Organization and position description: The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights (ICIRR) is a coalition of more than 130 member organizations that works through its membership (community organizations, labor unions, religious institutions, social service agencies, ethnic associations, etc.) to build power and advance a pro-immigrant platform at local, state, and national levels. ICIRR’s mission is to promote the full and equal participation of immigrants and refugees in the political, civic, and economic life of our diverse society. ICIRR provides our members with organizing and advocacy strategy, training and technical assistance on issues that affect their respective immigrant constituents, and up-to-date information and policy analysis on immigrant- and refugee-related issues. ICIRR ensures the effectiveness of our member organizations by providing ongoing leadership development opportunities, promoting citizenship and civic participation, monitoring and analyzing immigrant-related laws and policies, forming cross ethnic alliances, and informing the general public about the positive contributions of newcomers to Illinois and the U.S.
The Program Coordinators are responsible for program implementation, training, outreach, monitoring, reporting, and convening partner organizations. Program Coordinators offer technical assistance and support to partner organizations to help them succeed in their annual work plans. The technical assistance that ICIRR program staff provide includes developing an integrated outreach plan with partner organizations, and training and assisting program partners in implementation of their outreach plan.
This is a hybrid role.
Job Responsibilities:
- Build relationships with partner agency program staff to facilitate communication and collaboration.
- Works as part of the program’s team to carry out the day-to-day functions of the program's department and works with other program staff.
- Assists with contract administration, including program work plans, financial and budget requirements, and other IDHS policies and requirements for grant recipients.
- Assisting with the Request for Proposals (RFP’s) for 3-year grant cycles.
- Maintains all relevant data for use in tracking, analyzing, including data collection, input, and reporting.
- Provide database support and technical assistance for programmatic staff and sub-grantees
- Performs site visits and programmatic needs assessment interviews to evaluate and support partner performance, identify weaknesses and strengths, assist with outreach plan, provide technical assistance and training
- Identify issues of concern emerging from partner reports for programmatic purposes and to inform ICIRR’s advocacy work.
- Keep partners aware of the latest legislative and administrative developments concerning public benefits, naturalization, administrative and/or administrative relief, the rights of Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR’s), and other policy issues affecting refugees and immigrants.
- Responsible for monthly programmatic reports, in coordination with other program staff, to submit to the State and other funders on behalf of the program.
- Coordinate monthly program and/or regional meetings and trainings with the Programs Team and/or partners to update/inform, receive feedback, and share best practices.
- Coordinate legal assistance training for naturalization application processing agencies and ICIRR’s Policy Director, as well as other relevant trainings.
- At workshops, create opportunities for applicants and volunteers to participate and engage in ICIRR programs, campaigns, and advocacy work.
- Represent the immigrant integration programs publicly and meet with program stakeholders; establish and foster relationships with partner organizations and relevant staff.
- Assist partner agencies in outreach to other community-based organizations in order to build community alliances and referral networks to improve service provision and bolster collaboration across partner agencies.
- Work with key state and local government officials, including personal meetings, invitations to events, updates about policy and programming, assistance with referrals, etc.
- Coordinate opportunities for organizational capacity building and leadership development.
- Participate in training and ongoing development in topics including: case management, public benefits for non-citizens through IDHS programs and other government or private benefits programs, culturally competent and linguistically appropriate services, trauma-informed practices and mental health interventions, crisis response, personal safety, and de-escalation practices.
- Assist with walk-in clients at the ICIRR office location as needed.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- Passionate about working for immigrants’ rights and social justice.
- Three years of experience working with community-based organizations and/or agencies serving immigrant communities.
- Ability to work independently and take initiative on areas of responsibility and be a successful implementer.
- Experience in grant management, Salesforce, Charity Tracker, or other database systems.
- Training at a grassroots level and community outreach experience preferred.
- Experience with campaign-style outreach and organizing.
- Experience working with diverse constituencies with varying interests and needs.
- Demonstrated skills in assessing agency capacities and capacity-building needs.
- Excellent interpersonal, public speaking and organizational skills.
- Experience organizing large scale events.
- Detail oriented with the ability to manage various tasks and complete them in a timely manner.
- Bachelor’s degree, preferred.
- Knowledge and awareness of immigration law and policies.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office, SharePoint, Word, Access, and Excel, and GSuite/Google Workspace.
- Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred. Proficiency in another language is a plus.
- A car and valid driver’s license are required.
- Some evening and weekend hours are required.
