Job Opportunities

Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN) is seeking a dynamic team member to work closely with and among other SPAN team members in our mission to end domestic violence within our community. Applying to become part of SPAN means you are committed to working toward fulfilling SPAN’s mission. 

Please note that a combination of education, work and life experience may be considered in lieu of other requirements.

SPAN provides opportunities for ongoing professional development and training and is an EEOA employer with a strong commitment to Affirmative Action. People of Color, LGBTQ+ folks, and people with different levels of abilities are encouraged to apply.

Application Process 

Please submit a resume and cover letter to hr@safehousealliance.org. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but priority consideration will be given to those received by 11/16/2026. 

The Position 

The Legal Advocacy Director is responsible for the development, implementation, and oversight of SPAN’s Legal Advocacy Program. As the leader of the Legal Advocacy team, this position provides supervision, mentorship, and professional development opportunities while ensuring effective, survivor-centered legal advocacy services. The Legal Advocacy Director builds and maintains strong partnerships with civil, criminal, and immigration legal systems, law enforcement, attorneys, and community organizations to strengthen coordinated responses to survivors of domestic violence and their children. As a member of SPAN’s leadership team, the Legal Advocacy Director plays a key role in advancing systems change, identifying barriers faced by survivors, and advocating for more accessible, equitable, and responsive legal systems. 

Compensation 

This is an exempt, salaried position. The salary is $70,000-$75,000 annually, depending on your qualifications, and includes our standard benefit package, including a medical plan, dental plan, vacation, sick leave, and 10 paid holidays.  Reduced rate Eco-Pass, Employee Assistance Program, and Simple IRA retirement plan with agency contribution up to 3% for eligible employees. 

A Day in the Life 

  • Develop, implement, and monitor policies, procedures, and strategies that advance the success of SPAN’s Legal Advocacy program.  
  • Oversee program staff who implement SPAN’s Lawyers for Victims Program (LFVP),
    • Court Advocate Volunteer program, and all Legal Advocacy services. 
    • Lead SPAN’s participation in community coalitions aimed at addressing and preventing high lethality among survivors.  
    • Recruit, hire, train, supervise, and conduct regular performance evaluations of staff members. Lead weekly team meetings and individual staff supervision meetings. 
    • Ensure the provision of confidential, client-directed, trauma-informed support and safety planning to survivors. Provide direct client services as necessary. 
    • Support the Legal Advocacy and Crisis Intervention team members to maintain accurate, up-to-date resources and referral information. Expand and implement warm referral processes with legal service providers.   
    • Collaborate with community organizations and initiatives to improve access to and availability of legal advocacy services for survivors of domestic violence. 
    • Maintain key community partnerships with legal service providers, law enforcement agencies, and District Attorney’s Office, court, and jail staff. 
    • Represent SPAN at meetings with justice system partners to review high lethality cases and coordinate community response through the Domestic Violence High Risk Team (DVHRT), Domestic Violence Abuse Response Committee (DARC), and Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP). 
    • Advocate for improved community-wide, systems-level response to Domestic Violence especially for members of marginalized communities.  
    • Coordinate with SPAN program staff to implement internal training and ongoing troubleshooting aimed at increased organizational capacity for providing legal advocacy. 
    • Facilitate trainings for law enforcement, justice system, attorneys, and other victim service providers on domestic violence and SPAN services.  
    • Complete all necessary documentation, record keeping, and departmental program data, including statistics, performance evaluations, monthly and quarterly progress reports, and other necessary reports. 
    • Participate in weekly All Staff and Leadership Team meetings. 

     

    Qualifications 

    • Bachelor’s degree in a law-related field, similar field, or equivalent combination of education and experience required. Master’s degree in a law-related field or Juris Doctorate preferred.  
    • Two years’ experience in program management and supervision is required. 
    • Five years’ experience in victim/survivor advocacy is required. 
    • Proven experience effectively advocating for systems change on behalf of survivors of domestic violence. Advanced working knowledge of the legal system’s response to domestic violence. 
    • Exceptional team building, conflict resolution, leadership skills, and ability to
      • effectively address vicarious trauma is required. 
      • Excellent written and oral communication skills in English required; Spanish language proficiency preferred.  
      • The ability to produce and meet deadlines in a fast-paced and changing environment. The desire and ability to work with passion, diligence, humility, and humor. 
      • Proficient in Microsoft Office.  

       

      About You 

      You have progressive professional experience: 

      • Supporting and advocating for survivors of domestic violence, including members of marginalized communities, within legal systems. 
      • Managing and developing programs. 
      • Advancing programmatic goals in partnership with internal and external stakeholders. 
      • Pursuing systems change, strengthening advocacy efforts, and improving institutional responses to survivors of domestic violence, especially survivors from marginalized communities. 
      • Leading a team and being part of a leadership team. 
      • Building, supervising, and supporting a team of victim/survivor advocates. 
      • Communicating with groups and individuals from diverse backgrounds. 
      • You are skilled at conflict resolution and problem solving. 
      • You are detail-oriented, responsible, independent, and organized. 

       

      SPAN Culture: 

      SPAN team members are dedicated and work in a fast-paced environment with full days – including some evenings and weekends – yet remain committed to a healthy work-life balance. While SPAN expects work to be taken seriously, we also know the importance of having fun, and the value of enjoying the work. 

       

      SPAN’s Organizational Goals: 

      Foster organizational excellence – Provide meaningful and effective support and resources to adults, children, and youth impacted by domestic violence.  

       

      Violence prevention initiatives – Implement initiatives that promote safety, dignity, and liberation for all people.  

       

      People Centric – Engage team members, individuals, groups, policy makers, and the community at large in efforts that promote economic, racial, and social justice and an atmosphere where team members and clients are valued.

      Inclusive – Team members are welcoming, inviting, authentic, outward-facing, and visible to all audiences, voices, and stories. 

       

      Application Process 

      Please submit a resume and cover letter to hr@safehousealliance.org. While we prefer to receive electronic applications, we will accept applications by mail. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but priority consideration will be given to those received by 11/16/2026. 

       

      The Legal Stuff 

      You need to be able to sit or stand for long periods each day. While not frequent, you need the ability to: reach for and move 15 pounds; regularly use your hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; access a wide variety of meetings and settings; perform a variety of tasks that involve standing, walking, traversing, sitting, stooping, kneeling, bending, and twisting, occasionally climbing stairs or using an elevator, possibly reaching chest high and overhead for materials, with reasonable accommodation. 

       

      You need the ability to communicate adequately in person and by phone, in individual and group settings, and function with periodic distractions such as people, telephone calls, and noise. 

       

      You need the ability to work with, and process information from, a variety of individuals and media (e.g., computers, projected images, printed materials). 

       

      SPAN is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all team members and providing a work environment free from discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at SPAN are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual applicant qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, or belief, ancestry, age, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), family or parental status, or any other status protected by law. SPAN will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

 

 

About SPAN

Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN) is a human rights organization committed to ending violence against adults, youth, and children through support, advocacy, education, and community organizing. Operating since 1979, SPAN is the only organization serving Boulder, western Broomfield, smaller towns, and unincorporated Boulder County, designed to provide shelter and advocacy for victims of interpersonal violence. SPAN is dedicated to the promotion of social justice, diversity, equity, inclusivity, peace and non-violence for all individuals and their families.

SPAN Culture

SPAN team members are dedicated and work in a fast-paced environment with full days – which may include evenings and weekends for Shelter shifts – yet remain committed to a healthy work/life balance. While SPAN expects work to be taken seriously, it also knows the importance of having fun and the value of enjoying the work.

Our Organizational Goals

Foster Organizational Excellence
Provide meaningful and effective support and resources to adults, children, and youth impacted by interpersonal violence.

Violence Prevention Initiatives
Implement initiatives that promote safety, dignity, and liberation for all people.

People Centric
Engage team members, individuals, groups, policy makers, and the community at large in efforts that promote economic, racial, and social justice and an atmosphere where team members and clients are valued.

Inclusive
Team members are welcoming, inviting, authentic, outward-facing, and visible to all audiences, voices, and stories.

Guidelines for Board, Staff, Interns & Volunteers

The primary expectation of all SPAN staff, volunteers, interns and board members is a willingness to take responsibility for their own responses and reactions to any given situation and to engage in a process that is ongoing and open to learning and feedback. The following “Non-Negotiables” are intended to help clarify the philosophical goals of the agency and serve as the baseline criteria from which we assess levels of appropriateness for working within the agency. Political education and active critical thinking are necessary components of our work.

  1. We share a basic understanding that
    • violence against women is systemic;
    • women are an oppressed group; and
    • oppression in any form (racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, cissexism, ageism, ableism etc.) is an act of violence.
  2. We acknowledge intimate partner violence as an action taken primarily against women.
  3. We do not blame the victim in any way for victimization. This includes:
    • respect for all people regardless of race, gender, religion, culture, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status or class;
    • an understanding of the use of violence that considers patterns of behavior, motive and impact, as opposed to a single act; and
    • an approach that is rooted in advocacy as defined by the client.
  4. We continuously work to recognize and challenge our own personal beliefs. This requires:
    • an ongoing process of becoming aware of our own prejudices and privileges;
    • constant effort made toward avoiding projection of personal beliefs about a client’s and/or their children’s circumstances, or assuming that we know what is best for them;
    • the responsibility to be aware of our judgments and reactions when others disagree or hold different beliefs from our own.
    • a willingness to share personal ideas and to receive feedback and challenges on these ideas;
    • the responsibility to challenge oppression and privilege in others and ourselves; and
    • full accountability for our words and actions.
  5. We demonstrate willingness to relinquish/share power and privilege. We are committed to seeking understanding about our experiences both as oppressor and oppressed.
  6. We have a commitment to ethical communication in all of our interpersonal encounters. It is our goal to support each other in this process.
  7. We value and are committed to social change through activism and community organizing.
  8. We challenge and avoid the use of blaming, disrespectful or violent language in our daily lives.
  9. We strive to ensure that our actions, with clients, each other and the community at-large are consistent with our stated beliefs.
  10. We believe that the use of any form of violence to establish power and control is not acceptable.

In summary, the Non-Negotiables reflect a process that occurs on a continuum. There is no finish line or ‘final destination’ in following these guidelines. Instead, we recognize the fluidity of learning and change. There are few role models for the implementation of these and similar philosophical goals. We are committed to participating in the process reflected in these “Non-Negotiables” to the best of our ability.

Ethical Communication has evolved into a practice that incorporates feminist, social activist, theological, multiracial and recovery-program perspectives, and it addresses issues of oppression and empowerment. While it is a useful means for resolving conflict, Ethical Communication is also a practice for everyday encounters. It reflects a social change paradigm, and it provides a professional standard by which to measure interactions with colleagues. It is a method that can work in a hierarchical organizational structure, provided that an abuse of power is not present. The practice of Ethical Communication maximizes opportunities for open and direct interaction within organizations while minimizing the potential for blow-ups and damaging incidents.

Social Justice Principles of Ethical Communication
  • Direct communication and resolution are primary goals
  • As members of a group, we cultivate open personal agendas vs. secret agendas
  • No one is isolated or denied a process when challenges arise
  • We are accountable – individually and as a group – for the impact of unethical alliance building and power blocs on the group
  • Conflict and precisely focused anger can be instructive experiences and at times essential to reach true resolution
  • We strive to become aware of and take responsible action for power differentials (formal and informal power)
  • We notice and are accountable for patterns reflecting privilege
  • We remain open to examining own beliefs and perceptions without indulging in self-consciousness

Good communication skills can take a lifetime to develop: how do we articulate our views clearly, hear another’s viewpoint, and engage in disagreement in a way that is respectful and direct? Additionally, while conflict is a daily occurrence and can prompt us into action, how we respond to it, our motives and our methods for handling it is the ethical challenge. Developing facilitation skills in Ethical Communication can lead to resolution among individuals and groups. Learning to give feedback in a direct, honest, and respectful way can improve our ability to receive and incorporate feedback for self-improvement. By taking responsibility to ensure a safe (though not always comfortable!) group environment, we are more able to take personal risks in challenging each other and in sharing new ideas.

When we model ethical standards of communication in our daily lives, we challenge ourselves to weigh and reevaluate the meaning of our words. When we hold every viewpoint as valid, even if we disagree with it, we dismantle the entities that seek to silence us. By focusing on the issue or behavior rather than the person, we receive opportunities to expand our vision by seeing things from more than one angle. By imparting respect and empathy when confronting an opposing viewpoint, we cultivate the wisdom and patience necessary for sustaining us through social struggles. By incorporating these skills daily within our professional and personal lives, we model behavior that is at the heart of social change – healing through action. Through ethical interactions, we broaden and strengthen the web that binds us to our common humanity.

These Guidelines are part of a larger workbook and training program on Ethical Communication, developed by the staff at Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence. For presentation information or to purchase Ethical Communication materials, please contact Ashley Bianchi, Training and Engagement Coordinator, at 303-449-8623, or ashleyb@safehousealliance.org.

Ethical Communication Checklist
  • GO INWARD and take responsibility for your own reactions and personal growth.
  • MAKE a COMMITMENT to yourself, the other person and the group that you will reach resolution to the conflict. This is different than wanting to prove that you’re right. You might want to discuss what “resolution” would look like for each of you.
  • Go DIRECTLY to the SOURCE of your concerns. This eliminates gossip, group fragmentation and putting people in the middle of a situation that has nothing to do with them.
  • Use “I” STATEMENTS, CLEAR LANGUAGE and as many SPECIFIC EXAMPLES as possible. This might require taking some time to first determine what the key issues are.
  • BE PREPARED to take the TIME to work through it. If resolution is not attained in the first meeting, then make a commitment to ongoing discussion.
  • Allow yourself be CHALLENGED by new ideas. CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is ethical. Debate and disagreement can be healthy. It might not always feel comfortable, but as long as it’s done in the spirit of respect, it’s an opportunity for you to GROW (…and it can be done gently, too)!
  • Keep the GOAL of Ethical Communication in mind: resolvable conflict and unity. Reaching resolution creates power and cohesion in a group committed to social change.
  • PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!

SPAN is based out of Boulder, Colorado, on land known to the Arapaho as “where it is steep”, and as part of Turtle Island, a name given to North America by many Native peoples. The Hinóno’éí (Arapaho), Tsistsistas (Cheyenne), Diné (Navajo), and Nuciu (Ute) are among the many tribes that are connected to this land. The history and traditions prior to colonization is beautiful and complex, and we honor their teachings and ongoing connection to this land as an essential part of SPAN’s Core Values. According to Diné teachings, “healing is achieved through the process of strengthening our ties to the land, practicing our Native cultures and languages, and treating one another with respect. We believe these values are mutually self-reinforcing by nature.” (https://utahdinebikeyah.org/)

We recognize everyone comes to SPAN with their own unique experiences, and it is not expected that everyone will know the concepts and terms in this document. It is expected that everyone engaged with SPAN remain committed to conversation, asking questions, making mistakes and being part of a collective dedicated to ongoing learning and growth.

SPAN acknowledges that violence is rooted in a history of exploitation via colonization. Interpersonal violence/domestic violence (IPV/DV) takes place within and alongside oppressive institutions and ideologies devised to maintain power and control over historically marginalized individuals and communities. Our work preventing violence and supporting those who go through IPV/DV acknowledges the unique experiences survivors have as it relates to their identities, for both the strengths and challenges they offer.

For SPAN to provide accessible services and foster healthy community connections, we recognize the need to continuously work on centering the knowledge and experiences of Queer and Trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (QTBIPOC). This requires intentional grassroots efforts to dismantle and disrupt the burdens and stressors created by white supremacy to the lives of all survivors. Examples of this includes accessing justice within and outside the U.S. legal system; having access to safe and affordable housing; making a living wage; bringing greater awareness via education, outreach, and fundraising efforts; and promoting holistic post-traumatic growth that honors and respects survivors’ wisdom and lived experiences.

The work of community building, transformative justice, and anti-violence organizing has been taking place across many cultures and generations. Inspiration for SPAN’s Core Values includes but is not limited to: the US Civil Rights Movement, the Delano grape strike organized by Filipino-American and Mexican-American farmworkers, indigenous environmental activism of Latin America, the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement, liberation theology as taught by leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Óscar Romero, the Essie Justice Project, and individuals such as Prentis Hemphill, Grace Lee Boggs, Mariame Kaba, Paulo Freire, bell hooks, Audre Lorde, Berta Cáceres, Betita Martínez, SPAN community members, among countless others.

These Core Values were created to guide and sustain working relationships within the SPAN community, which is made up of clients, staff, interns, volunteers, board members, and collaborative partners. We value the knowledge that comes from the lived experiences of individuals accessing services and providing support at SPAN. As noted by the Essie Justice Project, wisdom exists at the intersections of compounded pressure.

We are intentional in efforts to understand what it means to re-Indigenize and decolonize our work and interactions with one another to create and sustain connection and joy. This is in addition to the responsibility of disrupting and resisting the oppressive systems that SPAN community members interact with. This includes but is not limited to white supremacy, cissexism, patriarchy, heteronormativity, ableism, classism, and oppression based on perceived country of origin and/or religion.

Social location does not predetermine experience. It does, however, guide SPAN’s efforts to consider the strengths of an individual and community, as well as oppressive barriers they may face. Through all our programs (Education, Legal Advocacy, Counseling, Shelter, Housing & Economic Justice, Development, Human Resources & Administration) we strive to be:

  • Survivor and Youth Directed: Providing voluntary services, meeting people where they are at and having their wishes guide advocacy & education efforts.
  • Trauma-Informed: Recognizing the toll of daily lived experiences of oppression and the complex trauma survivors of DV/IPV experience. Emphasizing humility, compassion, and empathy to foster post-traumatic growth within individuals and in community.
  • Strengths-Based: Appreciating the resiliency, self-advocacy efforts, and tools people acquire to support their survival and self-defined success. Building upon unique strengths instead of assimilating to a one-size-fits-all approach to advocacy or education.

SPAN’s Core Values were written to guide communication and action in all settings at SPAN in order to build a strong community. These values are integral in disrupting abuses of power. We are in an ongoing process of creating and implementing community-based practices that provide opportunities for non-punitive collective repair, healing, understanding, respect, and sustenance, all of which require:

Accountability: Acknowledging harm as well as creating an environment where accountability is modeled and expected. It
requires effort to not only understand power and privilege but to step into or relinquish power based on identities.

Receptivity: Providing feedback (especially when harm has occurred) takes emotional labor on the part of the person who has been harmed. Receptivity is a willingness to hear and receive feedback, with acknowledgement of the labor that went into it, and a clear effort to change oppressive behavior.

Transparency: Transparency around decisions impacting this community help cultivate a sense of trust and build collective accountability

Vulnerability: Care of this community requires each person to show up authentically and ensure historically marginalized individuals and communities are not solely carrying the burden of truth telling. “Mistakes” are expected and necessary to illuminate opportunities for changed behavior.

Acknowledgement
This was written by a group of staff and interns at SPAN and was most recently updated on January 5, 2021, during a Transformative Justice group that has been meeting weekly following the police killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. This group began by contemplating the role SPAN, as a nonviolence organization, could play in reimagining how to build peaceful communities not dependent on state violence. Our conversations turned quickly inward in recognition of a need to look at SPAN’s own internal values, processes, and commitment to collective repair. The Black Lives Matter amplification and challenges of a global pandemic were the backdrop to this iteration of SPAN’s Core Values, which we
acknowledge will continue to evolve