Legal Services Professional Development Director

UFW Foundation•Bakersfield, CA

just now•Onsite

About The Position

For nearly 20 years, the UFW Foundation has mobilized farm workers and their organizations across the country to advocate for more equitable policies, such as immigration reform, pesticide protections, heat standards, hazard pay and other worker protections. We engage constituents in systemic change to break the cycle of poverty while also providing critical services. In fact, the UFW Foundation is one of the largest federally accredited immigration legal service provider in the state of California. The organization has staff in California, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, and New York. The UFW Foundation’s Immigration Legal Services Program provides high quality comprehensive affirmative and removal defense services and representation before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), and California State Courts. We represent low-income clients, including unaccompanied minors, in an array of affirmative and defensive matters, including but not limited to family petitions, U-visa/VAWA, Waivers, Naturalization and DACA, as well as Asylum/Withholding/CAT, Cancellation of Removal and Special Immigrants Juvenile Status (SIJS).

Requirements

High level of professionalism and organization.
Experience in designing and implementing effective legal professional development programs.
Demonstrated cultural competence and cross-cultural communication skills.
Ability to keep track of projects and deadlines, and to communicate progress in real-time.
Computer literate and working knowledge of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or equivalent applications.
Detail oriented and strong presentation skills.
Self-motivated and able to work both independently and in conjunction with team members.
Manage and oversee training and development budgets and expenditures for the Immigration Services department.
Collaboration. Ability to work with teammates in a professional and solutions-oriented manner. Demonstrated ability to work with a diverse group of people in various settings.
Dedication to Mission. A genuine interest in immigrant and farm worker rights/workers’ rights (e.g. worker conditions, wage-hour violation).
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Excellent problem-solving skills.
Flexibility, Speed, and Precision. Ability to adjust quickly to constantly changing priorities with speed, precision, and accuracy.
Si Se Puede® (It Can Be Done) Attitude. The embodiment of a personal spirit that promotes confidence, courage and risk-taking.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, campus staff and students, government officials and their staff members, and the general public.
Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions and percentages.
Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
Licensed attorney in good standing.
Current California driver’s license and insurance, or equivalent state license.

Nice To Haves

JD, or a related degree and/or five (5) to seven (7) years or more of related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
3+ years of immigration attorney and staff supervisory experience.
Bilingual and/or bi-literate ability (English/Spanish).

Responsibilities

Identify skill gaps and professional development needs and keep up to date with legal advancements.
Assess existing resources and opportunities and build training programs based on departmental needs.
Evaluate legal staff’s training needs and provide recommendations to improve staff’s legal knowledge and effectiveness.
Conduct follow-up analysis of completed trainings and initiatives to evaluate and measure results.
Work with department leadership to conduct training needs analysis on Immigration Services department and to execute initiatives.
Develop, implement, and oversee department-wide curricula, workshops, seminars and/or professional skills training sessions for legal staff, including programs for professional development skills, as well as essential legal skills and competency training programs.
Identify and build relationships with potential external consultants and training programs to introduce the organization to additional useful development resources.
Measure and assess training and development programs.
Modifies training programs and initiatives as needed.
Manage legal services’ staff evaluation processes, provide feedback mechanisms, and handle career development counseling.
Manage accurate CLE compliance, tracking, and reporting organization-wide to ensure compliance with applicable state requirements.
Design, implement, and lead mentoring programs, including matching mentors and mentees and providing training guidelines.
Assist with onboarding new hires and conduct exit interviews to identify trends and improve retention.
Maintain and oversee the team’s professional development budgeting process and expenditures.
Travel as needed to other UFWF offices.
Other duties as needed.
May involve the coordination and/or supervision of other administrative staff on specific projects and/or assignments.
May involve coordinating and supervising office volunteers, interns, or other staff.

Benefits

Accruals of 2, 3, and 4 vacation weeks per year depending on tenure
16 paid holidays (includes a personal day)
1 mental health day per calendar year
Paid sick days
Health, dental, and vision benefits
Life insurance
Flexible Spending Accounts
Employee Assistance Program for support with personal and work-related challenges
403(b) retirement plan with 2% employer match (providing employee meets criteria)
401(k) retirement plan with no employer match (providing employee meets criteria)
Employer-sponsored pension plan
Supplemental insurance (within 30 days of hire date)
Professional development opportunities and access to thousands of courses
20% discount for immigration services through the UFW Foundation
Many discounts, such as entertainment discounts for movie theaters, theme parks, etc. via ADP Lifemart, TicketsatWork, and UnionPlus