Current openings
Grassroots Tenant & Worker Advocate - Posted August 4, 2026, Open Until Filled
Job description:
The Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization serving low-wage workers, tenants, and their families throughout the Kansas City region and Missouri. With legal representation, community education, and policy advocacy, Heartland helps tenants and workers address housing instability, eviction attempts, unsafe living conditions, wage theft, workplace discrimination, and other barriers to economic security.
HCJF carries out this mission through five major programs: the Right to Counsel (RTC) Program, which handles 600 eviction cases each year; the Safe Homes for All Program, which works to eliminate unhealthy conditions in residential rental housing; the Stable Homes Program, which challenges private business attempts to unlawfully opt out of affordability requirements imposed by the federal government; the Worker Power Project, which protects workers' rights as they organize for unions and fight to regain stolen wages; and the Heartland Leadership and Action Committees, which collaborates with tenants and workers that served as our clients to lead grassroots and democratic mobilizations.
HCJF seeks a passionate and creative Grassroots Tenant Advocate to join our team. This role focuses on building strong relationships with tenants and low-wage workers to support impact litigation, expand community education, and strengthen grassroots leadership. The Grassroots Tenant Advocate will play a key role in connecting directly affected communities with legal advocacy efforts, ensuring their voices shape strategies for systemic change. We are a collaborative and supportive staff committed to winning better housing and jobs for all.
Position Qualifications:
Demonstrated experience in organizing communities or coalitions to advance reforms to public systems;
Demonstrated commitment to valuing, highlighting and building the capacity of impacted communities to effectively organize initiatives;
Demonstrated ability to plan, implement and coordinate successful community outreach and public education campaigns;
Strong communication skills, including public speaking, facilitation, and one-on-one engagement;
Self-starter with the ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently;
Able to work collaboratively with coworkers;
Deep commitment to social justice, housing rights, and/or workers’ rights;
Extensive travel to both urban and rural areas around Kansas City, MO is required; and
Must have a valid driver’s license;
and Fluency in Spanish is preferred but not required.
Key responsibilities and duties include:
Tenant & Worker Organizing
Build and maintain relationships with tenants and low-wage workers to support campaigns tied to HCJF Legal Program areas.
Investigate tenant habitability complaints and worker employment issues.
Collaborate and coordinate closely with HCJF attorneys to develop and sustain a multi-disciplinary and community-informed approach to HCJF’s various advocacy efforts.
Conduct outreach through door-knocking, phone banking, and community events.
Community Engagement, Know Your Rights & Public Education
Plan, coordinate, and implement “Know Your Rights” workshops and other public education events alongside attorneys.
Collaborate with legal staff to translate complex legal concepts into accessible information.
Facilitate meetings, town halls, and community forums with tenants and workers.
Leadership Development & Collaboration
Work closely with community leaders to support a leadership committee of tenants and workers.
Cultivate external relationships with national, regional, and local partner organizations and allies to strengthen collective impact.
This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts or requirements or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned.
Benefits: HCJF offers health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, and life insurance. Staff start at 15 days of vacation, 10 days of sick time, 2 personal days, and 13 paid holidays annually. We offer retirement accounts with an employer match.
Pay: $60,000.00 - $63,000.00 per year
Job Type: Full-time, in person position at our office located in Midtown Kansas City (Westport area), with frequent travel throughout Kansas City, MO and occasional travel to Springfield, MO and other cities where HCJF has active litigation. This position is non-exempt.
HCJF is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, gender identity, or gender expression.
Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter describing your organizing experience and commitment to this work to: andrewzonoozi@jobsandfreedom.org.
Worker and Tenant Impact Litigation Attorney - Posted August 4, 2026, Open Until Filled
Job description:
The Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization serving low-wage workers, tenants, and their families throughout the Kansas City region and Missouri. With legal representation, community education, and policy advocacy, HCJF helps tenants and workers address housing instability, eviction attempts, unsafe living conditions, wage theft, workplace discrimination, and other barriers to economic security.
HCJF carries out this mission through five major programs: the Right to Counsel (RTC) Program, which handles 600 eviction cases each year; the Safe Homes for All Program, which works to eliminate unhealthy conditions in residential rental housing; the Stable Homes Program, which challenges private business attempts to unlawfully opt out of affordability requirements required by the law and uphold fair housing protections; the Worker Power Project, which protects workers’ rights as they organize for unions and fight to regain stolen wages; and the Heartland Leadership and Action Committees, which collaborates with tenants and workers that served as our clients to lead grassroots and democratic mobilizations.
We seek an experienced skilled attorney to help drive the Worker Power Project and contribute to the Safe Homes for All and Stable Homes for All Projects.
Description of the position:
Track bad actors in Kansas City area with exploitative employment practices;
Lead legal advocacy programs and build strategic litigation designed to improve conditions for low-wage workers broadly;
Manage trial practice for class actions and limited individual employment-related cases (handle discovery, file motions and briefs, conduct and defend depositions, etc);
Support outreach and know-your-rights education to support of low-wage workers and immigrant workers;
Support legal advocacy efforts related to uninhabitable living conditions, including contributing to impact litigation and tracking bad actors in the Kansas City area known to house tenants in unsafe and unlivable housing;
Support legal advocacy efforts related to the maintenance of affordable housing and enforcing state and federal fair housing laws in Kansas City;
Work with litigation team members to determine additional cases that will maximize programs’ impact;
Share information with the press to strengthen programs;
Collaborate with outside co-counsel.
Requirements:
Law degree with admission to the Missouri Bar or ability to obtain admission through waiver or reciprocity;
Excellent research, analytical, and persuasive writing skills;
Ability to manage complex litigation and a significant workload effectively;
At least three years of civil litigation experience;
Be committed to working collaboratively and respectfully towards resolving obstacles and conflicts;
Self-starter with the ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently;
Ability to work well under pressure with attention to detail;
Exceptional research, writing, and oral communication skills;
Demonstrated ability to conduct complex legal analysis and fact-finding;
Judicial clerkships, law review or journal experience, and/or experience litigating civil rights and civil liberties cases, desired
Should be comfortable in a collaborative environment guided by a belief in worker and tenant democracy, housing as a human right, and the need to strive for societal change.
This is a full-time position. Position pays in the range of $75,000 to $85,000 depending on experience. Benefits include healthcare, retirement, paid sick days, paid vacation, and paid holidays. Salary range is negotiable for attorneys with extensive experience.
The Heartland Center is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, gender identity, or gender expression.
To be considered for this opening, please submit a resume, cover letter, a relevant writing sample, and a list of no less than three references by email toandrewzonoozi@jobsandfreedom.org.
Eviction Defense Attorney - Posted July 7, 2026, Open Until Filled
Job description
The Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom (HCJF) is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization serving low-wage workers, tenants, and their families throughout the Kansas City region and Missouri. With legal representation, community education, and policy advocacy, Heartland helps tenants and workers address housing instability, eviction attempts, unsafe living conditions, wage theft, workplace discrimination, and other barriers to economic security.
We believe that working people of all races and backgrounds will have the power and influence to ensure that everyone can live a full life free of abuse, exploitation, and poverty. It is the mission of HCJF to create opportunities for tenants and workers to learn and exercise their rights, realize their collective power, and develop the leadership skills necessary to advocate for a racially and economically just society.
HCJF carries out this mission through five major programs: the Right to Counsel (RTC) Program, which handles 600 eviction cases each year; the Safe Homes for All Program, which works to eliminate unhealthy conditions in residential rental housing; the Stable Homes Program, which challenges private business attempts to unlawfully opt out of affordability requirements imposed by the federal government; the Worker Power Project, which protects workers' rights as they organize for unions and fight to regain stolen wages; and the Heartland Leadership and Action Committees, which collaborates with tenants and workers that served as our clients to lead grassroots and democratic mobilizations.
If you want to develop strong courtroom advocacy skills while doing deeply meaningful work, consider applying for this position. If hired, you will work with a talented team of housing rights advocates doing cutting edge legal work as a part of our Right to Counsel (RTC) Program.
A brief overview of the position and duties is as follows:
Defend tenants against eviction lawsuits by asserting defenses (based on the warranty of habitability, reasonable accommodation, notice requirements, procedural defects, etc.), negotiating settlement agreements, and connecting tenants to resources that will keep them safe and housed.
Try cases in court, craft legal pleadings, work to establish pro-tenant legal precedents.
Collaborate with other legal aid organizations defending tenants and attend trainings to develop rigorous legal skills.
Collaborate with interns, volunteers and fellow staffers.
Attorney will need to be licensed in Missouri, be able to work with diverse populations in crisis, and manage a fast-moving caseload. This job requires grit, skill, ambition and tenacity, and is also very exciting and rewarding. The workplace is highly collaborative, friendly and supportive. Experience and/or a second language proficiency is a major plus but not required.
For more information about Kansas City's transformational RTC law, please see this KCUR article: https://www.kcur.org/housing-development-section/2022-10-03/in-three-months-kansas-citys-right-to-counsel-program-has-helped-nearly-400-tenants
For those unfamiliar with this area: Kansas City is an extremely diverse, liberal city with a lively art, theater, food and music scene. We have a rich history of worker and tenant organizing. Because the midwest and south play such an important role in determining the direction of our nation, this is also an extremely important and impactful place to do social justice work.
Work Location: In person
Job Type: Full-time, in person position at our office located in Midtown Kansas City (Westport area), with frequent travel throughout Kansas City, MO and occasional travel to Springfield, MO and other cities where HCJF has active litigation. This position is non-exempt.
HCJF is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, gender identity, or gender expression.
Please submit your resume, a cover letter describing relevant experience and commitment to this work, and a list of no less than three references to: andrewzonoozi@jobsandfreedom.org.
Pay: $70,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year
Benefits:
401(k)
401(k) matching
Dental insurance
Health insurance
Health savings account
Life insurance
Paid time off
Parental leave
Professional development assistance
Retirement plan
Vision insurance
Work Location: In person