Legal Services Professional Development Director

UFW FOUNDATION JOB POST

TITLE:

Legal Services Professional Development Director

FLSA STATUS :

Exempt (Salary)

LOCATION :

Bakersfield, CA

HIRING RANGE :

$87,000.00 to $115,000.00 annually, depending on experience.

About UFW Foundation: 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).


SUMMARY: The Legal Services Professional Director is responsible for developing and executing the Immigration Services department's training and professional development strategy and programs. This position will include overseeing immigration legal trainings for all legal staff, continuing legal education (CLE), career development (including supervisor/management training as appropriate), legal competency evaluations, and career counseling. The position will work closely with the Community Advancement Services (CAS) leadership. The Legal Services Professional Development Director will report to the Immigration Legal Services Director.


ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: (This is not an exhaustive list)

• Development Strategy & Needs Assessment:

• 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.

• Training and Curriculum Design:

• 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.

• Performance Management & Evaluation:

• 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.

• Mentorship Programs:

• Design, implement, and lead mentoring programs, including matching mentors and mentees and providing training guidelines.

• Administrative Management:

• 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.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• 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.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

The ideal candidate for this position must have a high level of professionalism and organization. The candidate must demonstrate competency in the following areas:

• 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.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Language Skills: 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. This position may require bilingual and/or bi-literate ability (English/Spanish).
• Mathematical Skills: Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions and percentages. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
• Reasoning Ability: 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.

PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS AND/OR QUALIFICATIONS:

• 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.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:

• Licensed attorney in good standing.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

• Current California driver's license and insurance, or equivalent state license.

COMPENSATION:

The annual salary pay range for this position is $87,000.00 to $115,000.00, and benefits include:

• 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

*Note: Some of the benefits listed above are not available to temporary employees. Eligibility and access to benefits may vary based on employment status and other factors.

ADDITIONAL AND/OR SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS AND/OR QUALIFICATIONS

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement - The UFW Foundation is committed to ensuring the health and safety of our community, employees, and program participants. While vaccinations and boosters are not currently mandatory, we strongly recommend their use as a crucial measure in reducing the transmission of COVID-19. It is imperative to emphasize that if a pandemic situation arises that necessitates vaccines and/or boosters, we will reinstate this requirement to protect everyone effectively. Vaccinations have proven to be effective in preventing the spread of the virus and reducing severe illness. By choosing to get vaccinated, individuals contribute to the collective effort in mitigating the impact of the pandemic and creating a safer environment for all. We will continually monitor the evolving situation and follow the guidance of health authorities.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

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 essential functions.


While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.


WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The 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.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

The UFW Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe a strong commitment to equal employment opportunity is more than a legal and moral obligation - it is also a sound business practice to realize the potential of every individual. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all! In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunity to all individuals, employment decisions at the UFW Foundation will be based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. Except where required or permitted by law, employment practices will not be influenced or affected by an applicant's or employee's race, color, religion, sex/gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetic information, age, or any characteristic protected by law.


We encourage all qualified applicants to apply for a position fighting for farm worker and immigrant communities! The UFW Foundation believes in second chances. As an organization, we will rely on individualized assessments in the hiring of those with past criminal convictions. The UFW Foundation will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with qualified disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act unless doing so would result in an undue hardship. Persons of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, persons with disabilities, persons who have lived in poverty, formerly incarcerated, persons 40 years old or older, and people fluent in more than one language are strongly encouraged to apply for open positions with the UFW Foundation.


This policy governs all aspects of employment, including selection, job assignment, compensation, counseling, discipline, termination, access to benefits and training. Our commitment to equal opportunity employment applies to all persons involved in our operations and prohibits unlawful discrimination by any employee, including supervisors and co-workers.