DC Immigrant Justice Organizer

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center is Hiring!

DC Immigrant Justice Organizer

Washington, DC

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.

Who We Are: 

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 Opportunity: 

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.

Job 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. 

Qualifications: We seek candidates who have outstanding interpersonal skills, organizational skills, data analysis skills, project management skills, high attention to detail, ability to collaborate effectively, and commitment to advancing the power of immigrant communities. To be most successful in this role, you must:

• 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;
• Proficiency in Spanish, written and oral, preferred as well as ability to navigate diverse language backgrounds;
• Be able to travel up to 15% percentage of time; and
• Support the organization in other duties as assigned.

Skills and Attributes: The skills and attributes for the DC Immigrant Justice Organizer include:

• A commitment to building grassroots power to combat the criminalization of immigrant communities in DC;
• The ability to create strategic alignment among diverse stakeholder groups;
• Ability to contribute to building long-term and robust strategy that brings together various stakeholders in DC organizing spaces and immigrant support networks;
• Proactive at building relationships with organizers, advocates and elected officials;
• Excellent facilitation and training skills;
• Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills; 
• Demonstrate flexibility in a changing work environment while maintaining effectiveness and efficiency;
• Excellent communication, including writing, skills with the ability to craft clear, concise, and compelling narratives; 
• Passion for advancing equity and improving life outcomes for marginalized DC residents; 
• Excellent organization and prioritization skills; 
• Keen attention to detail and ability to ensure accuracy and rigor to the highest standards; 
• Creative and strategic thinker;
• Recognizes ways that race and ethnicity, gender, and other identities intersect in the communities that we serve; 
• Growth mindset and commitment to demonstrating results and gathering feedback to inform experimentation, iteration, and improvement; 
• Flexibility, adaptability, and the ability to anticipate needs, prioritize, and juggle multiple projects at once; and 
• 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.

Compensation/Benefits:

Pay is commensurate with experience, with an expected range between $83,000 – $93,000 annually. The ILRC offers excellent benefits, medical/dental/vision insurance, EAP sessions, a flexible spending account for medical and dependent care, vacation, and sick leave. The ILRC also sponsors a retirement plan option upon fulfillment of eligibility. Additionally, we offer an annual professional development stipend of $2,500 and from 2025 – 2027, an annual wellness stipend of $2,500. ILRC also offers a sabbatical program: employees are eligible to apply for an 8-week sabbatical after five years of service and a 12-week sabbatical after ten years of service.  

Applications:

The position will remain open until Monday, September 7th. We will consider applications on an ongoing basis beginning immediately. To ensure consideration of your application, submit a cover letter explaining your qualifications for the position, your salary requirements, a current resume, and the contact information for three professional references, one of which must be a supervisor. 

The ILRC is an equal opportunity employer and does not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion or religious beliefs, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability age, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state or federal laws. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and other similar state laws and local ordinances, ILRC will also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records.

The ILRC offers excellent benefits, medical/dental/vision insurance, EAP sessions, a flexible spending account for medical and dependent care, vacation, and sick leave. The ILRC also sponsors a retirement plan option upon fulfillment of eligibility. Additionally, we offer an annual professional development stipend of $2,500 and from 2025 – 2027, an annual wellness stipend of $2,500. ILRC also offers a sabbatical program: employees are eligible to apply for an 8-week sabbatical after five years of service and a 12-week sabbatical after ten years of service.