Legal Service Director / U.S. Legal Director

The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) works through a robust network of staff, pro bono attorneys and law students to fill a major gap in access to legal aid for refugees, asylum seekers, and other displaced people. IRAP has become the first advocacy organization to provide comprehensive legal representation to refugees throughout the registration, protection and resettlement processes. As fear, division, hatred, and economic uncertainty persist in the global consciousness and manifest in discriminatory policies, speech, and actions, individuals across the world must respond by demanding and upholding commitments to justice. IRAP is leveraging its volunteers and resources to fight back and ensure that we continue to uphold the humanitarian tradition of welcoming those who need refuge.

IRAP’s Legal Services Department is growing in response to the increased demand to protect those whose rights are being threatened and is now seeking nominations and applications for the positions of Legal Service Director and U.S. Legal Director, both within its Legal Services Department.

Since its founding in 2008, IRAP has used legal aid, litigation and advocacy to protect and advance the rights of refugees, both domestically and internationally; the organization has also remained committed to developing the next generation of human rights attorneys through its work with law students. The global turn against refugee resettlement coupled with IRAP’s highly effective model has led to a period of rapid expansion to meet new levels of demand. In the past two years, IRAP’s annual budget has increased from $2 million to $9 million, and over the past six years, its staff has grown from ten to seventy-five.

Reporting to IRAP’s Executive Director, Becca Heller, the Legal Services Director will lead a team of five talented program directors who oversee the work of over 40 staff. The Legal Services Department focuses on protecting the rights of refugees, and the Director will provide critical strategic partnership to the Executive Director as IRAP navigates this new phase of growth. The Legal Services Director will provide direct supervision to the U.S. Legal Services Director, Middle East Director, Director of Pro Bono, the Director of Complementary Pathways and the Intake and Legal Information Director. S/he/they will oversee staff based in New York City, Jordan, Lebanon, and remotely around the world.

IRAP’s US Legal Services team assists individuals navigating the refugee recognition, resettlement, and visa application processes through their mentorship of pro bono teams, in-house representation, and legal information and pro se materials. Reporting to IRAP’s Legal Services Director, the U.S. Legal Services Director will lead a team of talented attorneys, intake caseworkers, and legal assistants who provide individual legal assistance to refugees and other displaced people around the world. Once hires are completed, the Director will supervise 14 IRAP staff and support a national pro bono network of over 1,000 attorneys and law students.

The ideal candidates will demonstrate a deep connection to IRAP’s mission to use legal advocacy to find safe places to live and safe passage for the world’s most persecuted individuals. They will be an inclusive, passionate leaders committed to combatting inequitable policies impacting refugees and other displaced people and to delivering the highest quality legal and advocacy services. They will be a experienced managers who excel at supporting, mentoring, and motivating legal staff; developing processes that facilitate the efficient and effective delivery of direct legal services by staff and volunteer lawyers; and leading teams that work closely with individuals who have experienced trauma. The Directors be decisive, keenly analytical leaders and thinkers who will build and support healthy culture around prioritization, team communication and decision making. Both the Legal Services Director and U.S. Legal Services Director must have law degrees and be admitted to practice law in the United States.

These searches are being conducted by Meredith Horton, Allison Kupfer Poteet, Hallie Dietsch, and Javier Garcia of the national search firm NPAG. For more information, full position descriptions and instructions on how to apply, please visit the links below.

Legal Services Director

U.S. Legal Services Director