Legal Services Coordinator and Immigration Policy Analyst

Statement of Duties:

Under the direct supervision of the Director of the SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs (SOIA), the Legal Services Coordinator and Immigration Policy Analyst will provide critical legal and policy support related to immigration matters to advance the well-being of Somerville community members. This position requires coordinating legal services for immigrant residents, serving as the point of contact for the office’s legal services partners and vendors, and serving as the City’s expert on legal and policy developments on immigration at the federal, state, and local level. The Legal Services Coordinator and Immigration Policy Analyst will inform City of Somerville policies to improve the well-being of immigrants and share legal and policy information with Somerville constituents. The role requires a thorough understanding of immigration law and policy, strong analytical skills, and the ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders.

Essential Functions:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

Legal coordination:

• Coordinate and triage immigration legal services and resources for immigrants, including but not limited to legal consultations, referrals, legal clinics, and advocacy.
• Coordinate legal services for other legal matters that impact immigrant community members, including family law, tax law, workers’ rights, and other areas that immigrant community members identify as priorities.
• Develop and manage relationships with a wide range of legal service and policy partners, including contracted legal service providers, attorneys, legal clinics, and legal aid and immigrant advocacy organizations at the local, state, and national level.
• Identify new opportunities for collaboration to expand legal services for immigrant constituents
• Develop and manage in-take processes for immigrant legal services

Community engagement with constituents and stakeholders:

• Engage with immigrant communities, local organizations, and other stakeholders to understand needs and concerns regarding immigration policies.
• Communicate directly with constituents interested in learning about legal processes or pursuing a legal process, and follow up with them as needed. Communication may be in-person, by phone, or by email to understand their needs and ambitions.
• Identify and provide constituents with necessary guidance, resources, services, and/or referrals.
• Communicate across City departments and local community partners about available legal services and supports through SOIA.

Participation and representation in various groups:

• Represent the City of Somerville in local, regional, and national coalitions and working groups on immigration policy and advocacy.
• Facilitate, coordinate, and participate in local, regional, and national coalitions and working groups on immigration policy and advocacy.

Research:

• Regularly research news, laws, policy, advocacy opportunities, and informational campaigns impacting the immigrant community in Somerville.Leverage research tools and sources including legal databases, newspaper articles, newsletters, government websites, published reports, and professional networks

Policy analysis and recommendation:

• Analyze local, state, and federal immigration policies to assess their impact on the Somerville community.
• Develop and recommend local immigration policies and procedures that align with the City's goals and legal requirements.
• Work closely with the SOIA Multilingual Public Information Coordinator to design and implement information campaigns to share the policies, leveraging existing campaigns and resources from local and/or national organizations.
• Work closely with the SOIA language justice staff to determine language access (translation and interpretation) needs for public campaigns and resources and ensure all public communications are available in priority languages.

Training and education:

• Provide training and educational sessions on immigration law and policies for city staff, community members, and partners.
• Coordinate with partner organizations to provide training and educational sessions.

Event planning:

• In coordination with other members of the team, plan and organize events that provide Somerville’s immigrants with access to legal services and critical information on immigration policy.

Data management:

• Maintain accurate records and data related to immigration cases referred from the Office of Immigrant Affairs to legal aid organizations, policies, and community outreach efforts.
• Manage the Immigration Legal Services budget, including approving legal services quotes and ensuring that approved services stay within the budget. Maintain an organized and precise list of immigration cases referred by SOIA to legal aid organizations and a waitlist organized by priority.

Reporting:

• Prepare reports and presentations on immigration trends, policy impacts, and departmental activities for city leadership and other external stakeholders.

Recommended Minimum Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor's degree in Law, Public Policy, Political Science, or a related field. A Juris Doctor (JD) degree is highly preferred along with membership in good standing with a state bar association..

Experience: Minimum of 4 years of experience working in immigration law, policy analysis, or related fields. Experience in legal coordination, advocacy for immigrant rights, or working directly with immigrant populations in Massachusetts is highly desirable.

Language Skills: Proficiency in a second language commonly spoken among immigrant communities in Somerville (e.g. Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, Cantonese, Nepali) is advantageous.

Computer Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams), Zoom and familiarity with legal research databases.

Knowledge, Abilities, and Skills:

Knowledge: Comprehensive understanding of immigration law and policies at local, state, and federal levels. Familiarity with the legal and procedural frameworks governing immigration issues.

Analytical Skills: Ability to analyze complex legal and policy documents, identify key issues, and propose effective solutions.

Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate legal concepts and policies effectively to diverse audiences and in plain language. Strong public speaking skills and ability to effectively represent the City’s position on issues impacting immigrant communities.

Interpersonal Skills: Strong interpersonal skills and cultural humility to interact sensitively and responsively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and communities.

Organizational Skills: Strong organizational and time-management skills to manage multiple priorities and deadlines effectively. This individual must possess a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.

Problem-Solving: Proven ability to solve problems independently and collaboratively, exercising sound judgment and discretion.

Initiative: Uses initiative and discretion to accomplish routine assignments with minimum supervision.

Strategic Planning: Ability to identify and develop attainable action plans to achieve goals and benchmarks, overcome challenges, and leverage opportunities.

The ideal candidate will have a genuine commitment to working with and serving immigrant communities. The ideal candidate will possess a willingness and aptitude for engaging with stakeholders with compassion, a solutions-oriented mindset, and clear, effective communication. This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the City of Somerville's commitment to equity, inclusivity, and support for its immigrant communities through legal expertise and policy advocacy. The Legal Services Coordinator and Immigration Policy Analyst will be instrumental in shaping and implementing policies that reflect the city's values and support its diverse population.

Work Environment

This position is based in an office in a professional setting. The work environment involves everyday comforts and discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements such as when traveling for work-related business or attending outdoor events. There may be noise and activity in the office area. The employee may be required to adjust their schedule and/or work outside of normal office hours to attend evening meetings, support emergency needs, or complete urgent work assignments.

Physical and Mental Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Physical Skills

Few physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing.

Motor Skills

Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone, setting up presentation equipment, operating a personal computer and/or most other office equipment including word processing, filing and sorting of papers.

Visual Skills

Visual demands require constantly reading print and digital documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.

Hours: Part-Time, up to 20 hours weekly
Salary: $39.81 hourly
Union: Non-Union
FLSA: Exempt
Date Posted: August 8th, 2024

City of Somerville residents are especially encouraged to apply.

The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.

Please Note: The below details do not apply to any Mayor Student Jobs programs OR youth workers with the city.

Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:

• MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
• Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees

Overview of Total Rewards:

• 4 weeks annual vacation (for non-union positions) union positions vary by contract
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Somerville Retirement Pension System
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.