Deputy Director, Election Protection Hub

Public Rights Project

3d•$121,440 - $182,160•Remote

About The Position

Public Rights Project (PRP) is a public interest legal nonprofit with an all-remote team based throughout the United States. Our mission is to help local government officials fight for civil rights. Since its founding in 2017, PRP has litigated in more than 100 cases (either as a party or amicus), trained 131 prosecutors and government lawyers in 24 states, built a partner network of over 670 government offices, elected officials, and community-based organizations in 43 states, secured court victories on police accountability, abortion, immigrant, worker, and voting rights, and helped to recover over $46 million in relief for marginalized people. Learn more about our work. PRP launched its Election Protection Hub (EPH) to support local election officials as they fight to protect the voting rights of their residents and secure safe and fair elections. The EPH provides training, technical assistance, and legal backup to election administrators to enable them to respond to election threats quickly and effectively. In addition, PRP’s EPH participates in broader election protection and pro-democracy coalition work, both to support litigation by partner organizations and to more effectively coordinate resources to defend against efforts to undermine free elections, threaten marginalized communities, and threaten the rule of law. JOB SUMMARY Public Rights Project (PRP) seeks to hire an experienced attorney and manager to serve as Deputy Director in its Election Protection Hub (EPH). The Deputy Director will be a key member of PRP’s team representing and advising state, local, and tribal local election officials in support of election administration and the expansion of voting rights. The Deputy Director, EPH will–reporting to and working alongside the Director, EPH– supervise the EPH’s Staff Attorneys and the EPH’s Paralegal / Program Coordinator. The Deputy Director will also: support the Director, EPH in identifying opportunities for advocacy; serve as a senior consultant on EPH representative matters; draft, revise, and supervise amicus briefs; develop, revise, and supervise technical assistance materials; and represent the EPH in external meetings with government officials, coalition partners, and other stakeholders. In close collaboration with the Director, EPH, the Deputy Director will design, implement, and refine systems that support the quality, efficiency, sustainability, and impact of PRP’s EPH.

Requirements

Licensed to practice law in a jurisdiction of the United States
At least 10 years of relevant experience as an attorney. Relevant experience may include government enforcement, complex civil litigation, and/or advice to government officials. Experience with election law and/or election administration is strongly preferred
2 to 4 years of direct managerial experience is required
Experience building and developing high-performing legal teams
Outstanding managerial experience, particularly experience managing and mentoring early- and mid-career attorneys
Excellent judgment about both legal issues and strategy
Strong communication skills, both writing and speaking
Strong project management skills and ability to use tools, such as Asana and Salesforce, to support the participation and contribution of other team members
Familiarity and comfort working on issues of election law, federal law, constitutional law, and other relevant legal topics
Outstanding writing and editing skills, including drafting and editing complex briefs and legal analysis
Team player who can work with government partners, co-counsel, community-based organizations, and other advocates, as well as internal teams
Demonstrated positive and respectful attitude, ability to work well with diverse people and communities, capacity to show presence, self-confidence, common sense, and good listening ability
Belief in the power of state and local government to make positive change in the world
Willingness to travel
Requires sitting, talking, and listening for up to 8 hours per day.
Certain situations may require lifting items up to 20 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience with remote work in large teams in support of fast-moving and mission-driven work is preferred
Experience working with state and local government officials is a plus.

Responsibilities

Directly supervise EPH staff attorneys
Monitor staff and resource allocation and support the EPH Director in aligning team deployment with strategic objectives
Participate in and, as needed, lead regular meetings for the EPH Team
Contribute to an innovative, inclusive, and supportive group of advocates.
Advise, counsel, and represent in court proceedings local election officials
Analyze federal and state election and voting laws and related constitutional provisions across a range of U.S. jurisdictions
Draft, review, edit, and provide feedback on analytic and persuasive written work product, including legal technical assistance
Serve as lead attorney on strategic legal projects for the EPH, including amicus briefs and technical assistance
Serve as consultant on litigation case selection and strategy.
Ensure ethical, compliant, and high-quality practice by developing and implementing internal protocols and accountability systems for EPH staff
Build and refine systems to improve the EPH’s infrastructure, workflows, and operational efficiency
Implement and modify processes for monitoring, documenting, and notifying attorney staff of case law developments relevant to the EPH’s work
Oversee the collection and utilization of metrics and measures relating to the work of the EPH.
Participate in key coalitions of election-related groups
Represent the EPH in external meetings, coalitions, conferences, media briefings, and other public-facing engagements with government and non-government stakeholders
Support communications about the EPH, including through public speaking, conversations with the press, and drafting press statements, “explainers,” and op-eds
Build and maintain relationships with coalition partners to advance coordinated election protection and pro-democracy advocacy efforts.
Engage with the Litigation Team and Civil Rights Hub to align representative matters, share legal strategy, and coordinate cross-program advocacy efforts
Partner with Development Team to gather substantive information, metrics, case updates, and strategic framing for grant proposals, reports, and funder briefings
Collaborate with Operations to ensure accurate and consistent use of Salesforce and other internal systems to support case tracking, reporting, and cross-team coordination
Contribute to grant proposals, reports, and periodic communication pieces in addition to previously identified EPH support work.
Other duties as designed.