Job Description

About KIND:

Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) is a global leader in the protection of unaccompanied refugee and migrant children. Launched in 2008, KIND champions a world in which every child’s rights and well-being are protected throughout their journey to safety. Since 2008, KIND has accepted over 23,000 referrals of children seeking legal representation in their immigration proceedings. KIND has welcomed more than 41,000 attendees to trainings since its founding, cultivating partnerships with over 700 law firms, corporate legal departments, law schools, and bar associations across the country.

KIND’s social services program ensures that migrant and refugee children – who have often endured trauma – receive counseling, educational support, medical care, and other comprehensive services.

To address the root causes of child migration from Central America and strengthen the protection of unaccompanied children, KIND advocates for policy changes and educates lawmakers, the media, and the broader public on the conditions that drive these children to flee their home countries. KIND supports children returning to their home countries by connecting them to essential support services and sponsors gender-based violence prevention programs in Central America to protect children in countries of origin and transit.

KIND is also building upon its expertise in the protection of unaccompanied children to encourage the development of pro bono initiatives across Europe in partnership with European NGOs.

Position Summary:

KIND seeks a Director, National Legal Programs to provide critical leadership in legal/social services interdisciplinary programming development and implementation, and other strategic initiatives including utilization of innovative digital tools to expand legal and social services delivery, naturalization and integration programming, and program design to achieve legal service continuity across geographical zones. The Director will supervise KIND’s national attorney and paralegal team. This position reports to the Vice President, Legal Programs.

This position is remote headquarters position and can be based in any of the following KIND registered locations: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

Essential Functions:

• Develop and implement high-quality interdisciplinary programming initiatives and protocols, guidelines and procedures across all field office locations, including the intersection of attorney-client privilege and mandated reporting requirements in coordination with the Vice President, Legal Programs and Senior Director, Planning and Performance, and Senior and Regional Directors, Social Services.
• Assist in the development and implementation of innovative, child-centered, trauma-informed digital initiatives to scale the delivery of and access to, KIND’s legal and social services.
• Lead in implementation of naturalization and integration programming in field office. Serve as liaison with Development and Policy in strategic pursuit of program opportunities.
• Assist in development of program strategies and protocols to facilitate seamless service continuity for children moving from the U.S. Mexico border to KIND’s domestic field locations and/or across domestic geographical zones.
• Oversee the specific performance management of KIND’s national attorney and paralegal team, which provides emergent legal support across all field offices.
• Provide robust supervision and exceptional mentoring of national legal team including Senior Attorneys, Supervising Attorneys, and/or paralegals, through creative and thoughtful leadership; effectively monitor the performance and professional development of direct reports, including individual performance management and communications, and ensure effective alignment with KIND management’s goals and priorities.
• Collaborate with the Regional Directors, Legal Services and the Director of Special Programs to enhance and maintain overall effectiveness of legal services programming and ensure consistency in the implementation of policies and practices across KIND’s field offices.
• Ensure tracking and meeting quantitative and qualitative program deliverables for national attorney and paralegal team and other programming with the Vice President, Legal Programs, and the Senior Director for Planning and Performance.
• Support KIND’s efforts to maintain and increase funding sources including participating in proposal and reporting processes.
• Play leadership role effective intra-departmental collaboration within Legal Programs, and inter-departmental collaboration including with Human Resources, Technology, Office Operations, Communications, Policy, International Programs, Development and Finance.
• Serve as a key partner to KIND’s leadership in helping to foster a culture of respect and appreciation for the diverse contributions of others within the organization and for the institution and the mission; model informed and constructive communication; effective and honest partnership wherein feedback is valued and constructively and regularly given and received; and actively contribute to a safe environment where ideas, innovation, and the identification of opportunities for growth and change are respected and consistently shared and where productive conflict is valued as an opportunity for strengthening collaboration and advancing the mission.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Licensed U.S. attorney in good standing.
• Minimum of 10 years experience in the immigration field, preferably including representation of immigrant children.
• Minimum of 5 years experience supervising and managing legal staff, preferably across dispersed locations. Experience managing legal programs that include a social services component in addition to program management, overseeing performance and deliverables. Experience working with a law firm and corporate counsel preferred.
• Experience with technology initiatives to enhance and expand legal services to children or other vulnerable populations.
• Passion for the plight of unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children, and the enthusiasm and skills to communicate that passion to potential partners and other organizations.
• Ability to travel periodically throughout the year and as assigned.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suites (such as Teams, Excel, etc.), Legal Server database systems, running reports, and case data analytics.
• Ability to work collaboratively and multi-task in our KIND environment, managing numerous priorities and emerging opportunities.
• Exceptional language skills in English (oral and written) required.
• Excellent organizational skills with ability to work on multiple projects in a deadline-oriented environment. Ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate as appropriate.
• Ability to work effectively with people of diverse backgrounds, lived experiences, and communication styles.
• Committed to prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as embracing transparency and authenticity in daily work life.
• Be disciplined and nimble to ensure delivery on our core mission of access to justice and protection of children’s wellbeing and rights.
•  Showing the ability to multi-task and work with a sense of urgency in a dynamic, fast paced environment.
•  Committed to practicing and supporting wellbeing and a work-home life balance.
•  Experience working and communicating in a remote environment.

Salary Range: $113,840 – $142,300 dependent on experience

How to Apply

Job Types: Full-Time. Salaries: 100,000 and above.

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