Senior Program Associate, Operations and Quality Assurance- Post-Release Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children (PRLS)

Remote
Full Time
Post-Release Legal Services (PRLS)
Mid Level

About Acacia Center for Justice:

The Acacia Center for Justice (“Acacia”) provides legal support and representation to immigrants facing deportation through the development, coordination, and management of national networks of legal services providers serving immigrants across the country. Acacia’s goals are twofold: to support immigrant legal services and defense networks to provide exceptional legal services to immigrants; and to advocate for the expansion of these programs and the infrastructure critical to guaranteeing immigrants access to justice, fairness, and freedom. Acacia ensures accountable, independent, zealous, and person-centered legal services and representation to protect the rights of all immigrants.

Job Summary:

Post-Release Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children Each year, thousands of unaccompanied children, many fleeing unspeakable violence in their own countries, enter the United States. Upon apprehension and after enduring a harrowing journey, they are detained in federal custody in facilities contracted by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and placed in removal (deportation) proceedings. Unaccompanied children do not have a right to a government-appointed attorney and too often must face the immigration courts without the benefit of counsel. Currently, the Acacia Center for Justice (Acacia), through its network of more than 90 legal service providers across the U.S., provides free legal services to tens of thousands migrant children.

To meet the growing demand for legal services for unaccompanied children, Acacia, in partnership with 27 legal service providers, will expand its work to include on-the-ground presence in select Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) courthouses to provide additional legal services, resources and representation in conjunction with EOIR’s Juvenile Dockets. Under the new Post-Release Legal Services Program (PRLS), legal service providers will conduct Know Your Rights orientations aimed at increasing children’s understanding of immigration proceedings, host workshops to assist children with navigating different forms of immigration relief and provide direct representation. Acacia and its partners will also engage in community outreach to create awareness and provide information and resources to partners who have direct contact with unaccompanied children. Finally, building on Acacia efforts to expand representation, legal service providers will develop innovative recruitment, and retention plans to build capacity in the field and provide continuity of service to unaccompanied children.

The Senior Program Associate for the Post-Release Legal Services (PRLS) team will join a new and growing multi-disciplinary team with immigration advocacy, child welfare, finance, and research backgrounds. The PRLS Senior Program Associate serves as the first point of contact for legal service providers (LSPs) serving unaccompanied children nationwide and immigration legal services. The PRLS Senior Program Associate will be responsible for maintaining a close relationship with LSPs via monthly calls, site visits, and ad hoc communication to identify challenges and best practices; ensure contract compliance; and strategically brainstorm solutions to issues that arise. Employing their understanding of LSP program management and immigration law/practice, the Senior Program Associate will identify areas for programmatic improvement, training and technical assistance to meet the network's substantive legal needs. Applicants can be considered for multiple positions and are encouraged to apply for all positions at Acacia in which they have interest.

Note: The Post-Release Legal Services Program is contingent on Acacia Center for Justice being awarded a contract to provide post-release services.

Primary Duties/Responsibilities:

Program Management & Site Visits Evaluations

  • Conduct site visits of each assigned legal service provider (remote or in person) and draft site visit evaluations.
  • Develop and maintain relationships with existing and new legal service providers by conducting monthly check-in calls, reviewing monthly narrative reports, and ad hoc communication.
  • Creatively brainstorm solutions to challenges experienced by legal service providers.
  • Maintain expertise about operations of assigned LSPs to ensure contract compliance and to troubleshoot impediments to high-quality legal services delivery

Operations Planning & Technical Assistance

  • Identify technical assistance needs of the network and collaborate with the Learning & Development team to create training resources that address these needs. Participate in delivery of technical assistance on an ad hoc basis.
  • Identify promising practices among subcontractors and devise ways to disseminate information about such practices to encourage implementation elsewhere in the network.
  • Participate in the planning and implementation of programmatic improvements to network operations aimed at ensuring network services sustainability.

Services Analysis & Reporting

  • Analyze and contextualize data and prepare reports to government partners on LSP service delivery, in collaboration with the Research, Evaluation, & Data Analytics team.
  • Analyze and contextualize LSP budgets and spending in collaboration with Budgets & Resource Management team.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills, Knowledge, Abilities:

  • A demonstrated knowledge of immigration, child welfare, criminal or juvenile justice, or other justice areas.
  • A desire to effectuate change in partnership with the government
  • Strong writing, research, data analysis, communication, and facilitation skills
  • Ability to manage work on multiple projects effectively and efficiently
  • Willingness to adapt to change and ability to work collaboratively on a team, as well as to take the initiative and manage projects independently
  • Willingness to travel periodically and ability to successfully balance travel responsibilities with office-based responsibilities
  • Ability to read and communicate effectively in Spanish (proficiency in other languages is a plus)
  • An uncompromising commitment to immigrants' rights and race equity

Preferred Skills, Knowledge, Abilities:

  • Experience representing detained immigrants and/or children is a strong plus
  • Experience with "know your rights" and other community education initiatives is a strong plus

Education and Experience:

  • Additional eligibility requirements: (e.g. driver license)
  • Valid driver's license to travel and conduct in-person site visits

List of Required Software applications:

  • Microsoft Office Suite

Education and Experience:

  • JD degree or DOJ Accreditation; and
  • At least four years of legal, government, or policy work experience (including internships

Compensation and Benefits:

Acacia has established an internal compensation philosophy that centers equity and pay transparency. The salary for this position is set at $96,000. The salary listed is just one component of Acacia’s total compensation package for employees. Supporting Acacia staff—both personally and professionally—is our priority.

  • Medical/Dental/Vision- Some plans at $0 cost to the employee
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • 20 days per year of vacation time
  • 12 days per year of sick time
  • 5 personal days
  • 4 organization-wide Wellness Days
  • 11 observed holidays, including the last week of December.
  • $2000 Professional Development Stipend
  • Home office set-up stipend
  • Internet Stipend
  • 401k with 5% employer contribution, no employee participation required.
  • Student loan repayment assistance.
  • Gym Reimbursement

People of color and those who have been impacted by the criminal system and immigration system are strongly urged to apply. Acacia is deeply committed to race equality, inclusion and belonging and strives to create a work culture that recognizes everyone's unique lived experience.

To Apply:

Submit your resume and cover letter through the Acacia Careers site. If you encounter technical issues or have accessibility needs, email your resume and cover letter to [email protected] with Subject: ATTN: Human Resources / [Job Title], Acacia Center for Justice

PLEASE ONLY SUBMIT THROUGH ONE METHOD.

Equal Opportunity Employment:

Acacia is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to recruit persons of diverse backgrounds and support their retention and advancement within the organization. We are committed to fostering a workplace culture inclusive of people with respect to their race, ethnicity, national origin, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, marital status, age, disabilities, political affiliation, religious beliefs, or any other characteristic. Our commitment to justice and diversity also means providing a work environment that is welcoming, respectful, and engaging.

This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties, responsibilities and requirements but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function within our organization.

Acacia Center for Justice is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status.

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