Global Pro Bono Director

International Refugee Assistance Project • New York, NY

36d • $137,919 - $148,300 • Remote

About The Position

The Director of Global Pro Bono leads the Global Pro Bono Department at IRAP, which responds to the needs of displaced people by developing and implementing high-impact projects and leveraging IRAP’s partner networks, including law firms and law student chapters. The department is responsible for the cultivation and management of IRAP’s relationships with law firms and our related case placement and case mentorship model. The department manages student engagement with IRAP's network of 29 law school chapters in North America and other innovative models to train students, such as the fellowship for law students with lived experience of displacement. Also, the department engages external partners and IRAP staff to work together to address unmet needs and build meaningful responses to the changing law and policy landscape within which IRAP operates. The Global Pro Bono Director will help shape the Department’s role moving forward as the team engages in ongoing discussions regarding new areas of growth. This position has supervisory responsibility, reports to the VP-US Legal Programs, and is a member of the Programmatic Leadership Team (PLT) and the Legal Leadership Team (LLT). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning January 6, 2026.

Requirements

• A law degree and active admission to practice law in a U.S. jurisdiction is required.
• Minimum 6 years of experience practicing law in the field of refugee and/or immigrant rights.
• Experience working with pro bono attorneys or mentoring law students, including but not limited to law firm practice experience, non-profit pro bono practice experience, and other engagements, including co-counseling cases and training engagements.
• Experience supervising legal teams.
• Experience designing and executing legal projects, including but not limited to designing and participating in legal clinics and other pro bono projects.
• Sensitivity to and experience with client empowerment and working with clients of all backgrounds, trauma-informed lawyering, and cultural humility.
• Excellent mediation skills and ability to facilitate smooth partnerships across multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to multitask, manage multiple projects and competing priorities, and be flexible in a fast-paced and high-pressure work environment.
• Highly organized and motivated with strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent oral and written English proficiency is required.
• The position may be based in any IRAP office and may be remote in the US, but the position is required to work East Coast business hours with some evenings and weekends expected for special events (e.g., clinics, student events, etc.).
• This position requires frequent travel to the NY office and occasional domestic and international travel.

Nice To Haves

• Experience leading pro bono programs at nonprofit organizations is preferred.
• Excellent skills in other languages are a plus, but not required.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Global Pro Bono department, which includes a Global Pro Bono Senior Manager and the Director of Legal Knowledge and Training.
• Oversee the department’s development and implementation of projects and programming that respond to unmet needs identified by IRAP staff and partners that leverage our pro bono networks and fill gaps in the field.
• Develop, deepen, and maintain relationships with law firm pro bono contacts; oversee the placement of pro bono cases and projects with law firm partners for IRAP’s direct services, litigation, policy, and operations departments; liaise between IRAP staff and pro bono partners when case-related issues arise.
• Support IRAP’s engagement with its law school chapter network and all related programming to train the next generation of advocates.
• Support the Department in event planning to engage IRAP’s law students and pro bono networks, including webinars and other training resources, Pro Bono Appreciation Week, and the annual Student Summit.
• Supervise some pro bono work, including taking on a small docket of cases or assisting with reviewing research work product as needed.
• Work with IRAP’s Development department on the annual law firm giving campaign and other fundraising endeavors.
• Represent the Global Pro Bono Department on IRAP leadership and cross-departmental committees and liaise with other departments to support the development of new projects.
• Represent IRAP at conferences and other events for pro bono professionals.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Fully paid family health insurance.
• Retirement options.
• Extensive PTO (20 or more vacation days, 22 and more public/ org-wide holidays).
• Comprehensive leave time for sickness.
• Disability and parenting (more than 6 months of parental leave).
• Reimbursement for work-from-home equipment.
• Generous opportunities for professional development

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees