GUARDIAN AD LITEM OFFICE, 13TH CIRCUIT- VOLUNTEER RECRUITER - 21015558

Requisition No: 841308 

Agency: Justice Administrative Commission

Working Title: GUARDIAN AD LITEM OFFICE, 13TH CIRCUIT- VOLUNTEER RECRUITER - 21015558

 Pay Plan: Justice Admin Comm.

Position Number: 21015558 

Salary:  $41,746.29 

Posting Closing Date: 01/31/2025 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

STATEWIDE GUARDIAN AD LITEM OFFICE

 VOLUNTEER RECRUITER

IMPORTANT! – Please navigate to the following website:  www.guardianadlitem.org to apply for this position:

• Click on the “Career Opportunities” icon.
• Scroll down to the link, “Submit Your Guardian ad Litem Employment Application Here.”
• Complete the “mini” job application and attach your current resume.
• Select Hillsborough COUNTY for the job location

OR

• Email your mini application and resume directly to C13Apps@gal.fl.gov

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

The Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office is Florida’s award-winning, state-funded child advocacy organization. With more than 10,000 staff and volunteers, which includes more than 180 attorneys, its primary focus is the powerful and effective representation of Florida’s abused, neglected, and abandoned children. Most of these children are abruptly removed from their homes, and sadly, many end up in foster care.  The Office’s mission is to provide the most vulnerable children in Florida with an adult from their community who will be a consistent, positive presence in the child's life as part of a multi-disciplinary team that always includes an attorney, child welfare professional and hopefully a community volunteer if one is available, providing the highest quality community advocacy and independent legal representation to protect each child's legal interests.

A critical function is to provide dependency judges with thorough and accurate information regarding the children under the court’s jurisdiction. The Office’s core values strongly reinforce and enhance its mission. Those values are:

• Commitment to Children
• Communication Built on Trust
• Collective Empowerment
• Collaboration
• Courtesy

An excellent overview of the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office can be found at www.guardianadlitem.org.

As an employee with the State of Florida, your benefits are a significant part of your compensation with 19 percent of your total compensation coming from the benefits that the State offers. As a full-time employee, your insurance rate will be significantly low due to the contribution of the State of Florida. In fact, single coverage is as low as $50 per month, with family coverage costing only $180 per month.

While the rates are higher for halftime employees, health insurance options are still available if you are in a salaried position.

Benefits of working for the Guardian ad Litem Office:  

• State of Florida Retirement package – Pension or investment plan (3% employee contribution required)
• State group insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision, and other supplemental insurance options
• Flexible spending account
• Nine paid state holidays each calendar year
• One paid personal holiday each fiscal year
• 13 paid sick leave days accrued within the calendar year
• 13 paid annual leave days accrued within the calendar year with an increase after five years
• Life insurance of $25,000 is provided by the state at no cost to you for all FTE positions.  Employees may purchase additional coverage
• Public Loan Forgiveness Program
• State tuition waivers
•  

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

The GAL Volunteer Recruiter position offers an extremely interesting and challenging opportunity for job-seekers engaged in a career of direct sales/marketing or non-profit, community outreach programs involving volunteer and pro bono attorney recruiting and management.  It provides a great venue for increased professional growth and personal development. You will experience and benefit from daily exposure to critical aspects of partnering with a diverse group of community partners including but limited to:  community-based service agencies, non-profit organizations, county governments, faith-based organizations, large and small business operators, local media outlets, civic-minded citizens and current Guardian ad Litem child advocate volunteers. The daily working environment is dynamic, fast-paced, intellectually and emotionally challenging, and satisfying! 

ABOUT THE WORK

This is a highly results-oriented, independent position responsible for as directed, volunteer and Pro Bono recruiting. The Volunteer Recruiter will facilitate volunteer training and community outreach activities on behalf of the Circuit Guardian ad Litem Office in collaboration with the Office’s recruitment teams. The Volunteer Recruiter will work under the general supervision of the Circuit Director. 

The Volunteer Recruiter position encompasses a broad range of marketing, managerial, consultative, administrative, advocacy and leadership activities.  Some examples of a “typical” working day may include the following:

• Ensures compliance with all statewide administrative and operational standards, policies, procedures, and initiatives to facilitate consistent, effective circuit and statewide representation for children assigned to the Office, with special emphasis on volunteer management procedures and principles.
• Implements and adheres to circuit and statewide volunteer management procedures and practices. Effectively recruits, screens, trains, and retains sufficient volunteers and pro bono attorneys to serve on a multi-disciplinary team as a Guardian ad Litem for the children represented by your circuit.
• Assist in recruiting and screening mentors that will work with youth aging out of the foster care system, as directed by the Director of Pro Bono and Appeals or the Circuit Director.
• Responsible for developing in collaboration with the office of Pro Bono and Appeals, a continuous flow of qualified, prospective volunteer and pro bono attorney candidates through the following activities:
  • Develops circuit’s overall recruiting plan, under the direction of the Circuit Director and in collaboration with the volunteer recruitment teams to maximize the number and quality of volunteers working with children appointed to the Office.
  • The volunteer recruitment team will include fellow recruiters, Regional Director, Director of Operations, Office of Pro Bono and Appeals and the Director of Communications.  
  • Will work in collaboration with volunteer recruitment teams on recruitment plans and marketing strategies. 
  • Utilizes a variety of skillful communication approaches to deliver a highly effective recruiting and community education programs in collaboration with the recruitment team. This will include public speaking presentations to a wide variety of audiences within the community, written communications/publications, including letters, newsletters, newspaper articles and similar publications, and graphics for social media platforms, all for the purpose of generating a continual supply of new, qualified volunteer and pro bono recruits. External communications will adhere to the Office’s Branding policies.
  • Maintain a social media presence for your Circuit in collaboration with the Director of Communications under the direction of the Circuit Director.
  • Develops and maintains a wide network of contacts to help identify, locate and recruit qualified volunteers, mentors and Pro Bono Attorney’s.
  • Establishes and maintains a variety of resources to develop a candidate pool by cultivating relationships with faith-based organizations, community partners. colleges, businesses, governmental entities, law offices, and current and former Guardian ad Litem Volunteers.
  • Provides detailed, accurate and up to date information on the Office and the need for every child in the dependency system to have a volunteer or pro bono attorney from their community who will be a consistent, positive presence in their life.
  • Maintains accurate and up to date documentation in the Office’s database on all prospective candidates and their volunteer status. Ensures all required background and application information is obtained pursuant to statutes, Office standards, and policy.
  • Tracks recruiting efforts in compliance with Office policy on a monthly basis.
  • Stays informed of trends and innovative recruiting techniques to be competitive in state-of-the-art recruiting practices, particularly regarding volunteer and pro bono recruiting. To that end, you may be required to attend certain recruiting seminars offered by either Guardian ad Litem or other community partners.
  • Will locate and attend community events to further recruiting and Office efforts.
  • Will participate in the screening and training of newly recruited volunteers, as directed by the Circuit Director.
  • Will assist with ongoing in-service training needs for staff and volunteers by helping to coordinate presenters and helping to facilitate training classes, as directed by the Circuit Director.

ABOUT THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

The following are desirable knowledge, skills, abilities and traits for prospective Volunteer Recruiter position candidates:

• Self-motivated and achievement oriented
• Strong desire to learn and pursue personal development
• Able to effectively interact with and/or influence people of diverse backgrounds
• Ability to exercise discretion, respect privacy, and maintain confidentiality
• Strong organizational/time management skills and ability to meet deadlines independently
• Excellent oral, writing, and computer literacy skills
• Able to maintain a professional and effective demeanor
• Ability to instruct, coach, mentor, and motivate volunteers
• Knowledge of and proficiency in community outreach activities and techniques, public speaking, and presentations
• Knowledge of and proficiency in all aspects of volunteer recruitment, coaching, and management
• Knowledge of and proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office programs, the internet, and social media venues
• Knowledge of and proficiency in interviewing, screening, selecting, and training volunteers or staff

ABOUT THE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

The following are education and experience requirements for prospective Volunteer Recruiter position candidates:

• Must possess a valid Florida Driver’s License
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in marketing, business, psychology, or communications
• Two years of relevant experience in direct sales/marketing or non-profit, community outreach programs involving volunteer recruiting and management. 

(Please note: an exception for the required education and experience may be granted by the Executive Director or designee.)

If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS at 1-844-377-1888 on how your current benefits may be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida.  Your current retirement benefits may be canceled, suspended, or deemed ineligible depending upon the date of your retirement.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.