Immigrant Affairs Lead (Senior Mayor’s Aide)

The Position

About The Position

Job Appointment: Full Time, At Will

This position is exempt from Civil Service and is an "At Will" position. It serves at the discretion of the hiring authority, subject to City of Portland Human Resources Administrative Rules and Portland City Charter and Code.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8 am-5 pm. Work hours will include evenings and weekends as needed.

Work Location: In person. Employee will report to the Portland Building, 1120 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97204 . Remote work must be performed within Oregon or Washington. For more information, click here .

Benefits: Please check our benefits tab for an overview of benefit for this position

Language Pay Premium Eligible: This position may be eligible for Language Pay Differential for qualifying employees.

Union Representation: This position is not represented by a union. Non-represented.

Application Material: Please click APPLY to submit your application via the City of Portland’s online portal. You will need respond to the supplemental questions and attach a resume. Note: Do not include your age, date of birth, or the dates you attended or graduated from school. Only provide this information if it is specifically requested to meet job requirements or to follow federal, state, or local laws or rules.

Position Summary

The City of Portland is seeking an Immigrant Affairs Lead to provide centralized leadership, coordination, and policy guidance on the City’s sanctuary-related policies, procedures, and employee support efforts. This position implements Council direction on sanctuary policies, supports bureau support workgroups, and advises senior leadership on high-visibility, time-sensitive, and complex issues affecting immigrant, refugee and asylee communities, mixed-status households, and City employees.

This is a brand-new position to the City and will play a key role in standing up the foundational elements of this new program. The Immigrant Affairs Lead is housed in the Mayor’s Office and conducts policy, program, and legislative analysis; develops guidance and tools; builds new systems and structures; coordinates Citywide workgroups; and represents the Mayor’s Office in collaboration with bureaus, labor partners and community-based organizations. This role requires strong policy analysis skills, project management skills, political acumen, relationship-building, expertise in immigration-related justice issues, the ability to step confidently into a developing program, and a deep commitment to equity, anti-racism, trauma-informed practice, and human rights.

What You’ll Get To Do

• Lead Citywide coordination, compliance, and project management for the implementation of the Sanctuary City Ordinance ( 192115 ) and Protect Portland Initiative ( 37719 ) and any additional direction from Council or other City leadership.
• Manage, convene and support the network of bureau Immigrant Affairs Liaisons; share resources, align protocols, and elevate bureau/office needs.
• Coordinate Citywide preparedness planning, tools, templates, decision trees, Know Your Rights resources, and reporting procedures.
• Conduct research and develop policy recommendations related to response to federal immigration enforcement, Oregon Sanctuary Promise Act compliance, and City sanctuary policies.
• Review, update, and distribute internal guidance related to enforcement response, facility access, data-sharing, and interactions with federal agents or military personnel.
• Establish tracking and reporting systems for enforcement activity affecting City employees, facilities, or operations, ensuring sensitive information is managed with strict confidentiality.
• Assist the Bureau of Human Resources and bureaus in operationalizing immigration related policies and culturally specific supports for impacted employees.
• Support development and delivery of required trainings for all City employees on sanctuary policies and response protocols.
• Build strong partnerships with employee resource groups, labor partners, community organizations, and immigrant rights groups.
• Support and review internal and public-facing Protect Portland resource hubs and communication materials.
• Provide internal communications updates and briefings on behalf of the Mayor’s Office to City Leadership Team, City Attorney’s Office, bureau directors, and managers to ensure employees understand Citywide immigrant affairs work and enforcement preparedness efforts.
• Issue internal communications to employees, including maintaining internal webpages, drafting regular email updates, and responding to employee inquiries related to sanctuary policy and immigration enforcement.
• Advise the Mayor, City Administrator, and bureau leadership on emerging immigration enforcement trends, risks, and impacts.
  
  

Who You Are

The successful candidate will have strong communication and project management skills, the ability to work with diverse communities, navigate complex political environments, and distill complicated policy issues into clear guidance and recommendations.

Additionally, You Have

• Commitment to immigrant, asylee and refugee justice, equity, anti-racism, and trauma-informed practice.
• Significant personal and/or professional experience with immigrant, refugee, asylee, or mixed-status communities.
• Skill in coordinating across bureaus or agencies on sensitive, high-stakes issues.
• Skill in deciphering complex information, and packaging internal communication materials into an easy-to-understand way.
• Experience convening workgroups and collaborating with diverse and varied stakeholders.
• Ability to handle confidential matters with discretion and independent judgment.
• Bilingual or multilingual skills (strongly preferred).
  
  

Have a question?

Contact Information

Loan Tran Polanco, Recruiter

Bureau of Human Resources

Loan.Tran@portlandoregon.gov

To Qualify

Applicants must specifically demonstrate in their resume and supplemental questions how their experience meets the following minimum qualifications:

• Skill coordinating across complex organizational environments with multiple stakeholders and differing priorities.
• Experience navigating complex political environments and building relationships across bureaus/offices and with community partners.
• Experience researching and interpreting sanctuary policies, immigration enforcement requirements, and emerging legal or federal developments.
• Experience analyzing policy issues, developing recommendations, and translating complex legal or procedural requirements into practical tools and guidance.
• Experience working in collaboration with immigrant, refugee, asylee, and/or mixed status communities.
• Experience drafting clear, persuasive correspondence, briefings, reports, and training materials for varied audiences.
  
  

Although not required, you may have one or more of the following preferred qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in public or business administration, political science, public policy, law, social work, ethnic studies, or a related field.
• Experience: Four (4) years of progressively responsible policy analysis, program coordination, or related work in a public agency or elected official’s office. Experience with immigrant/refugee/asylee rights, sanctuary laws, civil rights, or public safety is strongly preferred.
• Experience helping establish or build new programs, teams, or offices within a public agency or comparable organization.
• Experience managing cross-bureau or cross-agency initiatives.
• Experience with Oregon’s Sanctuary Promise Act or sanctuary policy implementation.
• Bilingual/multilingual skills.
  
  

The Recruitment Process

STEP 1: Apply online between December 8, 2025 to December 15, 2025

Required Application Materials

• Resume
• Answer to the Supplemental Questions (click on the Questions tab to preview the questions)
  
  

Optional Application Materials

• If you wish to request Veteran's Preference, please submit your veteran documents (e.g., DD214-Member 4, VA Benefit Letter) by the recruitment's closing date.
  
  

We have updated our veteran preference process. As of March 3rd, 2025, if you made the eligible list and met the eligibility to receive veteran preference, you will no longer need to submit veteran documents for future recruitments.

If you need to update or remove your veteran preference for a specific recruitment or from your master profile, please contact the recruiter listed in the job announcement.

Application Tips

• Your responses to the supplemental questions should include details describing your education, training and/or experience, and where obtained, which clearly reflects your qualifications for each of the numbered items in the "To Qualify" section of this announcement.
• Your résumé should support the details described in your responses to the supplemental questions.
• Note: Do not include your age, date of birth, or the dates you attended or graduated from school. Only provide this information if it is specifically requested to meet job requirements or to follow federal, state, or local laws or rules.
• How We Determine Pay: The City of Portland is covered by the Oregon Equal Pay Act . Your salary is determined based on the experience listed in your resume that is directly related and equivalent to the position for which you are applying. It is strongly encouraged to include any transferable experience (paid or unpaid regardless of how recent) to ensure your offer is reflective of all your relevant experience.
• Do not attach any additional documents. (Any materials not listed in Step 1 as required)
• Please note, all completed applications for this position must be submitted no later than on the closing date and time of this recruitment.
• You can use AI tools to assist with your job application, but please make sure to personalize your responses to supplemental questions. Avoid copying and pasting. We encourage using AI to generate ideas and then tailor them to reflect your own experiences and skills.
• All applications must be submitted via the City's online application process.
• E-mailed and/or faxed applications will not be accepted.
  
  

Step 2: Minimum Qualification Evaluation: Week of December 15, 2025

• An evaluation of each applicant's training and paid and unpaid experience, as demonstrated in their resume and supplemental questions in Step 1 is weighted 100%.
• Your résumé and responses to the supplemental questions listed in Step 1 will be the basis for our evaluation of your qualifications for this position. Incomplete or inappropriate information may result in disqualification.
• You have 14 days from the notice of the minimum qualification evaluation results to let us know if you would like to review and discuss your evaluation result. Please read the City of Portland Administrative Rule 3.01 for complete information.
• Additional evaluation may be required prior to establishment of the eligible list and/or final selection.
  
  

Step 3: Establishment of Eligible List: Week of December 22, 2025

• Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be placed on the equally ranked eligible list.
  
  

Step 4: Selection (Interview): January 2026

• Hiring bureau will review and select candidates for an interview
• Selected candidates for interview should be prepared to share video sample.
  
  

Step 5: Offer of Employment: January/February 2026

Step 6: Start Date: January/February 2026

• A start date will be determined after all conditions of employment have been met.
• Timeline is approximate and subject to change.
  
  

Additional Information

Click here for additional information regarding the following:

• City of Portland Core Values
• Recruitment Process - Work Status
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Veteran Preference
• ADA, Pregnancy, and Religious Accommodations
  
  

An Equal Opportunity Employer