Attorney- Associate Director of Family Reunification
Church World Service, Inc.

Overview

Position Title: Attorney - Associate Director of Family Reunification

Reports To: Director of Asylum and Legal Services

Department: Legal Services

Job Location: Remote

Grade Level: 9

About CWS

Imagine waking up every morning with the chance to change someone's life. Imagine knowing your efforts will benefit both your career and our neighbors around the world. At CWS, our team knows they are making a difference every day. Whether you're in our U.S.-based offices supporting refugees, asylees or unaccompanied children ... implementing hygiene initiatives in Cambodia or rebuilding projects in Central America ... or even connecting remotely from your home on fundraising campaigns, grant reports, or critical communications - you have the opportunity to work towards a world where everyone has food, a voice and a safe place to call home.

Purpose

The Associate Director of Family Reunification is responsible for managing a team of Family Reunification Officers who file and process family reunification applications, including Refugee Interest Forms (RIF), Priority 3 Affidavits of Relationship (P3 AOR), Central American Minor Affidavits of Relationship (CAM AOR), Lautenberg Affidavits of Relationship (Lautenberg AOR), I-730s, and DS-4317 forms. This position requires strong coordination and program management skills. An important prerequisite for this position is the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team in a collegial manner and to work independently to carry assignments through to completion.

Responsibilities

• Directly supervise Family Reunification Officers
• Provide guidance and oversight to CWS staff who are supporting newcomers in filing family reunification applications, including case specific guidance and support in identifying other legal pathways for clients seeking support from CWS
• Maintain up-to-date self-education about resettlement and integration programs, and develop specific expertise in family reunification programs.
• Serve as primary point of contact on matters relating to family reunification for headquarters and resettlement network staff.
• Analyze program guidelines to ensure agency and affiliate compliance; as necessary, assist in the development or revision of CWS policies, standard operating procedures and training materials to ensure high quality service provision by CWS affiliates.
• Establish indicators to measure achievement and evaluate outcomes; through regular review of qualitative and quantitative data, identify program trends, promising practices and areas for improvement and make recommendations for program development and enhancement.
• Provide regular updates on filings to CWS headquarters and resettlement network staff.
• Act as principal liaison with CWS' Business Development Unit to identify additional funding opportunities to support family reunification activities. Keep abreast of developments in grant and program changes and progress in order to ensure up-to-date tools and strategies.
• Inform programming with feedback collected from client beneficiaries.
• Identify strengths and weaknesses in existing data collection and management systems and propose solutions.
• Provides guidance in local and national advocacy efforts on behalf of immigrants, refugees, entrants, and asylum seekers.

Qualifications

Education: The applicant must be licensed to practice law in any jurisdiction (New York Bar preferred). Experience in immigration law required.

Experience:

• Familiarity with U.S. Immigration issues and terminology;
• At least 4 years' experience in immigration law required.
• Experience in a local resettlement affiliate or a national office of a resettlement agency is preferred;
• Experience filing P3 AORs, CAM AORs, Lautenberg AORs, RIFs, and I-730s strongly preferred;
• At least 2 years supervisory experience;
• Excellent project and data management skills;
• Excellent organizational and time management skills and ability to manage a large and diverse workload under pressure and with competing priorities;
• Ability to maintain a high performance standard with attention to detail;
• Experience in general office work, processing information and materials and maintaining records and files;
• Strong interpersonal and diplomacy skills; ability to work effectively with partners and teams;
• Ability to conduct oneself in a professional and courteous manner at all times to represent the professional and institutional interests of CWS;
• Knowledge and experience in working with Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point and database software is essential;
• Strong writing skills required.

Skills:

• Exceptional networking skills required with ability to work with multiple key stakeholders seamlessly
• Strong interpersonal and diplomacy skills; ability to work collaboratively and effectively with partners and teams;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Fluency in a language spoken by refugee populations a plus
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment required
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and willingness to support CWS' Platform on Racial Justice as a CWS employee required.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects at once.

Special Requirements

Work Location

This position is a remote US-based role with in-person responsibilities. Employees wishing to maintain a remote work arrangement must be able to fulfil the following conditions:

• Ability to maintain secure and appropriate personal work environment for day-to-day work
• Access to strong and reliable internet access
• Ability to adhere to CWS data security policies and protect sensitive and personally identifiable information
• Regular work hours must span core business hours 10AM-4PM Eastern time
• Close proximity to U.S. airport and ability to travel to attend CWS and external meetings, conferences, site visits and other in-person engagements.
• Must use CWS provided equipment such as laptop and cell phone

Benefits

CWS offers a competitive benefits package that includes:
- 403 (b) Retirement Plan
- Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
- Generous Paid Time Off (18 Paid Days Off; 24 Days after 2 Years)
- 14 Official Holidays
- 12 Sick Days Off (Accrued monthly)
- Life Insurance and AD&D
- Long Term and Short-Term Disability
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Health Savings Account
- Flexible Spending Accounts

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