United States: Director, Children's Legal Services

SCOPE OF WORK:

The Director, Children’s Legal Services oversees at least one and likely two or more federal subcontracts for children’s legal services and the scaling of services for unaccompanied immigrant children across a IRC’s network of RAI US offices. IRC’s current subcontract includes four program areas: Know Your Rights and screenings for children in ORR custody; direct representation for children released from ORR custody for the length of their court proceedings; two-way, child-centered information services through IRC’s Signpost platform, ImportaMí; and remote initial legal services for detained and released children. The Director will manage two national teams, while providing strategic oversight to RAI US offices launching and/or growing children’s legal services. The Director will embody respect, collaboration, diversity, inclusiveness, anti-racism, and equity, both internally and externally.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategy, Policy and Leadership: 

• Lead the vision and strategy on scaling children’s legal and information services in the US
• Establish, implement, and monitor policies and protocols that ensure compliance with IRC’s contract obligations and the competent and ethical provision of legal and information services for unaccompanied immigrant children
• Represent the IRC in fora related to unaccompanied children in the US, including national coalitions and working groups, convenings, and before funders and federal government stakeholders
• Report to RAI senior leadership on strategic, operational, programmatic, policy, and statistical issues on legal and information services programming and context related to unaccompanied children

Program Management and Operations: 

• Serve as the primary contact with IRC’s funder, the prime contractor (or contractors) on national federal subcontract(s)
• Oversee national budgets for children’s legal and information services under one or more federal subcontracts.
• Supervise two or more staff, including the Program Manager for IRC’s Signpost instance that provides responsive two-way communication and information to unaccompanied children (ImportaMí), and the Supervising Attorney for remote initial legal services, a national rapid response program serving unaccompanied children at newly opened ORR facilities. May supervise Technical Advisors, legal experts who provide technical support to legal services in the US.
• Communicate regularly with Executive Directors, Deputy Directors, and children’s legal services program leads in assigned local offices to support quality programming and ensure compliance with federal subcontracts.
• Work with HR and local leadership to promote staff retention, professional development and promotion opportunities, smooth transitions, and organizational DEI commitments; support local leadership in the recruitment, development and oversight of children’s legal services staff based in program offices ensuring adherence to the program’s staffing and supervisory policies
• Coordinate with the Senior Officer, Contracts and Grants to ensure program staff, finance managers, and local leadership adhere to financial management, budget management, and contract invoicing guidelines under IRC’s federal subcontract

Program Quality, Development & Evaluation: 

• Provide guidance, oversight, training, and technical assistance to children’s legal services programs, centering client needs and legal ethics in problem solving
• Ensure compliance with IRC’s federal subcontract as it relates to data collection and reporting
• Facilitate exchange of information, good practices, and lessons learned through effective knowledge management, training, and communities of practice
• Attract funding to develop business for children’ s legal and information services programs in partnership with Development colleagues and cultivate donor and partners relationships to garner program resources
• Provide technical oversight to launch children’s legal services in new RAI US program sites in collaboration with local and regional leadership

Advocacy, Communications and External Relations: 

• Serve as an expert on legal and policy issues impacting unaccompanied children, drawing on evidence and on-the-ground experience from IRC’s programs
• Participate in national immigration coalitions and collaborate with Policy & Advocacy team on issues impacting unaccompanied children
• Maintain effective relationships with key government agencies (e.g. in Departments of Homeland Security State, Justice, Health and Human Services)
• Develop program and policy content for communications materials and provide technical review to communications related to immigration legal services

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to: Director, US Legal Services
• Position directly supervises: Supervising Attorney, Remote Children’s Legal Services, and Program Manager, ImportaMi (Signpost); may also supervise technical advisors and/or program officers
• Other Internal and/or external contacts: RAI Regional and Executive Directors and Site Leads, Legal Services Technical Unit colleagues, children’s legal services staff in program offices, the Program Excellence (PE) Senior Management Team, Policy & Advocacy, Communications, Childre Protection, and Global Partnerships & Philanthropy. Represent IRC on immigration coalitions and working groups and in other relevant fora.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Juris Doctor and member in good standing of any U.S. state bar.
• Minimum 8-10 years’ post-law school experience representing unaccompanied immigrant children.
• Minimum 5 years of program management experience, including at a program director level, and including staff supervision and budget oversight.
• Experience managing federal subcontracts for children’s legal services required.
• Experience managing and/or acquiring a diverse portfolio of funding streams desirable.
• Extensive knowledge of immigration law, including removal defense, asylum, family-based immigration, naturalization, adjustment, and state court practice in protection of unaccompanied children required. Knowledge of overseas refugee processing desirable.
• 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.

Compensation:

Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity:

IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Gender Equality:

IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Professional Standards:

The IRC and IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

US Benefits:

We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days (depending on role and tenure), medical insurance starting at $145 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus a 3-7% base IRC contribution (3 year vesting), disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

How to Apply: 

Please apply on our website: https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/45020?c=rescue