Director of Legal Recruitment & Retention

Job Description

The Office of the District Attorney, Bronx County (“BXDA”) is charged with the twin goals of ensuring public safety and striving for equal justice for the over 1.4 million members of the Bronx County community. By “Pursuing Justice with Integrity,” the BXDA places a focus on assistance for crime victims while simultaneously ensuring fairness to defendants. Moreover, the BXDA aims to balance the need to seek appropriate punishment for certain crimes while recognizing when punitive measures do not adequately advance justice. By recognizing these significant distinctions and acting accordingly, BXDA has established a standard of excellence in the representation of the Bronx community at large, which continues to grow stronger every day. In furtherance of this mission, the BXDA seeks an experienced and enthusiastic Director of Legal Recruitment & Retention.

The Bronx District Attorney’s Office seeks a highly organized and detail-oriented Director of the Legal Recruitment and Retention Bureau. The ideal candidate for this position will contribute to the strategic leadership and operational oversight of the Bronx District Attorney’s Office’s attorney and intern talent lifecycle from recruitment and hiring through onboarding, mentorship, professional development, engagement, and retention. Reporting to the Chief of Legal Recruitment and Retention, the Director designs and executes a comprehensive, data-driven talent strategy that builds sustainable pipelines for future attorneys and professional staff while supporting the long-term success and engagement of the Office’s current Legal workforce. The Director serves as a strategic contributor to the development and sustainment of a positive, inclusive, and high-performing work culture. This role serves as the central authority for attorney and intern recruitment operations and retention initiatives, collaborating closely with bureau chiefs, executive staff, training leadership, and external partners to ensure alignment with the Office’s mission of justice, equity, and public service. This role requires periodic travel to attend law school outreach events, job fairs, on-campus interview (OCI) programs, and other recruitment-related engagements.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Leadership & Bureau Operations

- Support the Chief of Legal Recruitment & Retention in advancing the bureau’s strategic vision, priorities, and performance objectives.
- Contribute to the day-to-day management and operations of the Legal Recruitment & Retention Bureau, including coordination of workflows, timelines, and deliverables.
- Supervise and mentor assigned recruitment, retention, and administrative staff, supporting accountability, workload management, and professional development in alignment with bureau leadership direction.
- Assist in the development, implementation, and refinement of bureau policies, procedures, and internal workflows to promote consistency, transparency, and operational excellence.
- Oversee and coordinate NYCAPS personnel transactions related to attorney hiring, onboarding, transfers, and other personnel actions, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with applicable procedures.

Attorney & Intern Recruitment Strategy

- Partner with bureau leadership to design and implement comprehensive recruitment strategies for entry-level and lateral attorneys across all bureaus.
- Support and coordinate end-to-end hiring processes, including workforce planning, outreach, application review, interviews, background checks, offers, and onboarding logistics, in alignment with leadership guidance and approvals.
- Assist in managing attorney and intern recruitment pipelines, ensuring processes are equitable, efficient, and responsive to organizational needs.
- Contribute to the recruitment and coordination of interns at all levels including high school, college, law school, and graduate programs to support intentional pipeline development.
- Build and maintain productive relationships with law schools, colleges and universities, bar associations, affinity organizations, and community partners to strengthen and diversify recruitment pipelines.
- Coordinate, support, and attend job fairs, career fairs, and on-campus interview (OCI) programs, in partnership with the Chief of Legal Recruitment & Retention and bureau leadership.
- Serve as a point of contact for law schools and academic institutions regarding recruitment events, OCI scheduling, interview logistics, and follow-up communications.
- Assist in planning recruitment calendars, including identifying priority schools, conferences, and outreach opportunities aligned with pipeline and diversity goals.

Mentorship, Internship & Pipeline Program Support

- Assist in the development, execution, and continuous improvement of structured mentorship and internship programs for interns, entry-level attorneys, and lateral hires.
- Support program design elements, including learning objectives, supervision models, evaluations, and feedback mechanisms.
- Partner with training staff, bureau leadership, and supervisors to ensure mentorship and internship programs are meaningful, compliant, and aligned with professional development goals.
- Monitor program participation and feedback, and elevate insights and recommendations to bureau leadership to inform program enhancements and retention strategies.

Retention, Engagement & Work Culture

- Support leadership-led retention strategies focused on engagement, career progression, organizational integration, and workforce sustainability.
- Assist in the administration and analysis of stay interviews, exit interviews, surveys, and other feedback tools to identify trends and potential attrition risks.
- Contribute insights and recommendations related to workforce morale, engagement, and culture, serving as a thought partner to the Chief and executive leadership.
- Support the planning, coordination, and delivery of professional development programming for legal staff, including onboarding, integration, and ongoing learning initiatives.
- Support initiatives that foster a positive, inclusive, and respectful work culture where attorneys, interns, and staff can thrive.

Interpersonal Skills & External Relationship-Building

- Demonstrate exceptional interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to collaborate across roles, bureaus, and leadership levels.
- Cultivate and sustain external partnerships that advance recruitment, pipeline development, and the Office’s reputation as an employer of choice.
- Navigate sensitive matters with discretion, diplomacy, sound judgment, and professionalism, reinforcing trust and collaboration.

-All other duties as assigned.

ADMIN COMMUNITY RELATIONS SPEC - 1002F

Qualifications

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, accredited by regional, national, professional or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U. S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and four years of satisfactory, full-time community liaison, community organization or community relations experience, at least two years of which must have been in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with responsibility for planning, organizing, coordinating, developing, evaluating and/or administering a large community service program or activity; or
2. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and eight years of satisfactory, full-time experience as described in "1" above, at least two years of which must have been in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with responsibilities as described in "1" above; or
3. Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" or "2" above. Undergraduate education above the high school level may be substituted for the community liaison, community organization or community relations experience, but not for the two years of broad administrative or policy-making experience described in "1" above, at the rate of 30 semester credits from an accredited college or university (as described above) for each year of experience, up to a maximum of 4 years. Graduate education beyond the baccalaureate degree may be substituted for the community liaison, community organization or community relations experience, but not for the two years of broad administrative or policy-making experience described in "1" above, on the basis of 30 graduate credits from an accredited college or university (as described above) for each year of experience, up to a maximum of 2 years. However, all candidates must possess a four-year high school diploma or its educational
equivalent approved by a State’s Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and two years of full-time experience in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with responsibilities as described in "1" above.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.