Public Service Program Director

The Public Service Program Director leads Southwestern’s Public Service Program (PSP), including pro bono initiatives, student engagement, and public-interest career development. The Director builds and sustains collaborations with legal services organizations and government agencies; designs and implements high-impact programs and recruiting events in collaboration with the Career Services team and Externship Office; assist students and recent graduates with fellowship applications; and counsels individual students. The Public Service Program Director is an exempt position and reports to the Associate Dean of Career Services.

Key responsibilities:

Program Leadership & Strategy

Design, develop, and oversee pro bono legal service volunteer opportunities and training programs for students; launch initiatives to increase student participation and support.
In collaboration with senior leadership, establish annual goals and metrics (e.g., participation rates, training completions, pro bono hours); produce an annual PSP report for the Associate Dean, President & Dean, and Board of Trustees.
Create and update PSP guides, handouts, web pages, and related resources.
Plan and oversee an annual awards luncheon.
Maintain positive relationships with employers, alumni, students, staff, and faculty.
Serve on committees related to public service programming and awards.

Pro Bono Operations, Compliance & Student Engagement

Collaborate with student organizations to design pro bono projects and student-led initiatives; help student groups manage projects.
Manage pro bono hour tracking and compile statistics for internal and external reporting.
Vet projects and host sites; ensure appropriate student supervision, scope-of-work, and confidentiality; manage memoranda of understanding; align with FERPA and various institutional risk policies.
Ensure programs and materials meet accessibility standards and support diverse student participation (e.g., online students across jurisdictions and part-time day students).
Advise on New York’s 50-hour pro bono bar-admission requirement and similar jurisdictional rules for interested students.

Career Development, Advising & Financial Literacy

Advise students and alumni on public service career goals, professional development, and legal job-search strategies; assess interests and recommend targeted avenues of exploration.
Counsel students on application procedures for summer, academic-year, and post-graduate roles, fellowships, and government honors programs; review materials for post-graduate public interest fellowships; track outcomes.
Develop and publicize programming (career programs, information sessions, speaker panels) focused on public service and pro bono.
Integrate financial literacy into programs and resources.
Stay current on federal student aid and repayment programs; coordinate with various offices, including Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Services, Externship, and Academic Success & Bar Preparation, to provide practical guidance on the financial implications of public service careers.

Employer & External Relations / Recruiting

Expand employer relations and increase public-sector and public-interest opportunities; attend public service career conferences and fairs and promote these opportunities to students.
Forge positive relationships with alumni with public service backgrounds or careers.
Represent Southwestern on the Southern California Public Interest/Public Sector Career Day Consortium and facilitate student participation in its job fair.
Serve as the point person for post-graduate fellowship funders, host organizations, and student applicants.
In collaboration with the Institutional Advancement Office, identify and support grant opportunities and philanthropic collaborations that expand pro bono placements and funding for fellowships, scholarships, and other opportunities.
Represent Southwestern at national, regional, and local meetings of EJW, NALP, AALS, and interface with peer program directors.
Oversee public service job fairs and recruiting events in partnership with the Career Services Team and Externship Office.

Administrative Responsibilities

Use data to make decisions and improve programming and processes.
Research and prepare public service and public interest award nominations for students and recent alumni.
Develop and manage the annual PSP budget.
Oversee some vendors and contracts.
Participate in regular campus-wide and departmental meetings.
Stay current with relevant accreditation standards.
Perform other work-related duties as assigned.

Minimum Job Requirements:

J.D. degree required; California bar admission preferred.
At least 5 years of experience in legal practice (and preferably in a public service setting such as a public interest organization or government agency) or career advising or counseling experience with law students.
Experience supervising or mentoring law students or lawyers.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required:

General knowledge about and strong interest to continue learning about the public service legal employment market and the legal community, includingpost-graduate public interest fellowships and other career opportunities within the local, national, and global legal community.
Enthusiasm for working with law students, lawyers, and the legal community.
Strong interest in counseling and guiding law students with respect to their professional development.
Strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills; knowledge of legal resume and cover letter format.
Strong interpersonal, communication, active listening, public speaking, and presentation skills.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
Strong time management and organizational skills.
High levels of discretion and integrity.
Ability to work independently while welcoming feedback and guidance.
Ability to use Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), Canva, Canvas, Symplicity, Zoom, and Monday.com (project management tool).
Ability to work some evenings and weekends.
Ability to engage in some off-campus and out-of-state travel.

Salary: $100,000/year

To Apply: Emal cover letter and resume to jobs6@swlaw.edu