Summary

The Director of Advocacy leads, manages, directs, and supervises CLINIC’s administrative advocacy efforts by identifying legal and policy trends that affect immigrants, developing the agency’s administrative advocacy agenda and priorities. Additionally, the Director of Advocacy develops and implements strategies to address these priorities with CLINIC’s Executive Director and programmatic teams. The Director of Advocacy will also identify issues requiring legislative reform and collaborate closely with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), to pursue such reforms.

This position is a member of CLINIC’s senior leadership and as such provides input and participates in planning for decisions affecting the entire organization and shares responsibility for achieving CLINIC’s mission through effective and efficient mobilization of its resources. The Director of Advocacy must demonstrate a willingness to understand, respect and contribute to CLINIC’s mission, vision, values, and beliefs.

Duties and Responsibilities

Administrative Advocacy

• Monitor, document, and analyze trends and issues of an administrative nature that impact immigrants
• Lead CLINIC’s annual administrative advocacy priorities process for Board review and discussion.
• Devise strategies to pursue administrative advocacy agenda
• Coordinate with USCCB to ensure that CLINIC priorities are incorporated into the Conference’s legislative priorities and responsive/proactive strategies are devised and pursued to advance CLINIC’s priorities
• Monitor regulatory agenda and lead CLINIC’s comment writing process in response to proposed rules and policy changes.
• Supervise process for accepting case inquiries from affiliates and pursuing interventions within DHS and other parts of the government, documenting outcomes and reporting to affiliates on results.
• Develop, strengthen, and maintain strategic, working relationships with key government officials with responsibility to effect policy and procedural matters.
• Establish, strengthen, and maintain relationships with relevant stakeholders and coalitions whose objectives include administrative change on immigration law and policy.
• Update CLINIC staff, network, and partners and other relevant stakeholders on administrative advocacy matters

Policies and Analyses

• Ensure that all policy matters within CLINIC’s priorities have written policy to clarify CLINIC’s position for use and/or reference by staff and stakeholders.
• Prepare and disseminate written resources, as needed, to clarify an issue and the Church’s and/or CLINIC’s position
• Supervise process for responsive support to CLINIC constituencies in their efforts to promote positive immigration policies at the state and local levels

Communications and Advancement

• Collaborate with CLINIC’s Communications team in presenting and amplifying CLINIC’s position on issues of importance to CLINIC, CLINIC’s network, and the Catholic Church
• Participate in media interviews and other opportunities to speak publicly on behalf of CLINIC
• Assist in drafting appeal letters, grant proposals, and grant reports in collaboration with CLINIC’s Advancement team to support staff expenses, section operations, and projects.

Management and Administration

• Provide Section staff with necessary direction, supervision, and support to ensure clarity in roles, responsibilities, and expectations
• Develop annual operational plans and proposed budgets for Section
• Monitor spending against approved budgets and Section performance against planned objectives
• Ensure that section staff have updated position descriptions, current work plans, and are familiar with and comply with CLINIC personnel and administrative policies and procedures
• Conduct performance evaluation and offer regular feedback and guidance to section staff
• Assess staff resource and developmental needs, develop strategies and budgets for meeting those needs, and facilitate access to developmental resources 
• Ensure section staff understand, respect and contribute to CLINIC’s mission, vision, values, and beliefs

Participation in Projects, Teams, Work Groups, and Committees

Provide leadership and represent CLINIC’s interests in:

• Justice for Immigrants Campaign Core Members Forum
• CCUSA Social Policy Committee
• Various immigration policy-related policy coalitions and forums

Fulfill CLINIC’s expectations that all staff

• Serve with integrity
• Develop innovative solutions
• Promote learning – for themselves, for their colleagues, and for our network
• Cultivate constructive relationships
• Model stewardship
• Maintain a positive attitude
• Exhibit leadership skills and initiative
• Communicate effectively
• Own your work
• Teamwork and collaboration with colleagues
• Resolve conflict effectively and make effective decisions

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Juris Doctor Degree or fully accredited representative
• Ten years of immigration law practice, advocacy, and/or policy experience
• Five years of management, administration, and supervisory experience
• Three years of project management experience
• If licensed attorney, must be a member in good standing of the bar of the highest court in any state or the District of Columbia
• Conflict resolution skills and the ability to handle situations that require decision-making relative to interdepartmental responsibilities/working relationships
• Knowledge and understanding of Catholic social teaching on immigration
• Ability to manage and supervise multiple levels of diverse personnel
• Ability to travel on occasion for trainings, meetings, and conferences
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality in matters relating to personnel and sensitive policy matters involved in the leadership of the agency

Work Environment

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the key components and primary responsibilities.

This position is based in Silver Spring, MD.
Salary range is $100,000-$107,000.
Please send your resume, cover letter and salary requirements to: careers@cliniclegal.org.