DC Immigrant Justice Organizer

Immigrant Legal Resource Center•Washington, DC

4d•$83,000 - $93,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is seeking a full-time DC Immigrant Justice Organizer in our DC Office. This is an exempt position that reports to the Policy Director. Pending current labor negotiations this position may be recognized as a bargaining unit position represented by the National Legal Services Workers, Local 2320. The ILRC currently has a hybrid work model requiring two in-office days per week. The ILRC is a leading immigrant rights organization headquartered in San Francisco with staff in Washington, D.C., Texas, Southern California, the Central Valley of California, and Washington state. Since 1979, our mission has been to educate, support, and empower immigrants, community organizations, and legal practitioners to build a more just, inclusive, and democratic society. Our team is passionate, collaborative, and committed to equity and innovation in all we do. Additional information about our organizational values is available here. The ILRC supports local, state and federal campaigns to reduce the involvement of local law enforcement in immigration enforcement and reduce deportations, while building the capacity of organizations and coalitions to broadly address the criminalization of communities of color. We partner with criminal system reform advocates, grassroots organizations, and coalitions across the country, but with a deeper focus in California, Texas and Washington, D.C. In Washington, DC our work historically has focused on federal advocacy. With this position, we will begin to more formally work, in partnership with a collective of DC-based local organizations, to advance, and support coordinated local campaigns that address the overcriminalization and incarceration of communities of color, with a particular focus on the impact on immigrants, to reduce deportations and policing, build power within immigrant communities, strengthen local intersectional alliances, hold elected officials accountable, and move closer to a vision of immigrant justice. We will also work with local partners to help build organizing infrastructure that results in the development of a sustainable long-term strategy to reduce immigration enforcement and the systems that lead to deportation, in addition to rapid response. The DC Immigrant Justice Organizer, in deep collaboration with ILRC partners, will: Work with ILRC partners and immigrant justice organizations in DC to build organizing infrastructure that results in the development of a sustainable long-term strategy in addition to rapid response; Create defenses to arrest, prosecution, criminalization, incarceration, and deportation, and other forms of criminalization, in partnership with local DC groups organizing in collaboration for immigrant justice; Support education efforts for elected officials, stakeholders and the public on the many ways the arrest-to-deportation-pipeline harms our communities and hold local elected officials accountable to our communities when meaningful action is not taken; Advocate for and implement local policies and practices that strip away the ability of the criminal and immigrant enforcement systems to continue to criminalize, oppress, and banish immigrant communities; and Work to use all tools available, such as direct action, advocacy, civic engagement, and education.

Requirements

Three to five years of experience in community organizing, preferably in immigrant rights or related criminal and racial justice issues;
Three to five years in campaign managing experience for a political or advocacy campaign;
Knowledge of how DC’s unique relationship with the federal government impacts policing, legislation and everyday lives of DC residents;
Knowledge of multitude of immigrant communities in DC, including communities that are historically underrepresented in organizing spaces;
Understanding of organizing spaces throughout DMV and ability to collaborate with organizers in other localities in the region;
Understanding how immigration enforcement, as well as policing, impact various communities in DC;
Experience engaging with community members directly impacted by the criminal and/or immigration systems and how issues like housing, healthcare, access to legal services, education, etc. intersect with immigrant communities;
Experience navigating complex coalition dynamics and conflict resolution;
Experience leading and coordinating coalitions/strategic alliances;
Experience with campaign planning and project management;
Experience planning and facilitating coalition meetings and convenings;
Have a strong knowledge of Microsoft 365 products including Excel, SharePoint, Word and PowerPoint;
Have the ability to collaborate with attorneys, communicators and other staff across the organization; be able to problem solve;
Be able to travel up to 15% percentage of time;
Support the organization in other duties as assigned.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in Spanish, written and oral, preferred as well as ability to navigate diverse language backgrounds;
Conflict resolution and mediation skills are a plus.
High emotional intelligence and ability to clearly communicate and authentically engage with stakeholders, membership groups and organizers.

Responsibilities

Co-lead strategy development with local partners, including goals, objectives, tactics, and timeline of the campaigns;
Co-facilitate meetings and support operations, as needed, for existing local collectives and support networks;
Support the policy research and implementation phases of the campaigns;
Map the local political and legal landscape, which includes participating in ongoing meetings with local elected officials, other city officials, advocates, and others;
Build relationships and advocate with key stakeholders and targets in the campaigns;
Facilitate the implementation of policy advice through technical assistance and training from ILRC policy attorneys;
Coordinate with ILRC staff, including organizers in other localities, to conduct training for local organizers and advocates that build campaign skills and the understanding of issues involving the intersection of the criminal and immigration systems (“crim-imm”);
Work with local partners and the ILRC team to produce community education materials that break down crim-imm and enforcement issues;
Review community-facing documents, when applicable;
Support communications work for DC policy campaigns, when applicable;
Explore/ maintain relationships with leaders of intersecting local organizing, especially criminal system advocates; and
Travel to ILRC San Francisco office twice a year and other locations as needed.