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The State Director’s primary function is to serve as lead strategist in responding to emerging legal needs, while building the Illinois immigrant service ecosystem’s capacity and collaborative response with the ultimate goal of every Illinois’ immigrant having access to free, high quality legal services and information.
Position Title: State Director of Legal Defense
Supervisory Relationship: Vice President of Programs
Organization General Description:
The Resurrection Project (TRP) builds trusting relationships to educate and propel individuals, immigrants, and families to achieve their social and economic aspirations, stable homes, and equitable participation in their community. TRP is a leading provider of affordable housing, financial education, and immigration services on Chicago’s Southwest side.
During the past three decades TRP, has worked to improve the lives of individuals and families by creating wealth, building assets, and engaging residents to be catalysts for change. Rooted in the Pilsen community, TRP’s impact now extends across the City of Chicago and through the State of Illinois; we are making steady progress towards leveraging and preserving more than $1 billion in community wealth by 2025.
General Job Description
The State Director’s primary function is to serve as lead strategist in responding to emerging legal needs, while building the Illinois immigrant service ecosystem’s capacity and collaborative response with the ultimate goal of every Illinois’ immigrant having access to free, high quality legal services and information.
Primary Job Duties and Responsibilities:Â
- Legal Defense Strategy
- Develop and maintain strategic relationships with immigrant justice organizations across the state to design, evaluate, and execute network-wide legal defense strategy;
- Develop and maintain strategic relationships with other community-based organizations, government agencies, foundations, elected officials, and other stakeholders to support implementation and growth of statewide legal defense strategy;
- Oversee the Illinois Unified System, including the attorney panel program and centralized referral systems;
- Coordinate with TRP’s capacity building team to support training, curriculum development, and technical assistance for network organization staff, serving as trainer and facilitator when needed;
- Supervise the Rapid Response Attorney in collaborating with Community Education team to provide guidance and legal analysis to create accessible and well-designed materials that respond to changes in immigration policy and support organization;
- Support Legal Clinic Director and Managing Attorneys in developing TRP’s internal teams to participate in legal defense strategy; and
- Engage with national partners and roundtables to learn from the field and provide updates on TRP IJ’s work.
- Research & Evaluation
- Oversee systems and data collection within the Illinois Unified System, implementing feedback to improve;
- Oversee Salesforce centralized referral system, ensuring updates are implemented timely when change in policy or strategy occur and the system is responsive to community and partner needs;
- Identify research priorities in collaboration with IJ leadership team that advance immigrant justice and capacity building in Illinois;
- When relevant, lead in publication of research, including the ultimate report language, design, and dissemination;
- Provide on-going evaluation and strategic thinking on organizational capacity building programming and provide recommendations as needed; and
- Provide required data or reports and facilitate relationships with Leadership & Advocacy and Community Education for budget advocacy purposes.
- Fundraising & Budget Management
- Assist in identifying funding opportunities and proposal design / development; and
- Assist Vice President in managing budget for program.
- Recruit, Train, and Mentor Staff:
- Identify, recruit, train, support, develop, and evaluate a talented, high-performing team of staff to implement effective and responsive programming;
- Ensure that the responsibilities, authority, and accountability of all direct team members are defined and understood; and
- Intentionally check-in with staff on any development opportunities & performance feedback.
- Additional Responsibilities:
- Maintain required job skills and core professional competencies;
- Maintain open and ongoing communication;
- Attend and participate in required educational programs and staff meetings; and
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Essential Knowledge and Skills:
- Minimum of 5 years of experience working with immigration legal services or immigrant advocacy groups;
- JD or significant nonprofit immigration legal and removal defense experience required;
- Experience with supervision of staff, volunteers, or interns required;
- Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred;
- Demonstrated leadership in the legal services sector or immigrant rights organizations;
- Demonstrated ability to work in partnership with residents, local leaders, and all nonprofits to strengthen and advance multiple aspects of legal services programs;
- Strong verbal and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to listen well, convey thoughts clearly, speak in public, and work effectively as a member of a team;
- Excellent analytical, writing, and organization skills with the ability to work well under pressure, multi-task, and meet established timelines and goals;
- Demonstrated skills in facilitation, relationship building, and collaborative planning;
- Ability to communicate thoughts and ideas effectively and to effectively interpret general policy, criteria, and procedures for specific situations as it relates to immigration legal services and/or removal defense;
- Technical skills in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook) and proficiency with data systems and government grant reporting;
- Ability to deal effectively and professionally in stressful situations and with a high volume of public and professional inquiries while exhibiting sound judgment and using discretion;
- Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work effectively with people of diverse social, faith, economic and racial/ethnic backgrounds.
Special Working Conditions and Demands
- On-site work schedule: as needed, and no less than 3 days per week.
- Willingness to work flexible hours; some evenings and weekends required.
- Access to a car, valid driver’s license and insurance, and ability to travel throughout the state.
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Benefits:
- Medical HDHP, HMO, and PPO.
- Dental HMO and PPO
- Vision
- Life Insurance and ADD, Company Paid
- Short- and Long-Term Disability: Company Paid
- 403(B) retirement savings plans
- Flexible Spending account and Dependent care account
- Transit Benefit
Position Classification & Salary   Â
Salary: $105,000 - $115,000
Fulltime, Exempt
Statement of Equal Opportunity
The Resurrection Project is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation (including gender identity), military status, disability, or language (any language use not related to job duties). In addition to federal law requirements, The Resurrection Project complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.
How To Apply
Interested parties should send a cover letter and resume to [email protected]. No phone calls please.