The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
Background: Children’s Legal Services at IRC is made up of five program areas: Know Your Rights and screenings for children in ORR custody; direct representation for children released from ORR custody; two-way, child-centered information services through IRC’s Signpost platform, ImportaMí; Play program, and remote initial legal services for detained and released children. As a part of the RAI Asylum and Legal Protection Unit, the Children Legal Services Technical Unit team provides technical oversight and support to children’s legal services in IRC offices in the United States and offers advice and guidance to local management as they expand and enhance services to meet urgent needs for quality children’s immigration legal services. The Unit also collaborates with IRC’s Policy & Advocacy and Communications teams to promote public awareness on immigration matters and adherence to international norms concerning humanitarian immigrants.
Scope of Work: The Senior Technical Advisor, Children’s Legal Services, delivers support, guidance, and technical oversight to IRC’s Children’s Legal Services’ staff across the RAI U.S. network; engaging in program design and implementation to ensure effective and responsive delivery of children’s legal services. Senior Technical Advisor also serves as a liaison with colleagues inside and outside the IRC on matters of immigration and child welfare law, policy, advocacy and client and community outreach and education.
Responsibilities:
• Oversee provision of legal guidance, training and technical assistance to children’s legal services (CLS) staff throughout the RAI US network, to drive quality, capacity, and impact of IRC’s services.
• Monitor changes in U.S. immigration law, policy and procedures and provide regular, timely updates, analysis, and practice advisories to CLS staff.
• Conduct legal training for IRC staff on existing procedures and new policies.
• Conduct office hours as requested by offices to address staff requests for technical support.
• Develop and deliver engaging content to enhance legal knowledge and skills.
• Assist in creating legal manuals and other guidance materials, such as model filings, checklists to ensure these resources are practical, user-friendly, and aligned with legal best practices.
• Provide technical support and assistance to RAI colleagues in drafting and preparing immigration KYR and other client-facing informational material and videos and responding to legal questions.
• Represent the IRC and its constituents in engagements with partners, federal agencies, and other external stakeholders.
• Support efforts to foster cooperation and coordination between CLS and other programmatic components within the RAI U.S. network, including HSPRS, through training and information sharing on topics such as unauthorized practice of law, and confidentiality, among others, to increase program integrity and effectiveness.
• Represent the IRC as a thought leader by contributing to national coalitions, working groups, immigration conferences and serving on steering and planning committees.
• Identify best practices; contribute new evidence, ideas, and analysis to promote program impact, quality, and scale.
• Engage with IRC’s policy and advocacy teams and IRC Legal Services’ staff to cultivate immigration advocacy efforts at all levels with the goal to increase the visibility and impact of IRC’s immigration legal programs.
• Recruit, train and supervise volunteers and interns as needed.
• Special projects and other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
• Law degree and member in good standing of any state bar required.
• Minimum 8-10 years’ work experience in immigration legal services, with a minimum of 5 years working with children’s immigration issues.
• Extensive knowledge of immigration law and procedure, including experience representing unaccompanied minor before Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
• Experience in obtaining predicate orders for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status in State court.
• 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.
• Prior experience and/or collaboration with DHS and ORR preferred.
• Prior experience managing children’s legal services as a Vera/Acacia subcontractor, 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.
• Fluency in English required.
Working Environment:
• Fully remote.
• Occasional domestic (non-local) travel required; up to 20%.
• May require occasional weekend and/or evening work.
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.
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.
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: The IRC offers a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. All US employees are eligible for sick time, a 403b retirement savings plans: up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus an 3-7% additional IRC contribution, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support in times of crisis and mental health struggles.
In addition, full-time employees are eligible for 10 US paid holidays, 20-25 paid time off days, disability & life insurance, medical, dental, and vision insurance (employee contribution starting at $135, $7, and $5 per month respectively) and FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs. Part-time employees are eligible for a proportionate amount of paid time off. These additional benefits apply to employees who work at least 6 months within a 12 month time period.
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Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.
Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.
Tagged as: Technical advisor