Organization: International Rescue Committee
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 17 Aug 2015
BACKGROUND: The IRC"s US Programs (USP) department, through a network of 25 offices in 13 states, provides services to refugees, asylees and other vulernable immigrants in U.S. through an array of programs that support their safety, health, education, power and economic wellbeing. To facilitate integration into their new communities, IRC assists clients with immigration legal services, civics education and related services across the domestic network. IRC"s Immigration services are administered locally by Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)-accredited Immigration Specialists who receive support, guidance and technical oversight from IRC"s Immigration Unit, based at IRC Headquarters. IRC"s immigration program assists over 10,000 individuals each year in obtaining immigration benefits.
SCOPE OF WORK: The Director for Immigration oversees the support, guidance and technical oversight provided to IRC"s Immigration staff across the domestic network and manages the Immigration technical unit based in New York. The Director sets the vision, articulates the mission, and engages in program design and implementation to ensure effective and responsive delivery of immigration legal services and civics programming – specifically, adjustment of status application; naturalization applications and family reunification applications/petitions, deferred action for children and parents, among others; implementing new immigration legal services as determined by changes in the law; and developing IRC"s advocacy agenda on immigration issues and policy. The Director is responsible for leadership and implementation of a large, multiyear project aimed at increasing IRC"s impact on naturalization of eligible clients efficiently and sustainably, as well as developing new service iniatives
RESPONSIBILITIES:
I. General Management – Leadership/Stewardship
- Organizational Leadership – develop and implement agency-wide policy, protocols, and practices on immigration law, practices, and procedures for immigration network that are consistent with existing IRC policies and procedures; engage actively with immigration network staff, Executive Directors, Regional Directors, and US Programs senior management to facilitate and resolve immigration program issues and strengthen IRC"s immigration work; communicate regularly with Sr. Director. Program Quality & Innovation and report regularly to US Programs Senior Management on operational, programmatic, and statistical issues such as personnel, monthly immigration statistical field and HQ reports, law enforcement issues, legal matters, etc.
- Staff Management – supervise HQ Immigration technical unit staff and recruit, oversee, evaluate and develop staff, volunteers and interns; support oversight of immigration field staff in coordination with Executive Directors, and assist with recruitment and evaluation; establish and maintain regular meetings with Regional teams and HQ Immigration staff.
- Program Management – Set strategy for overall program development and quality assurance; provide day-to-day and ongoing oversight to programs, including service delivery, quality control, new initiatives, and ensuring appropriate outcomes (both qualitatively and quantitatively), through legal, technical, and administrative support. Conduct quality assurance site visits to review and evaluate immigration legal services and BIA accredited representatives in local resettlement offices.
- Program Development & Evaluation: Develop and coordinate the delivery of new immigration legal services depending on changes in immigration law. Develop and implement alternative methods of service delivery (ie., incorporating technology to deliver remote services, online application assistance, workshops/clinics for naturalization applications and other types of applications) Work with external evaluators to assess the effectiveness of programming and make changes accordingly Work with new IRC local offices to commence provision of immigration legal services
- Board of Immigration Appeals Recognition and Accreditation Program – Supervise IRC in-house mentoring program for individuals seeking BIA accreditation or for improved performance; supervise, draft, and submit BIA recognition applications for new offices seeking to provide immigration legal services; work collaboratively with the BIA and DHS for the approval of these applications and seek to expand IRC BIA Recognition and Accreditation. Working with Executive Directors to identify staff interested in immigration law for training and eventual BIA accreditation.
- Training – Promote innovative learning environment through knowledge management mechanisms that facilitate systematic exchange of information, good practices, and lessons learned, including immigration alerts, weekly roundups, communities of practice, national conferences, webinars, etc. Work with other national organizations, VOLAGs in the delivery of immigration legal trainings as needed
II. External Relations
- Representation and Advocacy – Serve as a focal point on immigration matters within the IRC and collaborate with federal and state government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (USCIS, ICE, and CBP), Department of State, Department of Justice, etc. as needed to resolve issues and problems relating to casework. Coordinate immigration advocacy initiatives with Policy & Practice advocacy team. Liaise and coordinate IRC response with other national organizations on immigration advocacy topics and joint program initiatives
- Business Development and Donor Relations: Advise efforts to attract funding and develop business for IRC"s Immigration program; contribute to or lead the development of concept notes and proposals for the provision of direct technical support projects; Provide technical review of grant proposals prepared by field offices; Build partnerships and cultivate donor relationships that attract funding and other resources to Immigration
- Represetantion: Represent Immigration across the organization, serving as a resource to IRC staff seeking information about program activities, including external relations and advocacy departments; Respond to field queries regarding program activities
- Communications & Marketing: Develop and implement media strategy for publicizing naturalization and immigration work; Work with IRC Communications team to publicize immigrationwork in ethnic and mainstream media outlets (ie., print, radio, television, internet). Develop and implement strategies to publicize naturalization and immigration work on IRC"s social media platforms
II. Financial Management
- Budget Oversight – Maintain oversight and input into annual budgets for HQ Immigration Unit and the national immigration network; ensure monthly review of budget-to-actuals to monitor burn rates and adequate funding at the local level to support the sustainability and expansion of immigration legal services. Provide oversight and administration of budgets as it relates to the national grants and funding.
- Proposal budget development – Oversee development of budgets to suppot proposals to fund HQ immigration.
- Fees – Work with Exeuctive Directors and immigration staff to review and revise as needed the assessment of immigration service fees as a key component to sustainability of each office"s immigration program
REQUIREMENTS:
- Juris Doctorate and Bar Admission required.
- Minimum 7-8 years work experience in Immigration legal services
- Minimum 3 years program management experience, including staff supervision and budget oversight
- Extensive knowledge of immigration law, applications and petitions in relevant areas such as family-based reunification, naturalization, and refugee adjustment, and domestic and overseas refugee processing required. Familiarity with U.S. Refugee Admissions Program desirable.
- Prior experience and/or collaboration with DHS, DoS and UNHCR preferred.
- Strong analytical, training, organizational, oral, and written communication skills.
- Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues and partners in a cross-cultural, multi-disciplinary environment; excellent interpersonal, diplomatic and networking skills, ability to manage a variety of internal and external relationships, to multi-task and prioritize tasks
- Proven leadership and management skills to lead staff and promote productivity, and ability to be flexible and to work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment
- Spanish language skills a plus
- Some travel required.
IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.
How to apply:
Please follow this link to apply: http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=a2F0cmluYW1pbGxlci44MzcyNy4zODMwQGlyYy5hcGxpdHJhay5jb20
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