CJA Corps Field & Outreach Coordinator (Program Coordinator II)

Overview

Are you passionate about access to justice or serving low-income members of our community? Have a track record of successfully growing a program with verifiable success? Are you ready for the next step in your career where you help shape the future of an emerging profession? Come join our innovative program, help us grow, and make a real impact for low-income Utahns across the state. 

 

Housed at Utah State University in the Department of Social Work, the Transforming Communities Institute is expanding its commitment to the Community Justice Advocate (CJA) program. CJAs are micro-credentialed professionals recruited from helping professions like social work. They are trained in high-need areas of the law to provide legal advice and assistance for free. Because the law generally allows only licensed attorneys to give legal advice, our program is authorized by the Utah Supreme Court’s Regulatory Sandbox. This is a cutting-edge program, and Utah State University is a national leader in this emerging field. We recently hired a professor to focus on training CJAs. 

 

CJAs who are in-training and certified will need a seamless pathway to apply their skills – field sites at community agencies up-close to, and upstream from, legal problems. Our Field & Outreach Coordinator will work hand in hand with the Assistant Professor of Professional Practice to build the CJA Corps, the coordinating infrastructure that makes this happen. You will work together to grow the program and ensure smooth operations, focusing on: (1) ensuring that CJAs find engagement opportunities to apply their skills in settings that are supportive; (2) maintaining sustained efforts to build systems that are responsive to legal needs; (3) building feedback mechanisms to ensure both CJA and host-site satisfaction; and (4) responding to feedback as needed. 

 

This position is eligible for hybrid work within the state of Utah

Responsibilities

Primary Responsibilities 

• Design, coordinate, implement, and administer the operational aspects of the CJA Corps program. 
• Serve as the principal liaison among students, faculty, partner attorneys, host agencies, courts, nonprofit organizations, and other external constituencies. 
• Coordinate and implement all aspects of the trainee pipeline, certified CJA engagement, field placements, supervised practice opportunities, volunteer service, and community partnerships. 
• Coordinate activities of faculty, partner attorneys, host agencies, and community partners engaged in accomplishing program objectives. Facilitate trainings, meetings, onboarding activities, and special projects that support successful implementation of the CJA Corps. 
• Recruit, onboard, and maintain collaborative relationships with host agencies, legal aid organizations, courts, and nonprofit partners throughout Utah. 
• Develop and maintain operational workflows, templates, communication materials, onboarding resources, and documentation supporting efficient program administration. 
• Monitor placement quality, partner satisfaction, field issues, and program effectiveness; exercise independent judgment in resolving routine operational issues and elevating complex matters as appropriate. 
• Collect and analyze program data; prepare scheduled and special reports; maintain program records, placement information, participation metrics, service-hour documentation, and statistical information using GivePulse or similar systems. 
• Coordinate technology-enabled systems supporting placements, reporting, communications, documentation, and quality assurance. 
• Support compliance with confidentiality requirements, documentation standards, program expectations, and professional role boundaries. 
• Participate in development of grant proposals, grant reporting, and other funding activities supporting program objectives. 
• Contribute to business and operational decisions affecting continued growth and sustainability of the CJA Corps. 
• Provide excellent customer service to all stakeholders of the CJA program. 
• Deploys technological tools appropriately and effectively to maximize efficiency.  
• Perform other program-related duties as assigned. 

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
• Minimum of two years of prefessional experience coordinating coordinating outreach, community engagement, or program expansion, with demonstrated, measurable outcomes.  
• Deep familiarity with at least two of the following: (1) the access to justice crisis and the legal services community in Utah; (2) the social services landscape in Utah; (3) project management best practices for scaling programs; and (4) experience working effectively with colle