Community Advocate

Job Description

Job Description

Job Opening : Fort Worth Community Advocate (Part-time or Full-time)

About Act : Advocates for Community Transformation (Act) is a Christian, legal non-profit organization working to make neighborhood safety a normal reality for everyone. Act serves in high-risk community environments characterized by crime. To do this, we equip underserved residents to fight crime on their street using the civil justice system. We seek to cultivate a culture of freedom within the bounds of accountability that yields effective results from our team members. We value building a team that is committed to diversity, equity, & inclusion. Act currently serves in the Dallas / Fort Worth area.

Act is seeking personable, tenacious, and spiritually-motivated individuals to serve as Community Advocates (CAs), who can drive Act’s legal casework forward by fearlessly engaging clients and faithfully resolving casework through initiating and sustaining local community relationships with a variety of stakeholders.

Faith and Justice Anchor. CAs must possess a deep relationship with Jesus Christ, confess the faith of the Nicene Creed, be an active member of a local church, have a passion for Biblical justice and racial equity, and demonstrate a teachable spirit and a humble desire to collaborate with a diverse team. Successful CAs are able to take initiative to generate casework through cold leads and the art of persuasion (similar to sales), are unafraid of rejection, must be willing to take on risk, and test out new strategies without fear of failure.

Tenacious Connector. CAs help to re-build social cohesion in the communities we serve in creative and strategic ways. This will entail building strong working relationships with local police, city officials, neighborhood leaders, churches, and other non-profits, so that together we can equip neighbors to fight crime on their street. Successful CAs are not only adventurous (not risk-averse) but are also strong on follow-through, insistence, and persuasiveness, leaving no stone unturned. CAs must have a disciplined work ethic, be self-starters, and be undaunted by being held accountable for achieving performance metrics. Equally important, CAs must possess the ability to navigate complex community environments and to demonstrate understanding of diverse cultures and communities. CAs observe, understand, and adapt to their surroundings, identifying potential risks and opportunities in dynamic environments.

Data Analyzer & Strategist. This position serves Dallas & Fort Worth communities by researching and processing open records and internal data sets to find the most strategic, efficient, and effective ways to meet potential clients and introduce them to Act’s legal model. CAs must demonstrate “thick skin,” an insatiable curiosity, and strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills. They will also demonstrate a mature ability to take calculated risks and initiative to meet goals set by their team.

Strong Communicator. This position also serves the rest of Act staff by working cross-departmentally to aid in the telling of casework narratives and building bridges with and for community members. This position serves staff and volunteer attorneys by work-flowing casework, engaging and caring for clients, keeping casework updated, translating attorney / client communications, and seeing cases through to their resolution. Most importantly, this position serves our clients by listening to them well.

Education and Experience : Bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university. One to two years related experience and / or training (e.g. criminal justice, law enforcement, non-profit, social work, collections agency, etc.) are preferred. Excellent interpersonal communication, cross-cultural, and community building skills are essential. Investigative and data research skills are necessary. Experience in sales, client relations, social work, or missionary work is preferable. Spanish / English fluency is highly preferred. User knowledge of Salesforce and Google Suite is beneficial.

Work Requirements : Ideally reside in (or near) the greater Fort Worth area and have the capability to work in-person at our Fort Worth office with frequent travel to our Dallas headquarters (up to 2x per week).

Compensation & Benefits : We do our best to set our team members up for success. We value our employees and want to ensure sustainability and longevity in their time with Act. Employees receive a competitive salary that is commensurate with their experience and level of education.