Immigration Services Program Assistant

Position Title: Immigration Services Program Assistant

Organization: Jewish Family Service of San Diego

Position Type: Full-time (37.5 hours per week), non-exempt

Pay Rate: $16 – $18

Benefits: Benefits for this position include a 401(k) plan, medical, dental and vision coverage, flexible spending accounts, life insurance and generous holiday benefits.

Overview:
Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) is one of four refugee resettlement agencies in San Diego County, a Department of Justice Recognized organization, and a core partner of the San Diego Rapid Response Network (Network) – a group of 40+ immigrant rights and social service organizations, attorneys and community leaders who educate, protect and assist immigrant individuals and families ? including refugees and asylum seekers ? with legal support and social services. JFS has a large Immigration Services Department (JFS-ISD) where it not only coordinates the legal services for the Network, but also has a large team of lawyers, DOJ accredited representatives, and support staff working on a wide range services for low-income and vulnerable immigrants in San Diego and Imperial counties. The JFS-ISD team specializes in removal defense, family-based petitions and applications, naturalization, and humanitarian relief. The JFS-ISD team has experience and regularly practices immigration law before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) at the San Diego and Otay Mesa Immigration Courts and Board of Immigration Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and also guardianship law before the San Diego Probate Court. JFS-ISD is also the legal service provider which coordinates the Higher Education Legal Services (HELS) program on the 2 CA State Universities ? San Diego State and CSU San Marcos, in addition to 9 community colleges in San Diego and Imperial counties.

Position Overview:
Working within the overall Immigration Services team, the Program Assistant is a hub of support for multi-program operations, primarily focusing on office related support, fiscal tracking, meeting preparation, backing up answering phone lines, and data entry as needed. The Administrative Assistant will report to the Immigration Services Program Coordinator, and on a regular basis, assist the Program Coordinator and Program Manager with day-to-day task management, calendaring, prepping documents, keeping organized and special projects. The candidate should have experience and a strong desire to work in a fast paced, team environment and interact with staff, clients, and guests in a consistently personable, professional, and helpful manner. This is an active position, working with many people across a large Division. The position requires advanced experience with Microsoft Office programs, specifically Excel, Word, and Outlook.

Position Requirements

Assist with office-related support and administrative tasks;

Schedule meetings for Immigration Services Programming staff;

Assist with meeting preparation;

Assist Program Coordinator and Program Manager with grant compliance and reporting;

Assist Program Coordinator and Program Manager with special projects;

Field calls coming through the SDRRN hotline;

Participate in community workshops, information sessions, and other outreach activities;

As needed, field calls coming through the JFS Immigration Line;

As needed, conduct immigration legal screenings for individuals and families referred to the JFS Immigration Department;

As needed, support Immigration Legal Team as needed with emergency response and follow-up;

Stay up to date on rapidly changing immigration laws and policies;

Comply with data and program reporting requirements; and

Be prepared to step in to assist with the day-to-day administrative tasks to support the Immigration Services staff. With the constant changes in immigration law and policy, sometimes there is a need to change the way tasks or cases are handled. The ideal candidate is someone that can easily adapt to constant changes.

The position requires:
At least two years of prior relevant experience providing administrative support in an office setting

Ability to organize work coming from multiple sources and work cohesively with various levels of staff is necessary

Unquestionable ability to operate in Microsoft Office programs, especially: Word, Excel, and Outlook

Must be able to handle and maintain highly detailed documentation

Ability to maintain the highest levels of confidentiality and personal information discretion

The ideal candidate will have or be:
Prior experience working in a nonprofit setting

Someone who thrives on helping others and following through on every detail

A desire to have fun and laugh while working hard

Willing to adjust work schedule and occasionally work evenings depending on staffing needs

Bilingual – Bicultural (Spanish, Arabic, Farsi, Tagalog and Vietnamese) candidates preferred, although most work will be expected in English