Director of Legal Recruitment & Retention

City of New York•New York, NY

About The Position

The Bronx District Attorney’s Office (BXDA) seeks an experienced, organized, and detail-oriented Director of Legal Recruitment and Retention to help lead the attorney and intern talent lifecycle, from recruitment and hiring through onboarding, mentorship, professional development, engagement, and retention. The Director contributes to strategic leadership and operational oversight of the Legal Recruitment & Retention Bureau, designing and executing a comprehensive, data-driven talent strategy to build sustainable pipelines for future attorneys and professional staff while supporting the long-term success and engagement of the Office’s current legal workforce. Reporting to the Chief of Legal Recruitment and Retention, the Director serves as a central authority for attorney and intern recruitment operations and retention initiatives. The position collaborates with bureau chiefs, executive staff, training leadership, and external partners to support an inclusive, positive, and high-performing work culture aligned with the Office’s mission of justice, equity, and public service. Periodic travel is required for law school outreach events, job fairs, on-campus interview programs, and other recruitment engagements.

Requirements

Meet the stated ADMIN COMMUNITY RELATIONS SPEC - 1002F qualification through one of the listed education and experience pathways or an allowable equivalent.
Pathway 1: A baccalaureate degree from an appropriately accredited college or university and four years of satisfactory, full-time community liaison, community organization, or community relations experience, including at least two years in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity involving responsibility for planning, organizing, coordinating, developing, evaluating, and/or administering a large community service program or activity.
Pathway 2: A four-year high school diploma or approved equivalent and eight years of satisfactory, full-time experience of the kind described in Pathway 1, including at least two years in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with the stated responsibilities.
Pathway 3: Equivalent education and/or experience as permitted by the specification. Undergraduate education above high school may substitute for relevant community experience at 30 semester credits per year, up to four years; graduate education beyond a bachelor’s degree may substitute at 30 graduate credits per year, up to two years. All candidates must have a four-year high school diploma or approved equivalent and two years of full-time experience in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with the stated responsibilities.
Demonstrate exceptional interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills and the ability to collaborate across roles, bureaus, and leadership levels.
Exercise discretion, diplomacy, sound judgment, and professionalism when handling sensitive matters.

Responsibilities

Support the Chief of Legal Recruitment & Retention in advancing the bureau’s strategic vision, priorities, and performance objectives.
Contribute to the day-to-day management and operations of the Legal Recruitment & Retention Bureau, coordinating workflows, timelines, and deliverables.
Supervise and mentor assigned recruitment, retention, and administrative staff, supporting accountability, workload management, and professional development.
Assist in developing, implementing, and refining bureau policies, procedures, and internal workflows.
Oversee and coordinate NYCAPS personnel transactions related to attorney hiring, onboarding, transfers, and other personnel actions, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with applicable procedures.
Partner with bureau leadership to design and implement recruitment strategies for entry-level and lateral attorneys across all bureaus.
Support and coordinate hiring processes, including workforce planning, outreach, application review, interviews, background checks, offers, and onboarding logistics.
Assist in managing attorney and intern recruitment pipelines and contribute to recruiting interns from high school, college, law school, and graduate programs.
Build and maintain relationships with law schools, colleges and universities, bar associations, affinity organizations, and community partners.
Coordinate, support, and attend job fairs, career fairs, and on-campus interview programs; serve as a point of contact for academic institutions regarding recruitment events, scheduling, logistics, and follow-up.
Assist in planning recruitment calendars and identifying priority schools, conferences, and outreach opportunities aligned with pipeline and diversity goals.
Assist in developing, executing, and improving mentorship and internship programs for interns, entry-level attorneys, and lateral hires.
Support mentorship and internship program design, including learning objectives, supervision models, evaluations, and feedback mechanisms.
Partner with training staff, bureau leadership, and supervisors to align mentorship and internship programs with compliance and professional development goals.
Monitor program participation and feedback and provide insights and recommendations to bureau leadership.
Support retention strategies focused on engagement, career progression, organizational integration, and workforce sustainability.
Assist with stay interviews, exit interviews, surveys, and other feedback tools to identify trends and potential attrition risks.
Contribute recommendations on workforce morale, engagement, and culture, and support professional development programming for legal staff.
Support initiatives that foster a positive, inclusive, and respectful work culture.
Cultivate external partnerships that advance recruitment, pipeline development, and the Office’s reputation as an employer of choice.
Handle sensitive matters with discretion, diplomacy, sound judgment, and professionalism.
Perform all other duties as assigned.