Overview of HILSC
The Houston metropolitan area has one of the highest concentrations and fastest-growing populations of immigrants and refugees in the country. More than 1.6 million immigrants and 70,000 refugees call Greater Houston home and 63% of them are non-citizens; more than 500,000 Greater Houston residents are undocumented. Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative (HILSC) grew out of a 2013 conversation among Greater Houston immigrant-serving organizations and funders seeking to grow legal services capacity in this region. Launched to expand legal resources to help DREAMers apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), HILSC convened working groups to identify gaps in service and incubated new programs such as the Immigrant Resource Hotline, Deportation Defense Houston, Forensic Evaluations, Disaster Justice, Connect for Healthcare, and Strategic Learning to meet community needs. HILSC works at the intersection of immigrant rights and racial equity to promote immigrant inclusion, equity, and justice by working with allies through value-based collaboration.
HILSC strives to create a collaborative, respectful, humble, transparent, equitable work environment so that each person can bring their best self to the job. HILSC is committed to a collaborative culture. Our work is challenging, so it requires great emotional intelligence and resilience. Having a sense of humor and a sense of optimism is highly valued. For more information about HILSC, visit our website https://www.houstonimmigration.org/.
POSITION OVERVIEW:
The Legal and Advocacy Director (“the Director”) provides leadership in the HILSC network to champion immigrant rights and bring about racial justice. This is a full-time permanent position. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director provides strategic leadership in building and sustaining the immigration legal services capacity to serve low-to-moderate-income immigrants in Greater Houston. Working in partnership with immigration legal services providers, social services, and community-based organizations, the Director helps identify trends, opportunities, and needs to set advocacy agenda, coordinate with local, regional, and national immigrant advocacy groups, and grow resources to build legal services capacity to respond to changing immigration policies and practice. The Director also oversees the implementation of the HILSC Immigrant Resource Hotline, which serves as a gateway for immigrants seeking resources and referrals, as well as a mechanism to evaluate emerging needs.
PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Providing strategic leadership in building and sustaining Greater Houston immigration legal services capacity.
- Strategic leadership – Provides strategic analysis of trends and developments in immigration policies and practices; develops legal analysis and practice guidance for the HILSC network and the public; engages with regional and national immigration experts to coordinate advocacy agenda, legal strategies, and share best practice.
- Resource development – works in collaboration with immigration legal services providers, community-based organizations and coalitions, private funders, and public officials to increase funding to sustain and expand immigration legal services capacity, as well as organizes training and professional development opportunities to augment the skills of practitioners to serve immigrants in Greater Houston.
- Convening – convenes and facilitates working groups for immigration practitioners to share resources and best practices to advance immigrant justice.
- Liaison – serves as liaison with the American Immigration Lawyer Association – Houston chapter to facilitate interaction between the practitioners and the government sectors such as the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the Houston Asylum Office to ensure open channel of communication to advance immigrants’ rights.
- Advocacy – In collaboration with HILSC partners, serves as spokesperson and advocate on immigration issues at meetings with government officials, other service providers, community leaders, immigration attorneys, the State Bar, the private Bar, and the media.
- Collaboration – collaborates with other HILSC staff and partners in setting priorities, developing programs, and launching initiatives to advance the mission and vision of HILSC.
- Evaluation - Engages in program evaluation and monitoring to identify quality improvement opportunities.
- Performs other duties as assigned by the Executive Director.
QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS
Minimum Education Requirement:
- Juris Doctor degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
Minimum skills and experience requirements
- Six to ten years of experience as a practicing attorney in the United States.
- Licensed to practice law in any state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia and is in good standing.
- Minimum six years of experience practicing a broad range of immigration law before the USCIS and the EOIR.
- Minimum four years of experience supervising a team of lawyers and paralegals in the United States, experience practicing in a non-profit setting strongly preferred.
- Excellent legal research and writing skills.
- Excellent verbal and written skills, superior interpersonal communication and negotiation skills.
- Experience working in the low-income immigrant community required.
- Demonstrated multi-cultural understanding and experience.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite required, knowledge about on-line collaboration tools, such as Google Drive, Dropbox and case management system strongly preferred, experience in web design and social media platforms highly desirable.
- Reliable transportation, valid Texas Driver’s License, and evidence of insurability.
COMPETENCIES
- High level of professional excellence, including demonstrated experience collaborating with a range of teams and stakeholders, experience managing complex stakeholder environments, and experience working in dynamic or ambiguous contexts and organizations.
- Demonstrated ability to independently manage complex projects, prioritize conflicting demands and meet deadlines.
- Skillful listener with a high degree of self-awareness, humility, and diplomacy.
- Experience in consultative and/or senior advisory capacity desirable.
- Fluency in languages other than English an asset.
- Lived immigration experience is an asset.
- Demonstrated commitment to collaborative and reciprocal learning to inform strategic decision-making and action.
How to Apply
This is an extraordinary opportunity for an individual to have a meaningful impact through their professional contributions to advance immigrant rights and racial justice. Interested candidates should email a cover letter explaining how your skills and background fit this position and a resume [email protected], with subject headline: Application for Legal And Advocacy Director.
NLADA Mutual Insurance Co., RRG
