Director, Indigent Defense Improvement Division

Job Description and Duties

The Indigent Defense Improvement Division (IDID) of the Office of the State Public Defender (OSPD) provides training and support to public defender offices and to other counsel appointed to represent indigent defendants and juveniles. It also provides technical assistance and capacity building related to indigent defense to counties and engages in efforts for the purpose of the improvement of indigent defense. (Gov. Code, § 15420).

Under the general direction of, and in consultation with, the State Public Defender (SPD), the Director of IDID is independently responsible for supervising the training and capacity building divisions of IDID. The training division plans and implements high quality webinars, in person events, and on demand trainings for defense teams across the state, partnering with state and national training organizations. The capacity building team works with county policymakers and indigent defense leaders to improve local indigent defense systems and support statewide solutions. The Director shall formulate, plan, and implement other OSPD efforts to improve indigent defense in California including overseeing data collection policies, policy recommendations and external communications. As a member of executive management, the Director of IDID has agency-wide management responsibilities.

Please take the short recruitment survey linked below:
https://www.surveymonkey.com

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.

Working Conditions
OSPD has two regional offices located in Oakland and Sacramento. The Oakland office is located downtown in a modern high rise building near the 12th Street BART station, not to mention a variety of delicious restaurants. The Sacramento office is located downtown in a modern high-rise building near SacRT Light Rail stations, Downtown Commons, and plenty of shopping.

OSPD permits full-time telework in accordance with government code 14200 for eligible applicants residing in California.

Travel will be required 5% of the time.

Business travel reimbursements consider an employee’s designated Headquarters Location and primary residence. The policy may be subject to change by the California Department of Human Resources. All commute expenses to the headquartered location will be the responsibility of the selected candidate.

Minimum Requirements
This position does not have a Classification Specification. Requirements and qualifications for this position can be found in this announcement. For additional questions, please contact the hiring department listed below.

Knowledge and Abilities
Applicants must demonstrate the ability to perform high administrative and policy – influencing functions effectively. Such overall ability requires possession of most of the following more specific knowledge and abilities:

1. Knowledge of the organization and functions of California State Government including the organization and practices of the Legislature and the Executive Branch; principles, practices, and trends of public administration, organization, and management; techniques of organizing and motivating groups; program development and evaluation; methods of administrative problem solving; principles and practices of policy formulation and development; and personnel management techniques; the department’s or agency’s Equal Employment Opportunity Program objectives; and a manager’s role in the Equal Employment Opportunity Program.

2.Ability to plan, organize, and direct the work of multidisciplinary professional and administrative staff; analyze administrative policies, organization, procedures and practices; integrate the activities of a diverse program to attain common goals; gain the confidence and support of top level administrators and advise them on a wide range of administrative matters; develop cooperative working relationships with representatives of all levels of government, the public, and the Legislature and Executive branches; analyze complex problems and recommend effective courses of action; and prepare and review reports; and effectively contribute to the department’s or agency’s Equal Employment Opportunity objectives.

These knowledge and abilities are expected to be obtained from the following kinds of experience with substantial participation in the formulation, operation and/or evaluation of program policies (experience may have been paid or volunteer; in State service, other government settings, or in a private organization):

CEA Level A - Responsible for broad administrative and program activities, including the execution and/or evaluation of program policies.

CEA Level B - Responsible for extensive managerial and program administration or broad program manager experience with substantial participation in the formulation, operation, and/or evaluation of program policies.

CEA Level C - Responsible for extensive highly professional influence and contributes to program, policy, and the methods to provide professional services needed to set policies, to meet the mission of the State department and often exercising technical and or professional skills that are required at this level.

Desirable Qualifications
In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

Knowledge of how California provides indigent defense services across the state and best practices for the provision of indigent defense services.
Knowledge of the national and statewide groups working on indigent defense issues.
Knowledge and experience in training methods and materials, including knowledge and experience in implementing innovative models of providing public defense.
Knowledge of data collection and analysis practices for evaluating the provision of indigent defense services.
Substantial experience in the provision of indigent defense services at the trial level or a demonstrated commitment to indigent defense.
Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with policymakers, agency staff, and other stakeholders.
Excellent oral and written communication skills for a broad set of audiences, with the ability to understand and implement effective written communications.
Experience in systems-thinking.
Demonstrated ability to exercise sound political judgment and utmost discretion.
Experience in recruiting and hiring diverse staff.
Experience in managing attorney and support staff.
Experience with policy development and advocacy at the county and/or state level.
Experience developing and implementing budgets.
Ability to maintain favorable public relations.
Exceptional leadership skills.
Effectively promote equal opportunity employment and maintain a work environment that is free of discrimination and harassment.
Proficient in Microsoft Office 365, Excel, and Teams.