Managing Director, Representation

Human Rights First • Full-time • Los Angeles, CA, US • $140k - $150k / year • 3h ago

Purpose of the Job

The Managing Director, Representation leads and manages Human Rights First’s Refugee and Immigrant Rights Representation program, which provides high quality pro bono legal assistance and representation to indigent immigrants seeking protection in the United States, through direct representation and partnership with lawyers at the nation’s top law firms. The Managing Director will oversee representation staff focused on the New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. metro areas and lead the engagement of the team with the vast pro bono network the organization has nurtured over many decades. Our pro bono partners contributed more than 90,000 hours at a value of over $90million in pro bono legal hours in 2025.

The Managing Director will work closely with the VP, Refugee and Immigrant Rights, the Director of Policy in the Refugee and Immigrant Rights department to ensure successful integration of the organization’s mission into the Refugee and Immigrant rights work. They will also work closely with colleagues in other programmatic areas of the organization, including the International Human Rights, Democracy in Action, and Innovation Lab teams, and engaging with the Communications and the Development team in support of the representation team’s work.

Location: Los Angeles, CA; Washington, DC; or New York, NY

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Key areas of responsibility include:

Leadership. Lead and manage Human Rights First’s Refugee and Immigrant Rights (RIR) Representation work:

Engage in direct representation or pro bono mentorship of asylum cases.
Guide the Representation team in engaging in zealous, creative, and high-quality and cutting edge legal representation of clients.
Liaise with senior management of the RIR department to develop and manage strategic vision of the organization’s representation work, to set team goals, and achieve these goals.
Ensure effective systems to track progress and regularly evaluate program components.
Develop and retain a high-performance staff.
Ensure close coordination with the policy wing of the RIR department.

Operational Planning and Management. Manage national team of lawyers and legal services coordinators:

Working with managing attorneys, oversee and manage the team’s caseload and ensure the sustainability of our representation work.
Assess and review team’s offices and programs, and lead initiatives to streamline caseload, in order to effectively respond to urgent protection needs of current or new clients.
Quantitatively and qualitatively measure effectiveness of team’s work, including effectively tracking and communication case data.
Oversee grant reporting tied to case data.
Working with department leadership, recruit and retain a diverse team of empowered, valued, knowledgeable, and experienced professionals, including interns and fellows.
Ensure that Human Rights First maximizes fellowship opportunities.

Community Outreach and Advocacy. Develop and strengthen Human Rights First’s partnerships with the legal community:

Serve as ambassador in articulating the Refugee Representation team and Human Rights First’s mission and key message points.
Create new and nurture existing partnerships with community stakeholders, including the vast network of pro bono partners across the country.
Regularly communicate with current and past Human Rights First volunteers and other stakeholders.
Coordinate pro bono opportunities for Human Rights First supporters.
Strengthen Human Rights First’s networks with the legal community.

Fundraising and Resource Development. Collaborate with the Development team to raise money to support legal programs and initiatives:

Work closely with the VP for RIR and the Development team to secure public and private funds to support Representation team’s work, including helping prepare foundation reports and proposals.
Conduct outreach to current and prospective donors, including law firms, foundations, governmental entities, and individuals.
Support donor campaigns, including award dinners and other events.
Other duties as requested based on department and/or organizational need.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Competencies (DEIA)

Human Rights First acknowledges the existence of systemic and structural biases and believes it is necessary to be strategic and intentional in pursuing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in all aspects of governance, operations, and programming. As an employee, you are expected to:

- Support adoption of best practices to create a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible work experience for colleagues and external partners.
- Strive to consider the people, places, and cultures that might be missing from your work and look for opportunities to increase inclusivity in all the work you do.
- Support the mission of Human Rights First in all interactions with colleagues and stakeholders.
- Dedicate efforts to enriching DEIA consciousness throughout our office-wide interactions.
- Foster a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility by promoting adherence to the standards delineated in the Culture of Respect and Teamwork statement in the Employee Handbook.

Supervisor Responsibilities

As a supervisor you are responsible for the performance of your direct-report(s). You should guide, train, support, and motivate your team member(s) to help them accomplish their job-specific goals. As a supervisor it is your responsibility to be knowledgeable of your direct-report(s) responsibilities and know how to get the tasks accomplished in their absence. You should continually work to earn the respect and credibility of your direct-report(s) by building an inclusive and supportive learning environment. As such, building trust with your team members is vital to a healthy work relationship. Specifically, you will:

Performance Management

- Set clear performance goals at the start of each annual performance period.
- Meet with direct-report(s) on a weekly basis to discuss progress on projects, priorities, and goals.
- Assist direct-report(s) with workflow/bandwidth management and ensure that direct-report(s) understand their duties and delegated tasks.
- Provide timely and ongoing constructive feedback, including soliciting feedback from colleagues from other departments with whom direct-report(s) collaborate.
- Document progress of individual direct-report(s) goals that maps performance goals by administering an annual performance review and mid-year review of performance goals.
- Support and assist in planning direct-report(s) professional development activities; assist with finding professional growth opportunities.

Administration

- Maintain a safe and healthy work environment by establishing and enforcing organization standards and adhering to legal regulations.
- Develop and update employee job descriptions, as necessary.
- Approve timekeeping records in a timely manner.

Leadership

- Assist direct-reports with ongoing coaching and counseling.
- Provide quick and appropriate resolution of all challenges, discrepancies, and miscommunications.
- Share, support, and carry out decisions made by the organization’s management.
- Ensure adherence to Human Rights Firsts’ personnel policies and practices.
- Focus on creating a culture where accountability and fairness are present in every situation.
- Support an innovative workplace that fosters creativity, encourages new ideas, and supports examining different approaches to existing initiatives.
- Recognize the contributions of your direct reports in ways that are meaningful to them.

Required Knowledge, Skill, and Experience

The successful candidate must embrace the core values and mission of Human Rights First and possess deep experience in asylum law and removal defense of immigrants and people seeking asylum. Concrete demonstrable experience and other qualifications include:

- A law degree from an accredited law school and at least 10 years of legal experience, including managing nonprofit legal programs and handling complex immigration and asylum matters.
- Active member in good standing of a state bar, ideally California, New York, or the District of Columbia.
- Five or more years of supervisory capacity at increasingly high levels of supervisory responsibility.
- Excellence in organizational management with the ability to coach staff, develop and manage high-performance teams, set and achieve strategic objectives, and manage budgets.
- A proven track record of increasing revenue through generation of leads is desirable.
- Strong interpersonal skills demonstrated by a history of positive working relationships with peers, staff, and supervisors.
- Experience in budgeting and resource allocation at a departmental level.
- Demonstrated ability to make timely decisions, evaluate results, identify problems or obstacles in a timely manner, and redirect when necessary to ensure best outcomes.
- Superior oral and written communication skills.
- Strong conflict management, resolution, and negotiation skills.
- Ability to travel, primarily among HRF offices.