Immigration Program Coordinator
JOB SYNOPSIS: The Immigration Program Coordinator (IPC) is responsible for leading the work of MCC Central States within the program area of immigration throughout the Central States region. This includes planning and implementing program partnerships, organizing, and equipping congregations and other partners to support migrating peoples, and to become advocates for immigrant justice in their own communities, and facilitating educational workshops deepening constituent awareness and understanding of the complex and dynamic issues related to migration and immigration. This position will also work and collaborate with constituency churches, other faith-based organizations, and agencies doing similar work. The IPC will network with the MCC's immigration partners, participate in MCC's immigration network, and work with local partners and groups to build accountable relationships and a just peace.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Specific Tasks and Duties:
Key responsibilities: 50% Program and Partner Relationships; 20% Capacity Building; 20% Networking; 10% Regional Support.
Specific Tasks and Duties:
Program and Partner Relationships
· Facilitate relationships with partners and oversee project partnerships comprising MCC’s work in immigration that are included but not limited to the provision direct legal immigration services, emergency assistance and support, advocacy, and other projects as they arise.
· Nurture and engage ongoing relationships with partners (constituent and non-constituent congregations, organizations) around the region to support the needs of asylum-seekers, and other migrating peoples through provision of material resources, financial grants, and volunteer support that emerges from partner relationships and expressed need.
· Discern the needs and most relevant concerns impacting undocumented immigrants across the region, in relationship with area partners and wider immigrant justice organizations
· Collaborate on strategies for meaningful advocacy, organizing, and response in collaboration with MCC's Immigration Network and constituencies-churches and organizations
· Capacity Building
Workshops:
· Coordinate and help facilitate approximately educational workshops, trainings, and speaking engagements (virtual and/or in-person) related to migration, immigrant justice, or advocacy issues for constituent churches, agencies and organizations (e.g., MDS), or broader workshops on immigration theology or other issues of justice related to immigration.
Regional Borderlands Learning Tour:
· Facilitate two immigration learning tours annually. Learning tours are planned with collaboratively with other MCC CS staff members, local partners, relevant MCC entities (e.g., MCC U.S. Immigration Network, MCC MX, and/or other regions), and focus on primary concerns of migration, borderlands issues, immigrant justice and peacebuilding, and so forth.
Networking
Churches:
-Relate to and build relationships with constituency churches and organizations, with specific concern for building meaningful relationships across the region
-Collaborate with the Young Adult Program Coordinator to identify, recruit and engage young adults to participate in Summer Service, SALT and other service opportunities/programs.
Partners:
-Participate in ongoing and mutually benefitting relationships with partners and others around the region working on immigration and migration issues from a peacebuilding, justice, and decolonial lens.
-Participate in conferences, opportunities for shared learning, and relationship building towards the end of adaptive action-learning, and discerning programming
MCC Immigration Program:
-Collaborate with MCC Immigration Network through regular attendance of monthly meetings, join U.S. and regional immigration coordinators in collaborative work, education, and advocacy efforts.
-Contribute to ongoing collaboration with all MCC entities working on migration (e.g., LACA, MX, Canada) in order to support shared ways of working together
REGIONAL SUPPORT AND COLLABORATION
-Participate in regular MCC Central States all-staff meetings (2x month), planning retreat (1 week per year), and department-specific meetings (1-2x month). Collaborate with colleagues through maintaining a work calendar, communicating about absences or schedule changes, and timely response to emails/messages, etc.
-Represent region on networks or working groups as requested (no more than 2 extra-programmatic groups per year). Participate in Dismantling Oppression Team on a rotating basis (identify and document 10 hours per month of reduced program responsibilities with supervisor when serving). Represent MCC at 1 regional conference annually: and in addition, 1 national conference every other year. Develop and follow through on annual intercultural development and anti-oppression skillset building plan.
Other duties as assigned.
Supervision: No direct supervision
Travel expectations: 30-40 nights away per year within the U.S. or Canada
Physical Activity/Demands: Occasionallyascending or descending stairs/ladders or the like.
· Constantly remaining in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time.
· Occasionally moving about to accomplish tasks or move from one worksite to another.
· Occasionally light work that includes moving objects up to 20 pounds.
· Constantly repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers.
· Occasionally operating motor vehicles or heavy equipment.
· Constantly assessing the accuracy, neatness and thoroughness of work assigned.
Environment Conditions – exposed to…
· Occasionally low temperatures.
· Occasionally high temperatures
· Occasionally outdoor elements such as precipitation and wind.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Organizational values and culture: All MCC workers are expected to exhibit a commitment to a personal Christian faith and discipleship; active church membership; and nonviolent peacemaking. MCC is an equal opportunity employer, committed to employment equity. MCC values diversity and invites all qualified candidates to apply.
Essential:
· Associates degree with 3-5 years’ experience with Immigration, migration, and borderlands work, ministries among migrating peoples, social services, education, non-profit leadership, and/or community development ministry. If higher education, 1-3 years of experience in relevant field needed.
· Capacity for biblical and theological reflection from an Anabaptist perspective
· Bilingual Spanish/English skills
· Strong communication skills: written, spoken, and listening
· Skills in budgeting, record-keeping and report writing.
· Skills in program management, project planning, partner relationship management.
· Proficiency in MS Office, internet and managing databases.
· Ability to develop and guide working relationships with new and current partners.
· Ability to build capacity, connect and network creatively, across all of MCC U.S. but with primary attention to MCC Central States.
· Working knowledge of the impact of systemic racism, immigration system, and colonization. Understanding of racism and white privilege; commitment to being anti-racist.
· Strategic planning skills.
· Collaboration skills.
· Ability to develop and implement educational experiences for the constituency.
Employment eligibility: Legally eligible to work in the U.S. MCC offers of employment are subject to a successful criminal background check(s).
Preferred:
· Training and experience in community engagement preferred
· 3-5 years’ experience with multi-cultural relationship building; multi-cultural relationship building with Latinx immigrants preferred.
· 1-3 years’ experience working directly with immigration system or those directly impacted by the U.S. immigration system.
Anti-oppression commitment: MCC expects all staff to actively participate in an organization culture that focuses on dismantling any barriers based on race, economic inequality, or gender-based oppression. This includes an expectation to assess and address any barriers within themselves, within their team(s), and within MCC.
Safeguarding commitment:
All MCC Staff are expected to work collaboratively to create and maintain an organizational culture that prevents and responds to situations of abuse of power (sexual harassment, child abuse, racism, exploitation, and fraud among other situations).
All MCC managers are expected to work collaboratively to create and maintain an organizational culture that prevents and responds to situations of abuse of power (sexual harassment, child abuse, racism, exploitation, and fraud among other situations). Managers at all levels have responsibilities to support, promote, and develop systems that maintain this environment.
Set the tone for an organization culture that prevents and responds to situations of abuse of power. Promote and support safeguarding by sending regular messages to staff, ensuring sufficient staffing and resources, and monitor organizational progress.
Support the Executive Directors and Board in establishing and maintaining organization culture that prevents and responds to situations of abuse of power.
In collaboration with the Executive Directors, keep an ongoing focus on an organizational culture that prevents and responds to situations of abuse of power. Partner with senior staff and relevant working groups to monitor organizational progress and cultivate policies, practices, and behaviors for safeguarding. Oversee MCC’s response to concerns related to workplace harassment and violence, sexual exploitation and abuse and child abuse, ensuring a victim-survivor centered (or trauma-informed) response, adequate training and support for case management team member and internal investigators, and tracking of cases for reporting to boards.
In collaboration with the HR Director, keep an ongoing focus on an organizational culture that ensures a safe, diverse, inclusive and professionally rewarding environment. Partner with Regional HR Coordinators to establish and cultivate policies, practices, and norms supporting that orientation.
Support management of safeguarding cases and training with MCC teams related to MCC priorities and framework, including prevention of and response to sexual violence and sexual exploitation, child protection, making teams safer places for diversity, trauma, response, self-care and resilience, among other possible topics.
Ensure that there are appropriate mechanisms in the MCC program and with partners to prevent and respond to situations of abuse of power.
Provide oversight of safeguarding efforts, ensure adequate staffing and resources to support programs to prevent and respond to abuses of power.
Provide oversight of MCC programs to ensure that there are appropriate mechanism in the MCC program and with partners to prevent and respond to situations of abuse of power.
At a country-level, ensure that mechanism are adopted in the MCC program and with partners to help prevent and respond to situations of abuse of power.
Support partners to strengthen their organizational capacity for prevention and response to abuses of power. Assess, manage, and monitor risks related to abuses of power in program design, implementation, and monitoring. Assess, manage, and monitor risks related to abuses of power in program design, implementation and monitoring.
Assess, manage, and monitor risks related to abuses of power in program design, implementation, and monitoring.
Provide support to MCC programs to assess, manage, and monitor risks related to safeguarding, fraud, and other abuses of power in project design, implantation, and monitoring.
Ensure screening and training of GSL participants and support to Connecting People’s Coordinators to prevent and respond to situations of abuse of power.
Support the implementation of MCC’s safeguarding policies and procedures. Act as a main point of contact for safeguarding concerns and support colleagues and partners to understand, monitor, and manage safeguarding risks.