Careers

 

Director of Policy

The Director of Policy provides policy leadership and programmatic support to the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC). The director develops and spearheads strategic advocacy efforts on immigration-related issues primarily at the federal level. The director of policy coordinates NIJC’s policy initiatives to reform the immigration system. In addition, the Director of Policy is responsible for coordinating the policy reform elements of NIJC’s Detention, Democracy, and Due Process (D3P) Project, a national campaign for detention reform. The Director of Policy will work with representatives of immigrant and refugee rights advocates, legislators, other policy makers and the media. The Director of Policy assists with the drafting of grant reports and project proposals and contributes to cultivating and maintaining donor relations.

Mandatory Job Qualifications:

  • Education and/or Experience: J.D.; and at least three years of relevant experience in political, policy, legal, or government settings as it relates to the U.S. immigration system.
  • Language Skills: Excellent oral and written communication skills. Demonstrated competency in public speaking and strong interpersonal skills required.
  • Other Skills: Experience with elected officials and/or legislative and administrative agencies required. Experience with immigrant and refugee issues and experience working with federal budgets and congressional appropriations a plus.
  • Computer Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Outlook, and ability to prepare graphic presentations and conduct.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Develop and implement diverse grassroots, local, state, and federal advocacy strategies on immigrant rights issues, with a focus on issues that impact asylum seekers, detainees, and immigrants deprived of full due process protections.
  • Oversee policy work that that is conducted by staff and managing attorneys on issues related to children, and domestic violence and trafficking survivors.
  • Coordinate closely with communications, litigation, detention, and other NIJC teams to advance strategic reform goals on immigration detention and due process issues.
  • Work in formal and informal coalitions of legal aid and advocacy organizations to advocate for policy reform; draft and edit statements, reports, and other jointly-produced products.
  • Draft comments for NIJC in response to agency notice-and-comment rulemaking; prepare petitions for rulemaking; prepare comments on agency proposed policy, guidance, programs, and other initiatives not subject to notice-and-comment rulemaking.
  • Analyze pending legislation and amendments; prepare analysis and suggested modifications; educate policy makers, the media and the public on pending legislation and amendments.
  • Track executive branch nominations with responsibility for immigration detention and due process issues; suggest hearing and oversight questions to policy makers with respect to such nominees and regular agency oversight.
  • Solicit and gain support from government officials and, under the Director’s supervision, represent NIJC with government officials.
  • Draft advocacy and educational materials on emerging policy issues, and work with NIJC staff, Leadership Council, pro bono attorneys, project partners, and other stakeholders to build their capacity to respond to such issues in a timely and effective manner.
  • Provide legal representation at the administrative and/or judicial level;
  • Serve as NIJC and D3P representative with regional and national partners, colleague agencies, and national networks on immigration policy matters.
  • Coordinate programmatic aspects of the D3P Project, including designing, monitoring, and evaluating project activities and working with staff and partners to fulfill project goals.
  • Engage in administrative advocacy with U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE); U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies
  • Coordinate and participate in meetings with high-level DHS officials at the national level and Chicago-based ICE officials.
  • Engage in strategic litigation -- including federal appeals, habeas, FOIA and mandamus cases -- with litigation team; participate in discussions over litigation goals and strategies, assist in research and drafting of NIJC case and amicus briefs prepared by NIJC for outside litigation; coordinate with NIJC pro bonos engaged in strategic litigation.
  • Deliver remarks on immigration issues and D3P reform agenda at conferences, panel discussions, and other events.
  • Assist Director and Resource Developer to draft and edit grant reports and project proposals and contribute to cultivating and maintaining donor relations.
  • Supervise Manager of Communications in policy-related outreach to policy makers, the media, and the public; produce at least four immigration enforcement policy briefs per year.
  • Provide direct supervision and support to staff, interns and volunteers as assigned.
  • React to change productively and perform other job-related duties as assigned, including providing backup support to NIJC’s other programs and their clients. 

To view the full description for this position and to apply, please visit: https://www.recruitingcenter.net/Clients/heartlandalliance/PublicJobs/controller.cfm?jbaction=JobProfile&job_id=13421

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Staff Attorney, LGBT Immigrant Rights Initiative

The National Immigrant Justice Center's LGBT Immigrant Rights Initiative provides comprehensive representation to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender immigrants and asylum seekers as well as those living with HIV/AIDS. With the support of pro bono attorneys, the project (1) represents immigrants and asylum seekers before the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services, the Chicago Immigration Court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the U.S. Courts of Appeals, (2) advocates for improved conditions for detained LGBT asylum seekers, and (3) collaborates with members of the local immigration and LGBT communities as well as with national advocacy groups to raise awareness of the issues facing the LGBT immigrant population. The staff attorney will participate in all areas of the project’s work.
 
Qualifications:
 
  • Law degree from ABA accredited law school and a law license.  NIJC will consider applications from graduating law students who have significant experience prior to or during law school working with immigrants and LGBT individuals.
  • Fluency in Spanish required.
  • Experience in immigration law and/or refugee law, experience working with LGBT individuals, and experience in immigration court and/or federal court.
  • Excellent writing, editing, organizational, analytical, and computer skills.
  • Ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently and perform well under strict deadlines.
  • Ability to work in fast paced environment.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook/Exchange, Windows operating systems, and other software routinely used by Heartland Alliance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

  • Provide representation to clients. Case types include, but are not limited to: asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture; U visas; cancellation of removal; permanent residency; and prosecutorial discretion. The staff attorney will appear before USCIS and before the immigration courts. For detained clients, the staff attorney will represent applicants in bond hearings and file requests for release with Immigration & Customs Enforcement. All representation must be done in accordance with the Code of Professional Responsibility for the legal profession.
  • Screen cases for representation. The staff attorney will conduct intake, assess client income, gather relevant documents, and perform preliminary research regarding claims and will present this information at weekly project meetings. The staff attorney will also review transcripts and administrative records and make recommendations regarding appellate representation for detained individuals.
  • Support Pro Bono Attorneys. The LGBT Immigrant Rights Initiative handles many cases with assistance from pro bono attorneys who possess limited immigration experience. The staff attorney will advise pro bono counsel about the law and process of representing individuals in immigration proceedings.
  • Monitor trends in detention conditions. The staff attorney must monitor detention conditions for LGBT immigrants and asylum seekers who are detained in facilities across the country and identify trends and developments. The staff attorney will work with other staff to develop responses to these trends in detention conditions. Responses might include developing national partnerships to improve access to legal representation, preparing training materials and improving pro se help information, filing administrative complaints, and participating in potential federal litigation challenging poor detention conditions. 
  • Assist in project growth and development. In collaboration with the supervising and managing attorneys as well as members of NIJC’s development team, the staff attorney will participate in drafting grant proposals, gathering data regarding the project’s work, and reporting to donors on the project’s efforts. The staff attorney will also collaborate with NIJC’s policy team to draft reports, particularly regarding detention conditions for LGBT individuals.
  • Performs other duties and special requests as assigned.

This position is for immediate hire.

TO APPLY: Please visit Heartland Alliance's job board at www.heartlandalliance.org/careers.
 
 

Project Coordinator, LGBT Immigrant Rights Initiative

The National Immigrant Justice Center's LGBT Immigrant Rights Initiative provides comprehensive representation to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender immigrants and asylum seekers as well as those living with HIV/AIDS. In addition to providing these services, the LGBT Immigrant Rights Initiative runs an Asylum Documentation Project, which provides information and technical assistance to LGBT/H asylum seekers who are detained by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) throughout the country. NIJC also maintains a website designed to provide assistance to non-detained LGBT asylum seekers and their lawyers. Through these various initiatives, NIJC provides LGBT immigrant detainees with (1) basic orientation to the various forms of immigration relief, (2) information about the treatment of LGBT people in the individual’s home country, (3) information about appealing a decision, and (4) instructions about how to file a grievance concerning detention conditions. 
 
Qualifications: 
 
  • Bachelors degree with experience working with the LGBT community and/or immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.
  • Fluency in Spanish required.
  • Ability to maintain program website with minimal training.
  • Self motivated and able to manage a variety of tasks
  • Ability to adapt to change and work well under pressure.  
Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 
 
The coordinator is primarily responsible for running the Asylum Documentation Project. This work entails:
  • Responding to inquiries from detainees regarding requests for assistance.
  • Assessing claims and identifying cases where individual representation by NIJC would be appropriate.
  • Maintaining information about each request for assistance in NIJC’s database.
  • Conducting research on the treatment of LGBT individuals around the world.
  • Incorporating relevant news and scholarly articles into materials sent to detainees.
  • Tracking project activity and assessing data for trends and developments over time.
  • Drafting letters to clients, summaries of cases, client affidavits, and other documents as necessary.
  • Training interns to assist with project, supervising their work, and assigning additional tasks on an as-needed basis.

This position is for immediate hire.

TO APPLY: Please visit Heartland Alliance's job board at www.heartlandalliance.org/careers.
 

Executive Administrator

Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) seeks an Executive Administrator for its Chicago office.  This selectedcandidate will provide significant support to the Executive Director,act as a staff liaison to NIJC’s Leadership Board, coordinate internaland external communications, and oversee fundraising campaigns andspecial events.  The position is available immediately. 

NIJC is dedicated to ensuring human rights protections and access to justice for all immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.  NIJCprovides direct legal services to and advocates for these populations through policy reform, impact litigation, and public education. Since its founding three decades ago, NIJC has been unique in blending individual client advocacy with efforts for broad-based systemic change. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

  • Support the Executive Director, which may involve coordination ofmeetings, travel arrangements, and             preparation of expense reports 
  • Provide independent support to NIJC’s Leadership Board.  This may include, but is not limited to coordination of quarterly meetings, development of meeting agendas, preparation of meeting minutes, and maintenance of board rosters 
  • Oversee major fundraising campaigns, including year-end appeal and annual benefit luncheon.  The Midwest Light of Human Rights Awards luncheon is one of the largest annual human rights events in Chicago.  NIJC welcomed more than 750 guests in 2011. The Executive Administrator will oversee the planning of this event, includingresearching keynote speakers and awardees, preparing sponsorship materials, identifying in-kind support and promotional opportunities, and directing staff and volunteers at the event.
  • Develop and prepare a wide array of materials for use by the Executive Director’s office, including strategic planning documents,  brochures, etc. 
  • Draft and edit major foundation grant proposals; research new funding opportunities 
  • Manage donor correspondence 
  • Work with all levels of internal management and staff as well as external partners and vendors 
  • Coordinate the recruitment, selection, and orientation of interns and volunteers 
  • Other tasks, as needed 

Qualifications: 

  • The ideal candidate will be a dynamic recent graduate who is eager to learn about the daily operations of a large non-profit organization 
  • Bachelor’s degree and one year of related experience.  May give credit towards years of experience if attained a degree higher than a Bachelor’s 
  • Experience in managing a wide range of administrative and executive support related tasks.  The ideal candidate will work with little supervision in a fast-paced environment, often under tight deadlines 
  • The ideal candidate must remain flexible, proactive, resourceful, and efficient while maintaining a positive attitude and professional demeanor 
  • Exceptional organizational skills 
  • Excellent written and verbal communications skills.  Must be able to present information to a variety of audiences in a clear and concise way 
  • Experience with Windows XP and Microsoft Office is a must.  Database experience is preferred 
  • Able to react to change productively and handle other essential tasks, as assigned 

TO APPLY:  Please apply on Heartland Alliance’s job board at www.heartlandalliance.org/careers. 

 

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NIJC is a program of the Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights that champions the human rights and improves the lives of men, women, and children who are threatened by poverty or danger. For more than 100 years we have been providing solutions- both through services and policy- that move individuals from crisis to stability and on to success. Our work in housing, health care, legal protections, and economic security serves more than 100,000 people annually, helping them build better lives.  Heartland Alliance makes all hiring and employment decisions without regard to race, creed, color, age, gender, gender identity, marital or parental status, religion, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, sexual identity, immigrant status, political affiliation or belief, ex-offender status (depending on the offense and position to be filled), unfavorable military discharge, membership in an organization whose primary purpose is the protection of civil rights or improvement of living conditions and human relations, height, weight, or HIV infection, in accord with the Organization's AIDS Policy Statement of September, 1987. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodation should contact the Employee Services Office at (312) 660-1431.