Senior Technical Advisor, Legal Information and Education

International Rescue Committee • Full-time • New York, NY, United States • 1w ago

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 40 countries and 29 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.

The Senior Technical Advisor (STA), Legal Information and Education, creates and reviews client-facing information on immigration legal issues and provides training and technical assistance to legal services staff across 24 US offices. The Senior TA will play a critical role in ensuring that IRC’s legal professionals, colleagues across RAI departments, and clients stay informed and updated on the constantly evolving landscape of immigration law and policy. This position is especially vital in these changing times, as shifts in immigration policies and procedures can significantly impact the lives of individuals and families served by the IRC. The Senior TA for Legal Information and Education will be tasked with producing clear, concise, client-focused, and timely legal information, training legal staff on updates in policy, and ensuring that IRC staff across programs have accurate and timely information that impacts IRC clients. The STA reports to the US Legal Services Director and works closely with the Regional Deputy Directors, the Director of Children’s Legal Services, and the Senior Technical Advisors.

Major Responsibilities:

•Develop, create, and distribute clear and accurate materials for both IRC clients and staff. These include informational briefs or explainers, practice guides, toolkits, FAQs, and policy updates detailing changes in immigration laws and policies. Collaborate with a range of IRC colleagues to produce user-friendly multi-media content (eg, videos, infographics) by reviewing and ensuring accuracy of legal content.

•Develop and provide virtual (or potentially in person, as feasible) know your rights sessions to clients, leveraging IRC’s digital platforms and partnerships to increase client reach.

•Ensure that legal staff are timely informed of relevant immigration policy changes, helping them to understand how changes impact legal clients and how to incorporate these changes in legal services delivery.

•Organize and provide training sessions for legal staff, including attorneys, DOJ Accredited Representatives, and legal assistants to keep them up-to-date on policy and legal shifts, and how to practically adjust case strategy and management.

•Respond to a request for technical assistance from legal staff on complex cases, including asylum and removal defense.

•Develop guidance notes and practice advisories for Immigration Legal Services teams.

•Ensure that immigration law and policy-related content on IRC platforms is up-to-date, accurate, client friendly, and easily accessible.

•Regularly monitor policy updates from governmental agencies, including USCIS, ICE, the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Department of State, and relevant courts, including changes to ICE enforcement, asylum policy and procedure, removal defense, affirmative benefits processing, humanitarian protections, and consular processing.

•May supervise a technical advisor or program officer in the future.

Job Requirements:

•Law degree and member in good standing of any state bar required.

•Minimum 8-10 years’ work experience in non-profit immigration legal services, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in asylum and removal defense.

•Extensive knowledge of immigration law and procedure, including experience before Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

•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.

•Strong analytical, training, organizational, oral, and written communication skills.

•Ability to communicate and work effectively in various global environments and contexts; 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:

•This is a fully remote position. All work must be performed in one of the 50 states in the U.S.

•Potential for travel.

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 requirement.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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 $143 per month, dental starting at $6.50 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.

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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.