Fair Housing Testing Coordinator

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Legal Assistance of Western New York Inc. (LawNY) is seeking a Fair Housing Testing Coordinator to join our team. Fair Housing Testing is one method of investigating discrimination in violation of fair housing laws. Testers pose typically as renters to observe the practices of housing providers to confirm compliance with fair housing laws. The Coordinator will oversee the use of testing by the testers as an investigative tool both to identify potential discrimination and to respond to specific complaints of discrimination.The Testing Coordinator will have their choice of which of our 7 offices they would like to work out of contingent upon office space. These offices include: Ithaca Bath Geneva Rochester Jamestown Olean or Elmira. This position can be done remotely however it will require some travel for outreach and in-office events.

Responsibilities of this position will include recruiting fair housing testers; designing and conducting tester trainings; designing systemic and complaint-based tests; preserving and controlling evidence; preparing investigative reports; and analyzing test reports. The Coordinator will maintain detailed case records and assist with reporting. The Coordinator must be available to work outside normal business hours on occasion to conduct outreach and to de-brief testers.

QUALIFICATIONS These are the basic requirements for the position.

• Associates degree and/or relevant work experience
• Demonstrated commitment to helping poor and disadvantaged people overcome institutional barriers to legal access.
• Experience with data management systems and use of Google Workspace and Microsoft Suite.
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COMPENSATION PACKAGE

The beginning salary for a Fair Housing Testing Coordinator with no experience is $33670 and the salary for a Fair Housing Testing Coordinator with thirty years of experience is $64620. Salary will be based on experience. LawNY is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF).

LawNY provides an excellent package of fringe benefits including:

• 94% Employer paid Medical Premium with 100% Employer paid in-network deductible
• 100% Employer paid Dental Insurance
• 100% Employer paid Life Insurance
• 100% Employer paid Enhanced Short-term Disability
• 100% Employer paid Long-term Disability
• Vision Insurance
• 20 Paid Vacation days per year
• 12 Sick days per year
• 5 Personal days per year
• 13.5 Holidays plus 2 floating Holidays per year
• 35-Hour Work Week
  

RESPONSIBILITIES These are the most significant responsibilities and primary functions of the position.

• Conduct community outreach events across LawNYs 14-county service area regarding federal and state fair housing protections.
• Recruit and screen fair housing testers.
• Design and conduct tester training sessions.
• Design systemic and compliant-based testing as a tool for uncovering and investigating potential fair housing discrimination.
• Preserve and control evidence including maintaining physical and digital evidence in accordance with LawNY testing policies.
• Prepare investigative reports and an analysis of each test conducted.
• Maintain detailed case records and assist with reporting.
• Develop specialized knowledge in fair housing and fair lending law to support litigation.
• Participate in LawNY workgroups as well as attend training sessions to keep abreast of current developments in fair housing law and testing best practices.
  

ADDITIONAL TRAITS AND SKILLS These are the traits attributes attitudes and skills that speak to the candidates ability to succeed in the position. While no one candidate will possess all of the qualities listed the ideal candidate will have many of these qualities. LawNY encourages each candidate to think about their own personal knowledge skills and experience as well as professional skills and experience in relation to this list.

• Familiarity with federal/state protected classes and/or federal/state fair housing laws
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to give precise and easy to follow instructions
• Comfort conducting both one-on-one and large-scale community outreach events and experience recruiting volunteers
• Highly organized and detail oriented
• High level of comfort with technology including audio recording equipment equipment to duplicate audio recordings Zoom or equivalent remote meeting platforms Docusign or equivalent software for remote data collection and signatures and the Google Suite
• An understanding of the concepts of structural and institutional racism and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities.
• Lived experience with our client communities.
• True fluency in a language other than English that is spoken by our clients.

ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

Legal Assistance of Western New York Inc. (LawNY) is a not-for-profit law firm that provides free civil legal services to low-income clients in a 14-county area of Western New York the Finger Lakes and the Southern Tier. LawNY has seven fully staffed field offices in Bath Elmira Geneva Ithaca Jamestown Olean and Rochester satellite offices in Lakeville and Lyons and a business office in Rochester.

LawNY is committed to equitable inclusion across race gender sexual orientation gender identity age ability sex religion economic circumstances ethnicity national origin and culture. We are increasingly committed to creating a law firm where race equity diversity and cultural competency are integral components of our work from client advocacy to internal operations.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply submit your cover letter resume and three professional references through LawNYs BambooHR platform found here: When outlining work experience on a resume candidates are requested to label each position as full-time or part-time and describe unpaid volunteer/internships as such. The application for this position is open until filled.

To promote social justice and achieve our mission LawNY is committed to supporting our diverse staff and creating an inclusive and respectful your cover letter please also include an explanation of how you think that your background and experience has prepared you to contribute to our mission vision and values at LawNY.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require any accommodations to support you in your role - whether for your interview onboarding or your day-to-day work please let us know by sending an email to:. Any information shared will remain confidential and only be used to ensure the appropriate support is in place before your first day. As part of your employment LawNY will provide the necessary hardware to support your role.

Questions Contact Michelle Grillone at

LawNY is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to supporting a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds identities and lived experiences and will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race color religion sex (including pregnancy sexual orientation or gender identity) national origin age disability genetic information or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local laws. If you meet the basic qualifications of the role we encourage you to apply!

This position is considered Exempt pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act.