Associate Director of Policy, NIJC

Company: National Immigrant Justice Center
Location: Washington
Posted on: April 9, 2025

Job Description:

About NIJCThe National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) advances human rights and due process for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers through direct legal services, impact litigation, advocacy, and public education. Headquartered in Chicago with offices in Washington, DC, Indiana, and San Diego, NIJC's team of over 100 attorneys, paralegals, and professionals, along with 2,000 pro bono attorneys, is at the forefront of immigration reform.Job Summary:The Associate Director of Policy is responsible for building strong relationships with lawmakers in Capitol Hill and nonprofit partners to advance NIJC's policy priorities. This position will develop, implement, and communicate policy priorities on a national scale, with a focus on ending reliance on our harmful immigration detention system, protecting the right to asylum, ensuring access to legal services and due process for immigrants, advocating against the use of local law enforcement for immigration enforcement, and highlighting the impact of deportation. The Associate Director of Policy will help to advance these priorities by utilizing public records and oversight tools to uncover relevant government records, researching and analyzing domestic law and policy, and drafting policy briefs, reports, and other materials as needed to educate and advocate with lawmakers and policymakers. Some of the work will require rapid response and travel to conduct field research, including interviewing and rights monitoring. The Associate Director supports the advancement of NIJC's advocacy efforts at the national level, while remaining informed about NIJC's state and local policy initiatives.This position requires close collaboration with NIJC's legal services, federal litigation, development, and communications teams to ensure that the experiences and voices of NIJC's clients are central to the policy work. The Associate Director will play a key role in developing and maintaining relationships with federal elected officials and policymakers and working with national and state partners to defend against harmful immigration laws and advance policies that promote civil and human rights, as well as racial equity. Additionally, the Associate Director will track the expansion of immigration detention nationwide and the profit incentive of private corporations in immigrant detention and surveillance.Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Co-lead with the Director of Policy NIJC's advocacy efforts with federal lawmakers, with a particular focus on advancing NIJC's policy priorities.
• Support, as appropriate, NIJC's state and local policy efforts in coordination with the Associate Director of Government Relations and the Director of Policy.
• Analyze legislation and make vote recommendations on federal bills, with input from NIJC's litigation and legal services teams, prepare talking points on legislation as appropriate, and work with staff to identify client stories to support policy positions.
• Engage in open government work to obtain critical government records necessary for transparency and accountability in connection to NIJC's policy priorities, including drafting local and federal public records requests and administrative appeals; working with NIJC's policy team to support and encourage congressional oversight and information requests; and liaising with investigative journalists as appropriate.
• Serve as NIJC's expert in federal funding and contract developments, with particular focus on appropriations and detention expansion.
• Develop and implement strategic approaches to advancing advocacy goals in coordination with teams across NIJC.
• Draft, with support from the Director of Policy and the communications team, policy briefs, reports, and commentary as needed.
• Where necessary, work with NIJC's litigation and legal services team to respond to proposed regulations and client emergencies that illustrate the systemic injustices our policy priorities seek to address.
• Lead and participate in both formal and informal coalitions of nonprofit organizations, immigrant service providers, grassroots organizers, impacted NIJC clients, and related stakeholders to defend against harmful immigration legislation and promote policies that protect immigrant rights.
• Present in briefings or trainings as needed, with support from the Director of Policy.
• Where necessary and in coordination with NIJC's Development team, write and edit grant reports and project proposals, advocate for funding for NIJC's initiatives, and contribute to cultivating and maintaining individual and organizational donors.
• Assist Director of Policy in management and growth of NIJC's policy team.
• React to feedback productively and perform other job-related duties as assigned, including providing backup support to NIJC's other programs and their clients.Qualifications:
• JD or Master's degree in policy, government, or (im)migration studies, with a minimum five years experience.
• Immigration policy and Spanish-language skills experience preferred.
• An effective public speaker who can represent NIJC confidently and clearly convey the organization's policy objectives.
• Strong writing and analytic skills responsive to fast-paced environment.
• Proactive in identifying and anticipating emerging opportunities or challenges.
• Detail-oriented who prioritizes tasks effectively and possesses strong organizational skills.
• Maintain confidentiality and performs best when working in a setting with rapidly changing demands, requiring quick decision-making, and a high level of adaptability.Physical Abilities StatementThe work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Must be able to remain in a stationary position at least 50% of the time.
• Capacity to travel to Capitol Hill and where needed to other locations within the United States to support NIJC's policy work.
• If needed, the person in this position occasionally is able to move about the inside of the office to access filing cabinets, office machinery, etc.
• Understanding of Microsoft Suite and other office productivity machinery, such as a copy machine.It is the policy of NIJC not to discriminate against any applicant for employment, or any employee because of age, color, sex, disability, national origin, race, religion, or veteran status.By submitting your application, you acknowledge and consent to undergo a comprehensive background check as part of the employment process. This background check will be conducted in compliance with applicable state and federal laws.
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