Deputy Director, Social Work, PAH-Brooklyn

Since 1968, Build Up Justice NYC (BUJNYC) has provided free legal services for low-income residents of Brooklyn, pursuing neighborhood-based mission of justice, empowerment, and community development. For over half a century, we have utilized an array of legal and advocacy strategies—community organizing, affirmative civil rights litigation, and eviction defense to defend the rights of individuals and families. Collaboration with the city, state, and federal officials to enforce housing laws and develop legislative solutions is also an integral part of our strategy.  BUJNYC has three core programs—Preserving Affordable Housing (PAH) Program, Consumer & Economic Advocacy (CEA) Program, and Community & Economic Development (CED) Program—each of which has unique initiatives and plays a vital community role to ensure basic needs are met and fundamental rights affirmed.

Position Summary:

The Deputy Director, Social Work, PAHB will be responsible managing a team of social workers to ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery to clients who are living in Brooklyn, New York and who are at risk of displacement. They will supervise a team of social workers who provide direct client and referral services and limited counseling to clients in support of or related to their legal issues to include ensuring case notes are completed and entered into the appropriate database in accordance with expected timeframes and requirements. Reporting to the Program Director, they will develop, conduct, and participate in community outreach, education, and training which may occur during evenings and weekends. They will strategize with the staff on how to best interact with and support clients with medical, mental health and other special needs and prepare necessary reports, proposals, and other documents relating to their legal work.

Essential Job Responsibilities:

- Oversee client services planning and implementing and case management functions;

- Conduct and oversee assessments, crisis intervention, short-term counseling, emotional support, and case management services that are person-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive;

- Oversee caseloads/client management and engagement, track progress, and ensure proper documentation and follow-up to ensure accountability and maintenance of professional standards;

- Develop referral resources and provide clients with referrals appropriate to their service needs as related to the legal case, and maintaining liaisons with referral resources, service providers, community agencies, private and public institutions;

- Identify service resources, which may include but not be limited to medical, mental health or additional specific social services to prepare clients for engaging in services;

- Develop templates and monitor implementation of service plans that help prepare clients to more effectively advocate on their own behalf;

- Provide supportive counseling, crisis intervention, education and emergency safety planning to clients and designated collateral parties as needed;

- Identify and create opportunities for staff development to promote professional development;

- Provide case coverage, as needed;

- Confer and consult with PAHB team leaders on social work advocacy relevant to legal matters;

- Accompany vulnerable clients to various venues relating to legal case or supporting referrals, e.g. court, appointments with administrative agencies and / or community-based organizations, as needed;

- Maintain up-to-date program and client data to ensure its accuracy in case management systems and with gathering and monitoring data for grant and program progress reporting, as needed;

- Develop, conduct, and participate in outreach, education, and training with community groups and agencies which may occur during evening and weekends;

- Ensure team is utilizing and keeping case information and other data current in case management system;

- Provide support to gather data for grant reporting;

- Attend meetings and perform administrative tasks related to the work and supervision, such as timekeeping and case notes;

- As a team leader, provide feedback and mentorship to social workers and staff attorneys and ability to represent the team; and

- Other duties as assigned.

Education, Skills and Experience:

- Master’s degree in social work, counseling or related field;

- New York State Certification and/or licensed social work preferred;

- Minimum 5 years’ working with clients who have emergency housing issues, mental illness, experiencing domestic violence and substance abuse, etc., prior supervisory experience preferable;

- Experience supervising a team of social workers, case managers and administrative staff;

- Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to effectively communicate with individuals from diverse backgrounds, local organizations, and people in desperate crisis;

- Demonstrated ability to interact with client/tenants of different races, ethnicities, ages, and sexual orientations in a multicultural environment and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion;

- Ability to write with minimal error memorandum, correspondence, and other documentation;

- Excellent advocacy skills in English, bi-lingual Spanish or other language preferred;

- Ability to work independently with strong motivation, to manage a high case load, track case data, meet deadlines, and to be flexible;

- Computer proficiency sufficient to independently review and generate case notes and reports;

- Maintain up-to-date client information in BUJNYC’s case management system to ensure accurate data collection and statistical tracking;

- Collaborate as needed with program managers and development team to write narrative reports for grant and contracts;

- Basic knowledge of New York City and State housing laws and rules;

- Must be available to work hybrid work schedule with 3 days in-office/2 days remote with some nights and weekends as required; and

- Thorough commitment to BUJNYC’s mission.

How to apply:

If you are interested in this position, you must submit your resume and a cover letter telling us why your experiences would make you a good fit for this role. This is a hybrid in-office/remote position based in Brooklyn, NY.

Compensation & Benefits

Annual salary $101,000 - $109,000 dependent on years of experience. Benefits highlights - 27 days vacation; employer paid health, dental and vision insurance; employer contribution to 401(k); and paid parental leave.

Build Up Justice NYC is a diverse team that is committed to recruiting, supporting, retaining, and promoting a talented staff with diverse backgrounds and experiences that share the organization's commitment to racial, economic and social justice. At Build Up Justice NYC , diversity encompasses a variety of characteristics, lifestyles, and perspectives, including race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, education, disability, socio-economic status, and family status. We firmly believe that a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment is essential to both the quality of our client services and the personal satisfaction of our staff.

W e encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply, including women, people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, LGBTQ people, people from low-income backgrounds, and with lived experiences in the communities we serve.   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, physical disability, or length of time spent unemployed.