undocumented workers are often vulnerable to exploitation and other workplace abuses and may require coordinated legal advocacy across multiple areas of law.
 
The Director leads all aspects of ELU’s citywide practice, providing strategic direction and oversight of direct services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community engagement. The Director supervises and mentors attorneys, paralegals, and managers; oversees grant-funded initiatives; helps set the Unit's legal and advocacy priorities; and ensures the delivery of high-quality representation to workers across New York City. The Director also serves as a key ambassador for the Unit, building and maintaining relationships with community partners, government stakeholders, and the media through policy advocacy, public education, and strategic communications. The Director participates in practice-wide management, planning, and decision-making in close collaboration with the Attorney-in-Charge of the Civil Citywide Units.
 
ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
 
Litigation and Management
Supervise the Unit’s direct legal work, including impact and affirmative litigation, policy advocacy, and community outreach, in close collaboration with the supervising attorney
Analyze legal issues, develop legal strategies, and supervise the implementation of legal strategies
Develop impact and affirmative litigation
Coordinate intake processes to ensure efficient handling of cases
Supervise, train, and mentor the Supervising Attorneys, Staff Attorneys, and Paralegals
Monitor and maintain a high standard of representation and client service
Provide oversight of pro bono initiatives
Analyze legal issues, develop legal strategy, and supervise the implementation of legal strategies
Respond to client, community, and staff concerns, ensuring that issues are addressed promptly
Evaluate the unit’s needs and identify necessary resources to address the needs
Coordinate database management for the unit
Support the development, funding, implementation and reporting of programs
Prepare and submit necessary grant-reporting paperwork, and work with the Grants and Contracts department to identity funding opportunities
Foster and encourage teamwork and communication
Reinforce and maintain staff accountability
Assist with planning and conducting citywide and statewide coalition meetings and task forces
Develop and maintain community support and relationships with community-based organizations, advocates, government agencies, elected officials, and the courts
Conduct community education, training, and outreach, and promote the work of the office, the Employment unit, the Civil Practice, and Legal Aid in the community
Conduct off-site intake, including during evening or weekend hours as needed
 
Community Engagement and Advocacy
Develop and maintain community support and relationships with community-based organizations, advocates, government agencies, elected officials, and the courts
Conduct community education, training, and outreach, promoting the work of the office, the Employment Law Unit, and the Civil Practice
Represent the Employment Law Unit, the Civil Practice, and Legal Aid in the community, participating in policy work, community education, and press engagements
Assist with planning and conducting citywide and statewide coalition meetings and task forces
Support the development of strategic offerings/initiatives, related policies, and procedures, ensuring they align with the mission of the Unit and the broader goals of the organization
 
Team Development and Supervision
Assign work, approve time off, manage staffing changes, and remote work schedule requests following the guidance of Legal Aid’s policy and procedures  
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
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
 
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The salary range represents a good faith estimate of the range we expect to pay for this role. The actual salary offered may vary depending on many factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.
 
Salary Range: $166,000 - $175,200
 
The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Click here to read more about benefits.
 
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
 
 
HOW TO APPLY
All applications must be completed online via the career portal. We do not accept emailed applications. Submit the following documents as a combined PDF:
Cover Letter
Resume 
Writing Sample 
 
For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email [email protected].
 
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
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.
 
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
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 (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues. Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.
 
Location
Manhattan - Civil Practice Lower Manhattan Neighborhood Office