The New Jersey Legal Design Lab at Seton Hall Law School’s Center for Social Justice (CSJ) seeks to hire a Community Engagement Lead.
The CSJ is home to most of the law school’s clinics that train law students through hands-on legal work. The Center provides free legal services to individuals who are disadvantaged and underrepresented through client representation, impact litigation, public policy advocacy, transactional legal assistance, and community education efforts. The Housing Justice Project, established in 2021 with funding from the State of New Jersey, is a collaboration between Seton Hall Law School’s Center for Social Justice and Rutgers Law School. It provides representation and support to tenants in housing disputes, engages students in housing justice work, and advocates for broader social change in landlord-tenant law.
In the spring of 2023, the Housing Justice Project launched the New Jersey Legal Design Lab. The Lab facilitates creative, collaborative, and community-driven approaches to housing justice issues in New Jersey. The Community Engagement Lead will play a pivotal role in advancing housing justice by working closely with tenants, local community organizations, advocacy groups, and law students.

The anticipated salary for the position is $65,000 - $75,000, depending on experience.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Community Engagement Lead will be responsible for:
● Cultivating and Sustaining Relationships: Developing and maintaining strong partnerships with communities in New Jersey, with a focus on the Greater Newark Area and North Jersey, including Hudson and Union counties.
● Coalition Building: Facilitating collaboration between diverse groups, organizations, and stakeholders to form alliances around shared housing justice goals.
● Community Participation: Facilitating active community participation in the Lab's work and in tenant advocacy efforts more broadly, and creating spaces where community members are respected, heard, and directly involved in the decision-making process.
● Program Development and Implementation: Leading the Lab’s Community Co-Design Committee—a multifaceted group of tenants, organizers, and other community members—to strategize and implement tenant-led initiatives.
● Education and Capacity Building: Teaching law students and legal professionals to ensure their understanding of movement lawyering strategies and meaningful collaboration with local organizing efforts.
● Navigating Academic Systems: Bridging the gap between academic settings and community-led spaces, ensuring that the Lab’s work remains relevant and impactful in both.
● Department Management: Working closely with the Director of the Lab and our growing team to oversee budget management, contribute to fundraising and grant writing, and develop integrated systems within the CSJ, the Housing Justice Project, and the New Jersey Legal Design Lab.

Required Qualifications:

● At least 5-7 years of community organizing experience, particularly in housing justice or related fields.
● At least 2-5 years of leadership experience in a social justice setting, particularly with communities of color and non-English-speaking communities.
● Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to engage mindfully with diverse community voices.
● Ability to navigate processes, policies, and systems that affect tenants’ legal rights.
● Familiarity with grant writing, budget management, and department oversight.

Desired Qualifications:

● Experience organizing both public and private housing tenants in North Jersey.
● Basic proficiency in Spanish and/or Portuguese.
● Extensive understanding of the Greater Newark Area, including Essex, Hudson, and Union counties.
● Experience with public policy creation involving community voices.
● Public speaking, media training,
● Experience using art and storytelling as organizing tools.

Salary Grade:

AD180 - Administrative

Exempt/Nonexempt: Exempt

Physical Demands: General Office Environment

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Seton Hall University is committed to programs of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and the principles of affirmative action.