Immigration Executive Action - Legal Director

Position Location: Preferably Brooklyn, NY

About CPD

The Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) builds organizing power to transform the local, state, and national policy landscape through deep, long-term partnerships with leading community organizing groups and progressive labor unions nationwide. CPD has offices in New York City and Washington, DC with other staff working throughout the country.

We seek an experienced and energetic legal professional to co-lead a new initiative to build power and seize opportunities presented by President Obama’s Executive Action on immigration – for which some five million immigrants will be eligible. The Immigration Executive Action Legal Director will engage some of the most effective community organizations in the country to respond to executive action (now known as Deferred Action for Parental Accountability and Expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals –DAPA/Expanded DACA). The initiative will help organizations upgrade their infrastructure to reach 400,000 immigrant households, build direct legal services capacity, and leverage technology to make the most of Executive Action. This is an opportunity to be part of history and participate in the largest immigrant legalization effort in United States history, and help to lay the groundwork for the political power needed for more comprehensive immigration reform.

The Legal Director will work with the Program Director to co-lead a team of up to eight national staff to implement the goals of the program.

Primary Responsibilities

The Legal Director will report to the Co-Executive Director and will work with the Executive Action staff team to coordinate the efforts of CPD partner organizations across twelve states to:

  • Launch a massive community outreach effort, using the latest technology to reach and educate 400,000 immigrants, sign up new members, and connect immigrants to high-quality legal services to complete their DACA/DAPA their applications.
  • Implement high-quality community-based legal service programs that can assist over 40,000 eligible applicants to complete their DACA/DAPA applications.
  • Engage 100,000 contacts as new members of their organizations.

The Executive Action Team will work under the leadership of the Legal Director to:

Build Direct Legal Services & Referral Capacity

  • Provide technical assistance to CPD partners in twelve states to enable them to establish a legal service operation, some for the first time. Activities will include developing program models and working with partners to map out their implementation; developing and leading trainings for staff and volunteers; assisting with hiring lawyers, paralegals, organizers and others to conduct mass outreach and mass application processing; establishing case management systems and integrating technology to support case management.
  • Provide technical assistance to additional partners in 20 states on technology.

Reach & Engage 400,000 Immigrants in Social Change Work

  • Oversee the field canvass in 12 states and oversee provision of technology support in 20+ states.
  • Implement a digital engagement plan that will move new contacts through a ladder of engagement, use videos and web-based popular education materials, including infographics and comics, to keep new contacts connected and engaged.

Leverage Technology

  • Oversee the development and roll out of technology to manage a sophisticated field outreach operation, streamline direct service intake processes, manage immigration application processing to optimize the use of scarce legal resources, engage community members online and offline, and facilitate data analysis and research on effective outreach models, the demand for, and impact of particular services.
  • Monitor data reports from the field and make adjustments as suggested by the data.

Engage Funders and Allies

  • Coordinate collaboration with national community organizing networks, labor unions, legal service providers, technology partners, and other allies to ensure success of the initiative.
  • Prepare and submit reports to funders and allies as needed.

Job Requirements

  • A demonstrated commitment to social and racial justice issues and understanding of challenges facing immigrant communities, communities of color, and low-and moderate income families;
  • A law degree, and at least five years’ experience in direct services, base building, electoral, civic engagement, union or community organizing, or political campaigns; at least two years’ experience managing or directing full time staff;
  • Experience developing and managing programs;
  • Ability to work within a coalition of diverse organizations and partners;
  • Highly analytical and detail-oriented;
  • Results-focused and organized;
  • Experience with immigrant rights a plus;
  • Experience leading projects with technology components a plus;
  • Spanish language proficiency a plus;

Generous salary and benefits package, depending on experience.

How to apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume through our hiring portal:

https://cpd.hiringthing.com/job/20861/immigration-executive-action-legal-director

CPD is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and actively recruits people of color, women, individuals with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ communit