Managing Attorney

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933, the IRC is at work today in more than 40 countries and in 28 U.S. cities. The IRC’s Resettlement, Asylum and Integration (RAI) department creates opportunities for refugees and other vulnerable migrants to survive and thrive in the US. RAI serves nearly 50,000 individuals each year in the US through a diverse portfolio of programs.

IRC’s New York program office seeks a Managing Attorney to lead its immigration legal services program. The Managing Attorney provides guidance, leadership, and direct support for immigration legal and related civic engagement services. The Managing Attorney is responsible for supervision of legal services provided by legal representatives, and staff and intern performance as well as program delivery, implementation, and development.

JOB OVERVIEW:

The Managing Attorney will oversee immigration legal services at the IRC in New York office, including IRC’s longstanding immigration legal services program, which provides low-cost immigration legal services to refugees, immigrants and other community members in their family reunification, adjustment of status and naturalization applications before USCIS.

The Managing Attorney will bring not only legal expertise and a passion for this area of work, but also the ability to motivate and mentor a team of legal professionals in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. The position will work in close collaboration with a range of community partners and the Immigration Technical Unit (TU) at IRC’s headquarters, which oversees IRC’s 24 legal service programs across the US, including four offices that have removal defense programs.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Oversee legal strategy through daily direct supervision of a team of legal practitioners, including attorneys and Department of Justice-accredited representatives. - Employ adaptive management techniques to provide regular individual supervision and support; mentor staff, set clear performance expectations and goals, give regular performance feedback, help prioritize workloads, help troubleshoot challenges, and maintain appropriate professional development plans - Develop and monitor intake procedures, case acceptance policies, and caseload targets and limits. - Actively co-facilitate and support grant opening, grant review, and grant closing meetings, and lead all aspects of grant cycle, including developing/implementing monitoring & evaluation plans. - Ensure program data is collected consistently, managed appropriately and reported timely, using IRC’s legal case management database and other relevant case management systems. - Ensure effective integration of internships and volunteers within programs. - Collaborate with other IRC program areas as appropriate to ensure client-centered service. - Establish, maintain and periodically refresh legal services program policies and procedures in collaboration with IRC’s Immigration Technical Unit; oversee and/or conduct regular case file reviews (paper files and electronic case files) to ensure compliance with legal case management procedures. - Create and maintain a viable outreach strategy to cultivate and maintain strong relationships with community-based organizations, the private bar, and nonprofit legal providers; pursue program initiatives with partners that further goals and address unmet demand. - Serve as an in-house expert on US immigration law by updating internal IRC colleagues on changes in immigration law affecting IRC’s clients as needed. - Serve on Senior Management Team/Leadership Team and work effectively across programs to further IRC’s mission. Contribute to and support office-wide Strategic Action Plan.

- Work closely with the HQ Immigration Technical Unit and field offices as part of IRC’s immigration network. - Serve as a strong advocate for humanitarian immigrants.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

Position Reports to: Deputy Director, New York.

Position Directly Supervises: 1 Senior Legal Representative, 1 legal Representative, and potentially 2 Legal Assistants or DOJ Accredited Representatives, and interns.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

- Law degree (JD or LLM) from an ABA-accredited U.S. institution and admission to New York state bar - 5 years’ experience or more providing direct representation in immigration court and before USCIS to asylum applicants and other immigrants seeking relief from removal; - Experience with affirmative applications before USCIS (eg, adjustment of status, naturalization, I-130s); - Strong legal supervision skills and superb legal judgment; - Ability to oversee and provide supervision on a reasonably high case volume and work under time pressure; - Experience organizing and facilitating immigration workshops and immigration information sessions; - Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills; - Bilingual in one or more languages of the survivor population preferred (eg, Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, French); - Deep commitment to working with humanitarian immigrants; - Trauma-informed and sensitive listening and communication skills; - Desire to join a team working to protect due process and immigrant rights.

Working Environment:

- A combination of standard office environment, remote work, and ‘field’ time within the service delivery area to perform the above outlined responsibilities. - May require occasional weekend and/or evening work.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement****: In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC requires new hires to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for any in-office or hybrid positions. All IRC US offices require full vaccination to attend any in-office functions (e.g., meetings, trainings).

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.

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 $120 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, 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.

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.

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