About the Organization
Founded in 1979, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is a leading non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their loved ones. NILC’s mission is grounded in the belief that everyone living in the U.S. regardless of race, gender/gender identity, immigration status, or economic status — should have equal access to justice, resources, and educational and economic opportunities that enable them to achieve their full human potential. Together, NILC and the affiliated NILC Immigrant Justice Fund (IJF), a 501(c)(4) organization, work to advocate more directly for federal immigration reform policies. NILC is committed to advancing its mission — which intersects race, immigration status, and class — through racial, economic, and gender justice and equity orientation.
NILC is at an exciting moment in its organizational trajectory, supporting our five-year strategic framework and scaling the organization and its work through influencing systems, policy advocacy at the federal and state levels, engaging in movement and power building, and narrative and culture strategies in addition to continuous improvements to our operational model. We are looking for entrepreneurial, results-driven, relationship builders who are committed to NILC’s mission and values of racial justice & equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships & collaboration, encouraging respect & personal well-being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty.
About the Position
This position will be part of and contribute to a team of strategic litigators, campaigners, policy advocates, and communicators dedicated to confronting the most serious and novel threats impacting immigrants during this unprecedented moment in American history. position is a two-year term-limited role, renewable based on funding.
This position is a two-year term limited role, renewable based on funding
The Senior Strategist oversees threat response efforts and manages an integrated strategy with field mobilization, litigation, communications, policy, and strategic partnerships to protect the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their loved ones. As a member of the Strategy & Partnership department, the Senior Strategist leads NILC’s work to advance policy solutions and participate in the organization of strategic coalitions to influence politicians at the Federal, State, and Local levels through direct engagement and coalition building. Central to this role is the ability to create and direct the advocacy strategy of NILC’s threat assessment and response work, including applying a deep understanding of the stakeholder landscape and how to tactically navigate and activate various stakeholders at both the grasstops and grassroots levels. They will implement creative, innovative, and effective campaign strategies to fight for immigrant rights. The Senior Strategist will design and lead advocacy campaigns in collaboration with other NILC Advocacy team members, conduct research and analysis, and directly engage with lobbyists, researchers, attorneys, organizers, and communications experts to activate partner networks and advocate for changes that support the rights and opportunities for low-income immigrants and their loved ones.
This role is a member of the Bargaining Unit.
The Senior Strategist will be responsible for providing leadership and driving success in the following key areas:
Specific Position Responsibilities
- Collaborate with the leaders of the Strategy and Partnerships department to develop, propose, and lead creative & innovative strategic campaigns, including campaign topics, objectives, tactics, and strategies that include credible theories of change, aimed at influencing political leaders and other decisionmakers at the federal, state, and local level to fight for immigrant rights and protect immigrants across the country. .
- Select, implement, and evaluate effective tactics within a campaign strategy, including grassroots activism, public education, and creative stunts, using the data to inform future campaign strategies.
- Work cross-functionally across the Advocacy department and with NILC’s sister 501(c)(4) organization, the Immigrant Justice Fund, to implement integrated advocacy campaigns that combine legal, policy, and communications (including narrative) strategies to bring about change.
- Create and implement a sound and effective strategy to achieve campaign objectives using strategic campaigning tools, data analysis, and campaigning best practices, in collaboration with stakeholders.
- Steer partnership building strategy for assigned campaigns and projects and contribute to department and/or cross-department functions, which includes partnership identification, outreach, tactical planning, data management, and nurturing/maintaining relationships at both the state and national level.
- Support and participate in strategic litigation that advances campaign objectives.
- Write, publish, and speak publicly to highlight the need for specific immigration measures
- Build support among other nongovernmental organizations, academia, and target media audiences for the theories of change to achieve such changes, including analyzing, drafting, and providing recommendations to inform state/local strategies to advance immigrant rights. .
- Ensure that high quality activism and advocacy materials are developed, including activist toolkits, public education materials, and other digital and written material as needed to achieve objectives. Review draft deliverables from colleagues alongside the Communications team to ensure high quality end-products that advance campaign goals and are aligned with strategic messaging guidance.
- Collaborate with the Communications team to generate social media, web content, and other communications that engage and mobilize partner organizations in support of shared advocacy goals.
- Execute NILC’s advocacy strategies by aligning NILC’s role and messaging under the larger immigration rights umbrella, effectively engage partner organizations, and building new strategic relationships and partnerships to advance advocacy goals.
- Identify and implement innovative methods to advance immigrant rights at the state and federal levels and grow NILC’s partnership base.
- Ensure that monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) best practices are integrated throughout each effort; that relevant data is collected and analyzed; that learnings are documented and implemented in future campaigns; and that campaign results are shared with stakeholders internally for staff, board, and members, and externally to coalitions and the public as appropriate.
- Develop coalition-building strategies to build collaborative power for policy change among organizations and leaders working at the grasstops and grassroots levels.
- Continuously develop campaigning and project management skills and best practices through trainings and education; help colleagues and other stakeholders develop those skills and best practices; and ensure those skills and best practices are embedded in NILC’s campaigning resources.
- Manage threat response and/or project deliverables, including executing grant deliverables, overseeing project timelines, and maintaining processes for collaboration.
- Supporting the work of the Development department, as needed.
- May be a part of a larger cross functional project using the MOCHA framework/methodology
Supervisory Responsibilities
- May manage outside vendors/consultants as needed.
Shared Organization Responsibilities
- Champions NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income by demonstrating a commitment to human rights, and racial, economic, and social justice.
- Attends and actively participates in NILC meetings at the organization, department, project, and individual level.
- Develops relationships and supports NILC and IJF colleagues across all teams, recognizing that each individual brings a unique background and perspective to the work and assuming good intent from each other.
- Follows through on commitments acting with a clear sense of ownership individually and collectively by taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and failures, establishing clear responsibilities and processes for monitoring work and measuring results, and designing feedback loops into work.
- Learns quickly when facing new situations by experimenting to find fresh solutions, taking on the challenge of unfamiliar tasks, and extracting lessons learned from failures and mistakes.
- Acts with integrity by following through on commitments, being direct and truthful, keeping confidences, and showing consistency between words and actions.
- Commits to centering NILC’s values of racial justice & equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships & collaboration, encouraging respect & personal well-being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty in all decisions and actions.
In recognition of the fluidity of the work and ecosystem that NILC operates in, other duties may be assigned depending on organizational needs.
What We’re Looking for in This Role
- Commitment to NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income and a demonstrated commitment to human rights, racial, economic, and social justice, and equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice for all.
- Collaborative, proactive, and action-oriented working style with a strong service mentality promoting mutual accountability and inspiriting trust and confidence from colleagues, other NILC team members, and NILC leaders alike.
- Demonstrates sound judgement in decision-making, high integrity, and utmost respect for confidentiality.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills: ability to read, analyze, and interpret as well as draft documents such as reports, correspondence, and presentations for various audiences.
- Self-starter with a strong strategic ability to move daily tasks forward in alignment with NILC’s broader organizational needs and goals.
- A sophisticated understanding of political dynamics and working with stakeholders to influence strategy to fight for immigrant rights.
- Strong analytical and time management skills, especially preparing for tight deadlines or quick turnarounds in a fast-paced environment like advocacy campaigns, political campaigns, and high-stakes litigation.
Qualifications Required
- Bachelor’s degree in public policy or related field, or equivalent combination of education, training, & experience, JD preferred.
- 7 – 10+ years of experience working for issue-based campaigns, non-profits, lobbying or consulting firms, and/or local/state/federal government required, non-profit sector or social justice organization experience preferred.
- Experience as an organizer, campaigner, legal service provider, litigator, or policy advocate with a strong understanding of the immigrant rights movement
- Strong understanding of how to build strategic issue advocacy campaigns, and how to engage with and mobilize stakeholders
- Proven track record with campaign organizing strategies, tactics, and grassroots activation systems (e.g., VAN, Action Network, ThruTalk/ThruText, NewMode, etc.)
- Ability to maintain smooth working relationships internally and foster trust and dependability with partners at all levels (grassroots and/or grasstops).
- Experience with campaigns and/or organizing and political strategy
- Proficiency with in-office and virtual environments and software such as MS Office, internet research, and virtual collaboration tools.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in public policy or related field, JD, or other higher education or equivalent combination of education, training, & experience a plus.
- Experience working in the immigration rights movement preferred.
- Proficiency in non-English languages spoken by Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, African, Caribbean, and Arab communities preferred. Fluency in more than one language desirable.
At NILC, we know that talented people may have different backgrounds or experiences, and if your education and experience doesn’t exactly align with the above that’s okay! NILC believes that diversity in all dimensions of the organization supports and bolsters the innovative thinking essential to its success and is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants. NILC’s goal is for our people to reflect the communities in which we live and serve and to ensure representation of people of color, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities in our organization. We encourage you to apply and let us know in your cover letter why you are qualified and the right fit for this role and NILC.
Work Environment
Location & Travel:
NILC's offices are located in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, California. For this role, up to 10-20% of overnight interstate travel may be required; travel is typically quarterly to the NILC Washington, DC office or another location within the US for 3-5 nights.
Remote work locations are as follows: (Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, Montana, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin). To be considered, applicants must currently live in one of the work locations.
Compensation & Benefits:
NILC’s compensation and benefits philosophy is to provide a competitive offering in the nonprofit sector and ensure equity across the organization. The salary range for this role is $84,200 – $105,300.
NILC provides an incredible benefit package that includes employer-paid healthcare coverage (100% for employees and 75% for dependents), employer-supported dental and vision coverage, a 403(b)-retirement plan including an automatic contribution from NILC, paid parental leave, monthly cell phone and wellness stipends, pre-tax accounts for transit, health, and childcare benefits (FSA), and employer-paid short- and long-term disability and life insurance. NILC also provides a generous paid-time-off policy, 15 holidays and 22 days of paid time off annually (increased to 32 after 2 years of employment).
Physical Demands:
- Remaining in a stationary position, often standing, or sitting for prolonged periods
- Communicating with others to exchange information.
- Repeating motions, like typing or answering a phone, that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers.
