Senior Program Director, Immigration

ABOUT US

Sanctuary for Families is New Yorks leading service provider and advocate for survivors of domestic violence sex trafficking and related forms of gender violence. Every year Sanctuary empowers thousands of adults and children to move from fear and abuse to safety and stability transforming lives through a comprehensive range of services. We provide a range of wrap-around services to help survivors rebuild their lives in the aftermath of abuse and work to end gender violence through three key strategies: direct services outreach and training and systems-change advocacy. Our services are available in 12 locations throughout New York City.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Senior Program Director of the Immigration Intervention Project (IIP) leads Sanctuary for Families highly regarded immigration legal services and immigration policy/legislative advocacy program the largest within Sanctuary for Families renowned legal center CBWLS (previously Center for Battered Womens Legal Services). This high-level position involves the oversight and high-level supervision of a team of 26 attorneys and support staff and partners with law firm pro bono programs law students and other volunteers who provide high-quality representation to several hundred immigrant survivors of gender violence each year.

The Senior Program Director of IIP leads Sanctuarys efforts to protect and advance the rights of immigrant survivors through strategic representation and innovative systems-change advocacy. Through public speaking training writing and mentoring the Senior Program Director educates law firms social service and public interest legal providers law enforcement community partners courts and federal state and officials about the needs and rights of immigrant survivors of gender violence.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the practice: Oversee all aspects of IIPs immigration legal practice including supervision of staff interns and volunteers.
• Set direction: Partner with Sanctuary for Families Chief Executive Officer and Chief Program Officer and the Legal Center Senior Director and Senior Deputy Director to shape and deliver IIP strategy goals and priorities.
• Strengthen staff expertise collaboration and morale: Foster professional development mentorship commitment and strong team culture across IIP.
• Recruit and retain talent: Support recruitment on-boarding and retention of IIP staff; ensure clear roles strong supervision and consistent professional development opportunities.
• Manage a high-impact caseload: Direct IIPs immigration caseload and ensure excellent trauma-informed representation.
• Build quality systems: Maintain and improve structures for case review data compliance supervision and quality assurance to promote consistent timely high-quality legal service provision.
• Supervise complex matters: Representand/or oversee therepresentation ofimmigrant survivors of gender violence before federal administrative bodies and in state federal district and appellate courts.
• Ensure ethics and confidentiality: Uphold professional responsibility standards and best practices for nonprofit legal services including client confidentiality ethical supervision and escalation of complex risk issues.
• Strengthen pro bono impact: Lead recruitment training and mentoring of pro bono attorneys law students and volunteers; steward lawfirm relationships in partnership with the Legal Centers Pro Bono Director.
• Launch and operationalize initiatives: Develop and implement specialized initiatives in response to client need that advance Sanctuary for Families mission onbehalf of immigrant survivors.
• Strengthen intake consultations and referrals: Oversee and continuously improve intake screening and referral pathways so clients needs are identified they are provided with useful and accurate advice and they are routed to the right level of service and support.
• Advise leadership: Educate and inform organizational leadership informed about key developments in immigration law and policy affecting Sanctuary clients.
• Track trends and guide program response: Monitor developments in immigration law policy and enforcement trends; translate changes into practical guidance risk mitigation and programmatic strategy.
• Engage governance: Present on IIPs work to the Board of Directors Legal Advisory Committee Pro Bono Committee Board and Staff Advocacy Committees and other relevant organizational entities.
• Represent Sanctuary externally: Participate in community events; Bar and American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) events; immigrant-rights coalitions; committees/task forces; and government hearings.
• Provide technical assistance: Offer immigration legal technical assistance through local and national listservs and to partner organizations.
• Improve systems response: Collaborate with national state and local organizations and legislative and judicial entities to strengthen systemic responses to immigrant survivors of gender violence and protect survivors rights.
• Train and educate stakeholders: Educate the public law enforcement social service providers and elected officials on issues affecting immigrant survivors.
• Advance policy: Lobby city state and federal bodies on policies practices and legislation that advance the rights andinterests of immigrant survivors of domestic violence.
• Support funding and grants: Partner with Sanctuarys Development/Communications and Finance Departments with Legal Centerleadership to develop funding strategies conceptualize new projects review grant proposals and oversee grant implementation deliverables and reporting.
• Collaborate across the organization: Partner with Sanctuarys communications outreach/community engagement operations and social services divisions to align legal programming with community needs and organizational priorities.
• Ensure compliance with data entry: support IIP staff in complying with their data entry obligations so that IIP supervisors team members Sanctuary leaders donors institutional funders and stakeholders have necessary information about IIPs clients and service provision.
• Use data to improve impact: Oversee systems for data collection and program evaluation to support continuous improvement and demonstrate outcomes.
• Other duties as needed: Support special projects and additional responsibilities that further Legal Center and organizational priorities.

• Admission to practice law in New York State
• Experience practicing before USCIS the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).
• Minimum 10 years of experience practicing immigration law including experience with humanitarian relief (such as asylum U visas T visas VAWA SIJS and asylum) family-based immigration and removal proceedings
• Excellent judgment; strong research writing and analytical skills
• Excellent communication and public speaking skills
• Demonstrated leadership and people-management skills; ability to motivate support and develop staff
• Ability to work independently and under pressure
• Commitment to Sanctuarys holistic service model feminist and anti-racist mission and efforts to combat all forms of gender violence and inequality
• Ability to work effectively with people of diverse national ethnic cultural religious and socioeconomic backgrounds

• Experience supervising and mentoring attorneys and multidisciplinary teams in a high-volume practice
• Federal litigation and appellate experience including oversight of complex matters
• Demonstrated immigration policy/legislative advocacy experience (city state and/or federal)
• Experience building and managing pro bono or volunteer attorney programs
• Grant writing and/or grant management experience in a legal services or nonprofit setting
• Strong coalition-building andexternal-relations experience with community partners and government stakeholders
• Experience working with survivors of gender violence and/or in trauma-informed client-centered legal services
• Multilingual skills relevant to the communities served (preferred but not required)

Budgeted Salary: $140 000 - $155000 per year

Work position is Full-time - Salaried/Exempt

Work schedule is currently Hybrid; must be able to meet job location schedule obligation

Benefits:

• Health Dental and Vision Insurance
• Employer-paid life insurance
• Employer retirement contribution
• Paid time off (Holidays Vacation Personal Sick)
• Generous Leave Policy
• Flexible spending account / Health savings account
• Student loan assistance
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Gym reimbursement program
• Wellness program and rewards

Sanctuary for Families is a welcoming workplace. All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race creed (religion) color sex national origin sexual orientation military status age disability predisposing genetic characteristics marital status or domestic violence victim status and other categories protected under Federal New York state or New York city laws.

Survivors of gender-based violence are strongly encouraged to apply.