Job Description
Job Type: Full-time
Job Title: Social Worker or Senior Social Worker
Practice Group: Social Work Team
Reports To: Social Services Manager
Location: Sacramento, Bay Area, Fresno, Los Angeles, Ontario, or San Diego - Hybrid (Only in California)
Employment Status: Regular; Exempt, Full time 37.5 hours/week
Salary Range: $62,000-98,000 (based on experience and internal equity analysis)
Benefits include 8% 401k match, LRAP up to $300/month, BBS license renewal fees, supervision for licensure, CEU fees, professional membership dues, PSLF‑eligible employment, and $50/month remote work stipend.
Application Deadline: Open until filled. Applications must be received by November 25, 2025 to be considered for the first round of interviews.
Who We Are
Disability Rights California (DRC) is a statewide, non‑profit legal organization dedicated to advancing the rights of Californians with disabilities. DRC works to achieve fairness and justice for people with disabilities through litigation, policy advocacy, and community education and training.
Purpose of the Job
The Social Worker or Senior Social Worker works under the direct supervision of the Social Services Manager and collaborates with DRC attorneys, advocates, and social workers. The role combines direct client work with community outreach to prevent homelessness and address housing instability while meeting grant requirements.
Job Responsibilities
Assist Clients (75%)
- Participate in statewide intakes on housing‑related issues (telephone and limited in‑person).
- Triage and case conference meetings to identify needs that affect housing stability.
- Identify clients’ social supports and eligibility for services.
- Navigate social services, mental health, health, education, and shelter systems to improve client access.
- Communicate and advocate with community agencies and care providers.
- Provide referrals and link clients to needed services.
- Assess risk, protective factors, and mental health concerns (MSEs, competency assessments).
- Create self‑advocacy tools.
- Identify systemic problems affecting housing rights, collaborating with other practice groups.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Community‑Based Advocacy (25%)
- Outreach and networking with community agencies to facilitate warm handoffs, especially in underserved communities.
- Engage in holistic legal advocacy with clients experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
- Organize and participate in community‑based legal clinics.
- Collaborate on designing and presenting training for service providers and the public.
- Build relationships with community leaders focused on underserved communities.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Senior Social Worker Responsibilities
Has experience in one or more substantive issue areas.
Handles a higher volume of brief service cases.
Coordinates the Social Work Internship program.
Provides supervision to student interns and volunteers.
Promotes professional development through teaching and structured learning opportunities.
Participates in agency‑wide program development and evaluation.
Participates in team meetings and supervisory sessions.
Requirements
Minimum Qualifications
BSW or Bachelor’s degree and 3+ years of social work or similar experience, OR
MSW degree and 2+ years of social work or similar experience, OR
Equivalent combination of 7+ years of experience.
Ability to interview people via phone, in person, video, or email.
Strong organizational skills, managing multiple tasks and deadlines.
Effective oral and written communication and documentation skills.
Ability to synthesize and communicate information clearly to diverse audiences.
Experience leading client groups, organizing client events, and innovative client work.
Experience presenting or training varied audiences.
Experience or sensitivity to persons with disabilities and multi‑ethnic communities.
Awareness of cultural humility and intersectionality.
Familiarity with housing barriers, navigation services, and public benefits systems.
Expertise in at least one additional substantive area of social work or disability‑related legal rights offered by DRC.
Senior Social Worker Minimum Qualifications
MSW degree and 5+ years of social work experience, OR
MSW degree and LCSW license, OR
10+ years of combined social work experience.
Demonstrated supervisory experience.
Demonstrated program development or leadership experience.
Preferred Qualifications
MSW degree or LCSW licensure.
Familiarity with laws affecting rights of people with disabilities.
Experience with housing barriers and the eviction process.
Expertise in working with unhoused families and individuals.
Knowledge of social determinants of health.
Knowledge of resources in underserved/rural counties in CA.
Experience in community organizing or development.
Experience in high‑volume public settings.
Experience in legal settings or systems.
Experience with brief services and short‑term solution‑focused practice.
Experience with violence prevention, telehealth, telemental health, or televisits.
Experience with older and dependent adults, Adult Protective Services.
Experience in harm reduction and motivational interviewing.
Experience in crisis intervention and trauma‑informed advocacy.
Ability to develop training materials, self‑advocacy tools, or modules.
Fluency in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Korean, or American Sign Language.
Life experience as a person with a disability or caregiver of a family member with a disability.
Travel Requirements
Occasional travel (up to 25% of time) for out‑of‑town meetings, training, or outreach activities.
Core Competency Skill Levels
Advocacy – Participate in stakeholder meetings, provide legal advice, represent clients in litigation, lead individual litigation, influence public policy.
Diversity & Inclusion – Embrace learning about and supporting differences, promote inclusion in various settings.
Communication – Read and interpret complex documents, respond and present written advice and information, explain complex ideas to diverse audiences.
Critical Thinking – Explore factors for best solutions, incorporate facts and communication strategy into problem solving.
Relationship Building – Reach out to clients and partners proactively, resolve conflicts constructively, support others’ ideas.
Working Conditions
Duties performed between office and field sites, often noisy. Requires frequent sitting and occasional standing, stooping, kneeling, crouching. Ability to lift and move up to 10 pounds. Willingness to travel to meetings, centers, etc.
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Job Tags
Full time, Temporary work, Work experience placement, Internship, Work at office, Remote work,