Lamda Legal Community Educator

Community Educator

Midwest Region, Chicago

Lambda Legal seeks a Community Educator for its Education and Public Affairs Department in its Midwest Regional Office in Chicago, IL.

Lambda Legal is the nation's oldest and largest legal organization committed to achieving full civil rights for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgendered people, and people with HIV or AIDS. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in New York City, Lambda Legal has regional offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and Dallas. Lambda Legal achieves its mission through litigation, education, and public policy work.

Lambda Legal's civil rights work encompasses a wide range of areas, including federal and state constitutional law issues; discrimination in employment, benefits, housing, insurance, schools and other areas; prevention of harassment and violence; LGBT youth issues; parental rights and adoption; sodomy law reform; and access to healthcare, education and AIDS-related treatments. Lambda Legal uses not only litigation and policy advocacy, but also educational messages, publications and strategies to increase public knowledge about LGBT people and people with HIV or AIDS, and advance civil rights through change in societal attitudes.

Responsibilities: The Community Educator is primarily responsible for developing and carrying out educational and advocacy campaigns and programs in their region and assisting with national campaigns related to Lambda Legal's priority issue areas. This includes creating training curricula and conducting trainings, conducting outreach to individuals and organizations, distributing educational materials, planning and implementing educational events and using other creative strategies to inform people about legal issues related to LGBT rights and to mobilize people to take individual and collective action to win improved rights. The Community Educator will speak at conferences, meetings, community forums and trainings related to Lambda Legal's work and respond to public inquiries requesting educational information and assistance with local community organizing related to Lambda Legal's program priorities. The Community Educator will recruit, coordinate and supervise volunteers and student interns.

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual should be experienced in conceptualizing, developing and implementing campaigns and/or educational programs. They must be skilled at motivating and facilitating others to take action for social change. They should excel at creation of educational tools, developing and facilitating trainings, and reaching out to and communicating with diverse individuals and groups. The ideal candidate must have good written and verbal communication skills, be well organized, and adept at using the Internet and maintaining databases, to-do lists, and networks of activists. They must have excellent verbal and written communication skills, be well organized and detail-oriented. Must be a self-starter and work well independently and as a part of a team. Knowledge of and experience with LGBT and HIV issues and/or Spanish language skills a plus. Experience with Web 2.0 and creating on-line advocacy campaigns is a plus.

Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience within the guidelines of the Lambda Legal salary scale. Excellent employer paid benefits package including medical, dental, life and long-term disability insurance and generous employer contribution to retirement account. Generous vacation.

Application: Send cover letter, position title (in subject line of email) and resume by April 27, 2012 to:

Catherine Kirchhoff
Education and Public Affairs and Community Education Assistant
120 Wall Street, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10005
Fax: 212.809.0055
ckirchhoff@lambdalegal.org

The start date for this position will be early June, 2012. No calls, please.

People of color and people with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply. Lambda Legal is an equal opportunity employer.