Legal Hiring Manager

The Southern Environmental Law Center is seeking a Legal Hiring Manager in our Charlottesville, Atlanta, or Chapel Hill offices. This individual will join our Human Resources team, reporting to the Director of Human Resources. This is an excellent opportunity to join a highly successful, nationally recognized organization that is effectively addressing some of the most pressing and challenging environmental issues throughout the South and the nation. 

This role offers the opportunity to collaborate with state office and organizational leadership to define, source, and evaluate legal talent in support of the SELC mission and strategic plan. The Legal Hiring Manager will spend a 3-year term building scalable legal hiring processes, training staff on the nuances of legal hiring, improving the functionality of our applicant tracking system, and facilitating law school and legal community outreach to build a diverse pipeline of environmental lawyers.  

Primary Responsibilities: 

• Primary ownership and management of the Legal Program Hiring function for SELC to include lateral attorney hiring and the annual processes for Summer Intern and Associate Attorney hiring.  
• Coordinates and assists office leaders, attorney hiring coordinators & supervisors through full lifecycle hiring process, from posting positions to extending offers.    
• Screens and evaluates applications in collaboration with attorney stakeholders to identify qualified candidates.  
• Develops deeper recruiting processes and targeted recruiting campaigns for certain positions.   
• Leads communication with candidates and interview scheduling.  
• Coordinates interview evaluation and debrief conversations to help reach timely offer decisions and office placements.  
• Management of legal recruitment operations and training.  
• Facilitates on-demand and annual training related to inclusive hiring practices, interview skill development, and general compliance related to all aspects of hiring.   
• Maintains accurate data and records in the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and generates reports via this system.  Gathers feedback and key data points from each cycle to make process and ATS system enhancements.   
• Maintains awareness of National Association for Law Placement (NALP) guidelines and best practices.  
• Build relationships with law school and other recruiting partners while brainstorming new strategies for building diverse legal talent pipelines.   
• Partners with SELC’s internal DEI Committee on all aspects of our Fellowship hiring program.   

Required Qualifications:  

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required, with 5+ years of demonstrated recruiting experience in a legal or professional services environment.   
• General knowledge of employment law and inclusive hiring practices.  
• Experience managing/facilitating large cyclical hiring programs, such as internship or early-career hiring programs.  
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (oral and written) and demonstrated ability to interact effectively with candidates, all levels of leadership, and a variety of external partners.  
• Advanced software proficiencies – MS Office Suite and substantial experience utilizing and administering an Applicant Tracking System.  
• High attention to detail, exceptional planning, and organizational skills. Ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously and effectively and to meet deadlines.  
• Demonstrated ability to provide outstanding client service, meet high quality standards for services, and meet or exceed client expectations. Proactive in seeking innovative ways in which to help others.  
• Superior judgment and discretion. Recognize and protect confidential, sensitive, and proprietary information.  
• Analytical with strong problem-solving skills, takes initiative and has excellent follow-up skills.  
• A genuine interest in and commitment to helping SELC create and foster a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. Regular engagement in ongoing learning and eager to contribute to organizational efforts in this area.  

Desired Qualifications:  

• Experience in legal hiring is strongly preferred.  
• Experience in non-profit organization hiring, particularly in environmental organizations, is a plus.  
• Familiarity with viRecruit (ATS) and 3rd-party job integration software (Simplicity, Handshake, 12Twenty) is preferred.  

About SELC:  

The Southern Environmental Law Center is one of the nation’s most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted in the South. With a long track record, SELC takes on the toughest environmental challenges in court, in government, and in our communities to protect our region’s air, water, climate, wildlife, lands, and people. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization has a staff of over 200, including more than 130 legal and policy experts, and is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, with offices in Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, and Washington, DC. 

At our core, we are place-based, rooted in our region, and connected with the communities and clients we serve. We believe in an equitable and inclusive workplace that reflects the rich racial and cultural diversity of our region and allows diverse perspectives to come to the forefront. We approach our work with the highest level of integrity, holding ourselves to high standards with an emphasis on honesty, accountability, and thoughtfulness. We value collaboration and camaraderie, realizing we are strongest when we work together and knowing that everyone has a critical role to play. We strive for impact through a strategic, bold, pragmatic, and ambitious outlook that is dedicated to achieving powerful results. We believe in these values and in the power of SELC. We hope you consider joining us. Learn more at https://www.southernenvironment.org/.  

Compensation & Benefits:  

SELC offers salaries competitive with other leading environmental nonprofits nationally and provides an excellent benefits package. The starting salary range for this full-time exempt position is $87,000- $105,000, commensurate with experience. For more details about our benefits package, please visit our Careers page. 

• SELC has a hybrid work model that offers employees the flexibility to work remotely up to two days per week.   
• As a part of our Human Resources team, employment is contingent on successful completion of a criminal background check. 
• SELC is a PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness) eligible employer.   
• Relocation reimbursement is provided for those moving for an SELC position, up to a specific dollar amount and contingent on the move being at least 50 miles from the current primary address. 

To Apply:  

To apply, click on the ‘Apply Now’ button below to be directed to an online application where you may upload your application materials. Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume. The initial deadline for receipt of complete applications is 8/2/2024. However, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.  

APPLY NOW

SELC is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to fostering an inclusive workplace environment. We are eager to welcome new team members who share this commitment. We still have much progress to make, but our goal is to create and maintain a staff that, at every level, reflects the rich racial and cultural diversity of the communities where we work and the clients that we serve. Persons of all backgrounds—including people of color, women, people with disabilities, veterans, and LGBTQ candidates—are strongly encouraged to apply.