Bilingual AWP Summer Advocate (Saint Paul, MN)

Position: Bilingual (English/Spanish) Agricultural Worker Project Summer Outreach Advocate

Saint Paul, Minnesota[ES1]

Position Summary

Are you passionate about improving workers’ living and working conditions? Do want to use your Spanish language skills to empower people? Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, Inc. (SMRLS) is seeking a Bilingual (English/Spanish) Summer Outreach Advocate to assist its Agricultural Worker Project. The position will be hybrid – based out of SMRLS’ Central Office in Saint Paul, Minnesota with some remote work – and will include significant travel throughout Minnesota.

Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services

SMRLS is a non-profit law firm which receives federal, state, local, public and private funding to provide free legal help to low income and elderly people who reside in 33 counties of southern Minnesota, as well as the areas served by its farmworker unit. SMRLS is a client-centered organization which is committed to its mission of providing a full range of high quality legal services, in a respectful manner which enable clients to enforce their legal rights; to maintain freedom from hunger, homelessness, sickness and abuse; and to empower persons and ensure equal opportunity, thus, helping persons to help themselves and to become economically self-reliant, to the extent their individual abilities and circumstances permit.

The Agricultural Worker Project

SMRLS’ Agricultural Worker Project (AWP) provides free and confidential civil legal aid to eligible agricultural workers in all counties of Minnesota and North Dakota. The AWP team focuses on improving clients’ working and living conditions through legal representation, outreach, and education. The AWP advises and represents clients with cases involving wage theft, workplace health and safety violations, inadequate employer-provided housing, labor trafficking, employment discrimination or retaliation, H-2A contract violations, and other legal matters that specifically impact agricultural workers. The AWP provides legal rights education to agricultural workers in Minnesota and North Dakota through extensive outreach programming.

Office Location

The outreach advocate will be based at SMRLS’ Saint Paul Central Office (55 East 5th Street; Saint Paul, MN 55101). In-office work is required 1-3 days per week with the other workdays occurring on the road/during outreach and remotely.

Key Job Responsibilities

The Bilingual Summer Outreach Advocate (“outreach advocate”) will play a vital role in increasing the AWP’s outreach and legal education capacity throughout Minnesota during its busiest season. An outreach advocate can expect to do outreach visits 2 evenings per week.

Visiting farmworker housing is the primary way that the AWP gets in contact with agricultural workers. Face-to-face visits to farmworker housing and other locations frequented by agricultural workers involve driving to worker housing, informing workers about their rights, distributing legal rights materials, listening to workers about their living and working situations and concerns, and completing intakes regarding legal problems workers may be experiencing. Other outreach opportunities include events, community education presentations, and social media.

The selected applicant will have the opportunity to learn firsthand about, and contribute to the effective resolution of, the legal problems of agricultural workers under the supervision and guidance of the AWP’s dedicated staff.

· Perform in-person evening outreach (2x / week) to agricultural workers throughout Minnesota to provide information about the AWP’s services and materials regarding legal rights.

· Participate in outreach team meetings and case review meetings.

· Develop outreach materials like flyers, videos, and Facebook posts.

· Develop and strengthen the AWP’s partnerships with service providers and local, state, and federal government agencies to reach farmworkers more effectively in Minnesota and North Dakota.

· Answer/return phone calls, conduct intake interviews by phone, and provide referrals as necessary.

· Additional duties may include conducting legal research, writing memos, and drafting letters and pleadings to help resolve legal disputes.

· Other duties as based on interest, education, and skill set.

Job Qualifications

· Ability to communicate (orally and in writing) in English and Spanish easily, clearly, and independently.

· Ability to work 2 evenings per week. A sample evening outreach schedule is 2 – 10:30 p.m. Please note: There is some variation in start and end time.

· Ability to work approximately 2 overnight work trips, which will each last between 1 – 2 nights.

· Comfortable serving, and the ability to relate to, individuals from varying backgrounds.

· Possession of a valid driver’s license.

· Attention to detail.

· Positive and flexible attitude.

· Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

· Ability to work remotely and in-office. The outreach advocate will work at SMRLS’ St. Paul Central office 1-3 days per week.

· Computer proficiency.

· Demonstrated interest in addressing the needs of low-income communities, especially agricultural workers.

· Ability to be resourceful, analyze problems, and propose problem-solving solutions.

· Preferred: Experience with digital platforms (WhatsApp and Facebook).

Exposure and Training Opportunities

The outreach advocate will receive introductory training in the laws that protect the rights of agricultural workers, including Minnesota’s Migrant Labor Law, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act. The outreach advocate may be invited to attend (virtual) regional training with farmworker advocates from around the Midwest. The outreach advocate will develop experience conducting interviews with potential clients in Spanish, screening for common worker rights abuses, and conducting legal rights presentations. Ongoing training will be provided by AWP staff. The outreach advocate will be supervised by the Project Manager & Outreach Coordinator and will work closely with the AWP outreach team.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

Office work involves sedentary work, including sitting at a desk on a computer for an extended period of time. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and/or laptop keyboard and use a telephone. Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision requirements due to computer work. Regularly drives and/or rides in a motor vehicle while seated for extended periods of time.

Light walking and standing for extended periods of time during field visits when distributing information, interviewing workers, or giving presentations. Walking on uneven surfaces during fieldwork and ascending and descending stairs during field visits. Ability to lift as much as 20 pounds. The work environment can vary from a controlled office to an outdoors environment in an agricultural or farm setting.

Duration

The outreach advocate position is a temporary position within SMRLS’ Agricultural Worker Project. An outreach advocate must work irregular hours – including evening outreach (2x per week), limited overnight travel, and occasional weekend events – to meet the needs of the AWP’s client community. An outreach advocate will work between 30 – 37.5 hours per week, with the occasional week peaking at up to 40 hours.

For Summer 2025, we expect the outreach advocate to start employment on Monday, May 19, 2025, and anticipate that they will finish at the latest by Friday, August 22, 2025.

Compensation

· Hourly rate: $18.00

· Pro-rated holiday pay (Memorial Day, Juneteenth, and the Fourth of July)

· Paid sick leave

· Outreach-related travel expenses will be reimbursed. This includes mileage reimbursement when a personal vehicle is used for work-related travel.

How to Apply

Applicants must submit the following materials via SMRLS’ online application portal or via email to the hiring manager:

· Cover letter which summarizes qualifications, skills, experience and note any bilingual proficiency in Spanish;

· Resume; and

· Names and contact information for three professional and/or academic references.

Application Deadline

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled; however, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by Friday, March 7, 2025. Application materials will be reviewed upon receipt and virtual interviews scheduled for applicants.

Hiring Manager

Elise Sporre, Project Manager and Outreach Coordinator

Agricultural Worker Project

Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services

55 E. 5th Street, Suite 400

Saint Paul, MN 55101

elise.sporre@smrls.org

SMRLS is committed to diversity in the workplace. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.

[ES1]Action Item: Use Letterhead once this is finalized (MHD for MHD, STP for STP).

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary

Pay: From $18.00 per hour

Expected hours: 37.5 per week

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Saint Paul, MN 55101

Salary : $18