About Acacia Center for Justice:
The objective of the Acacia Center for Justice (“Acacia”) is to expand on Vera’s work over the past twenty years in providing legal support and representation to immigrants facing deportation through the development, coordination, and management of national networks of legal services providers serving immigrants across the country. Acacia’s goals are twofold: to support immigrant legal services and defense networks to provide exceptional legal services to immigrants and to advocate for the expansion of these programs and the infrastructure critical to guaranteeing immigrants access to justice, fairness, and freedom. Acacia will focus the collective power of both Vera and CAIR on delivering accountable, independent, zealous, and person-centered legal services and representation to protect the rights of all immigrants at risk of deportation.
Job Summary:
The NQRP/CCI Program Analyst is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the programs and assisting with the implementation and management of new and emerging areas of the representation work. The Program Analyst’s primary NQRP responsibilities include ensuring proper assignment of counsel in all new NQRP cases and cases transferred among NQRP providers; reviewing, and elevating provider funding requests and program inquiries; onboarding new providers to NQRP systems, updating, and maintaining the NQRP resource library, brief bank, and listservs; tracking and communicating NQRP case funding deadlines; and troubleshooting NQRP database issues with providers. In addition, the Program Analyst is primarily responsible for facilitating the submission of new CCI cases, which includes reviewing new CCI case submissions for eligibility under the CCI Statement of Work (SOW) and requesting additional information where necessary, submitting cases for EOIR review and approval; and working with EOIR, providers, and Acacia staff to resolve issues around eligibility. For all duties identified, the Program Analyst is frequently the first point of contact between Acacia and EOIR and between Acacia and the NQRP/CCI providers. The Program Analyst also provides additional support to Acacia staff by updating the NQRP and CCI provider maps and lists, managing the NQRP and CCI main inboxes, and acting as additional technical support during network meetings.
Primary Duties/Responsibilities:
- Facilitating the process of providing appointed legal representation for NQRP clients by receiving, assigning, and tracking new case assignments; facilitating case transfers among providers; and responding to inquiries from EOIR, providers, and others regarding current or potential NQRP cases.
- Facilitating approval of new CCI cases by reviewing cases submitted by providers for eligibility, submitting reviewed cases to EOIR for approval, responding to requests for additional. information from EOIR and working to resolve eligibility issues with EOIR and providers.
- Support training and technical support by onboarding new providers, maintaining the NQRP resource library, and helping providers access other support resources such as the NQRP and CCI listserv.
- Facilitate data collection and case assignments via the NQRP database by addressing issues raised by providers and EOIR and assisting with the continued buildout of the NQRP database with the Research Data and Evaluation Analysis team to incorporate program management functions.
- Reviewing, approving, and elevating provider funding requests for NQRP and CCI cases, including appropriate background information.
- Communicating with EOIR and NQRP/CCI providers regarding all aspects of the NQRP, and elevating issues to other Acacia staff, as appropriate.
- Managing NQRP and CCI main inboxes, sharable Smartsheet space, and onboarding new provider staff and sites into the network.
Required Skills, Knowledge, Abilities:
- Demonstrated commitment to immigrants’ rights, zealous representation of indigent people, the rights of people with mental illness, and race equity.
- 2-3 years of experience working on multiple projects effectively and efficiently, without frequent supervision, in professional or academic settings.
- Ability to obtain an extensive government security clearance and handle specific secure data.
- Ability to work constructively with government and non-government stakeholders, and to adjust approach appropriately.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to listen with patience and empathy, accept and apply constructive feedback, and work collaboratively and collegially with co-workers.
- Attention to detail, strong problem-solving ability and logical reasoning skills, and the ability to identify areas for improvement in databases and platforms.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, Word, and SharePoint.
Preferred Skills, Knowledge, Abilities:
- Lived or affiliate experience with the immigration, criminal justice, and/or mental health system(s) is a strong plus.
- Experience working with detained people in removal proceedings, criminal defense proceedings, people with mental health conditions in a hospital setting, or a comparable adversarial litigation setting.
- Experience working with databases and in data collection and reporting.
- Knowledge of or experience working with mental health and/or criminal law concepts.
Education and Experience:
Bachelor’s degree with 0-3 years of relevant experience. In lieu of Bachelor’s degree, applicable work or life experience may be considered.
Compensation and Benefits:
Acacia has established an internal compensation philosophy that centers equity and pay transparency. The salary for this position is set at $65,000 The salary listed is just one component of Acacia’s total compensation package for employees. Supporting Acacia staff—both personally and professionally—is our priority.
- Medical/Dental/Vision- Some plans at $0 cost to the employee
- Employee Assistance Program
- 20 days per year of vacation time
- 12 days per year of sick time
- 5 personal days
- 4 organization-wide Wellness Days
- 11 observed holidays, including the last week of December.
- $2000 Professional Development Stipend
- Home office set-up stipend
- Internet Stipend
- 401k with 5% employer contribution, no employee participation required.
- Student loan repayment assistance.
- Gym Reimbursement
People of color and those who have been impacted by the criminal justice system are strongly urged to apply.
To Apply:
Please upload a resume and cover letter at the link provided or email hiring@acaciajustice.org with Subject: ATTN: Human Resources / [Job Title], Acacia Center for Justice
Equal Opportunity Employment:
Acacia is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to recruit persons of diverse backgrounds and support their retention and advancement within the organization. We are committed to fostering a workplace culture inclusive of people with respect to their race, ethnicity, national origin, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, marital status, age, disabilities, political affiliation, religious beliefs, or any other characteristic. Our commitment to justice and diversity also means providing a work environment that is welcoming, respectful, and engaging.
As a federal contractor, and in order to ensure a healthy and safe work environment, Acacia Center for Justice is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccine before their start date. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement.
This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties, responsibilities and requirements but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function within our organization.
Acacia Center for Justice is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status.