What are the responsibilities and job description for the Managing Director position at National Legal Aid & Defender Association?
Position Description
OVERVIEW OF HILSC
The Houston metropolitan area has one of the highest concentrations and fastest-growing populations of immigrants and refugees in the country. More than 1.6 million immigrants and 70,000 refugees call Greater Houston home and 63% of them are non-citizens; more than 500,000 Greater Houston residents are undocumented. Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative (HILSC) grew out of a 2013 conversation among Greater Houston immigrant-serving organizations and funders seeking to grow legal services capacity in this region. Launched to expand legal resources to help DREAMers apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), HILSC convened working groups to identify gaps in service and incubated new programs such as the Immigrant Resource Hotline, Deportation Defense Houston, Forensic Evaluations, Disaster Justice, Connect for Healthcare, Strategic Learning, Holistic Immigrant Services, Give Citizenship A Bost, and fund fellowships to build a pipeline of immigration lawyers and advocates to meet community needs. The vision of HILSC is to co-create, with our allies, a vibrant and resilient ecosystem where all immigrants, migrants, and refugees belong.
HILSC strives to create a collaborative, respectful, humble, transparent, and equitable work environment so that each person can bring his or her best self to the job. HILSC is committed to a collaborative culture. Our work is challenging; it requires great emotional intelligence and resilience. Having a sense of humor and optimism is highly valued.
Position Overview
Since January 2025, the new administration swiftly and systematically bulldozed the immigrant world. The drastic shrinking of government funding to non-profit legal services left a huge vacuum of free and low-fee legal services for our vulnerable neighbors in times of crisis. Invasive tactics from government entities to discredit immigrant-serving non-profits have also shaken the immigrant-serving non-profit ecosystem in Greater Houston and beyond.
The Managing Director will join the HILSC team to address this vacuum and position HILSC to begin rebuilding the immigrant-serving ecosystem beyond the current times. This is a full-time, exempt position. Working under the supervision of the Executive Director, the Managing Director acts as a strategic partner and right-hand person to the Executive Director, focusing on aligning organizational activities with mission and goals, managing strategic projects, and enhancing efficiency and communication across the organization. Responsibilities include supporting fundraising, facilitating board and leadership meetings, managing across projects, and acting as a sounding board for the leader.
The role requires a broad skill set, including strategic thinking, strong communication, relationship-building, and an ability to manage complex, confidential tasks. The Managing Director plays a leadership role together with the Legal and Advocacy Director at HILSC and serves as an ambassador for HILSC by liaising with HILSC partners to cultivate strong collaborative relationships in addition to augmenting the capacity to provide holistic services to the immigrant community.
The ideal candidate is knowledgeable about the immigration system; possesses deep understanding of the immigrant community and non-profit capacity in Greater Houston and beyond; and is motivated, passionate, creative, self-starting, meticulous, with good project management, interpersonal, and organizational skills. Flexibility and commitment to serving the immigrant communities in Greater Houston are key competencies.
Principal Duties And Responsibilities
OVERVIEW OF HILSC
The Houston metropolitan area has one of the highest concentrations and fastest-growing populations of immigrants and refugees in the country. More than 1.6 million immigrants and 70,000 refugees call Greater Houston home and 63% of them are non-citizens; more than 500,000 Greater Houston residents are undocumented. Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative (HILSC) grew out of a 2013 conversation among Greater Houston immigrant-serving organizations and funders seeking to grow legal services capacity in this region. Launched to expand legal resources to help DREAMers apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), HILSC convened working groups to identify gaps in service and incubated new programs such as the Immigrant Resource Hotline, Deportation Defense Houston, Forensic Evaluations, Disaster Justice, Connect for Healthcare, Strategic Learning, Holistic Immigrant Services, Give Citizenship A Bost, and fund fellowships to build a pipeline of immigration lawyers and advocates to meet community needs. The vision of HILSC is to co-create, with our allies, a vibrant and resilient ecosystem where all immigrants, migrants, and refugees belong.
HILSC strives to create a collaborative, respectful, humble, transparent, and equitable work environment so that each person can bring his or her best self to the job. HILSC is committed to a collaborative culture. Our work is challenging; it requires great emotional intelligence and resilience. Having a sense of humor and optimism is highly valued.
Position Overview
Since January 2025, the new administration swiftly and systematically bulldozed the immigrant world. The drastic shrinking of government funding to non-profit legal services left a huge vacuum of free and low-fee legal services for our vulnerable neighbors in times of crisis. Invasive tactics from government entities to discredit immigrant-serving non-profits have also shaken the immigrant-serving non-profit ecosystem in Greater Houston and beyond.
The Managing Director will join the HILSC team to address this vacuum and position HILSC to begin rebuilding the immigrant-serving ecosystem beyond the current times. This is a full-time, exempt position. Working under the supervision of the Executive Director, the Managing Director acts as a strategic partner and right-hand person to the Executive Director, focusing on aligning organizational activities with mission and goals, managing strategic projects, and enhancing efficiency and communication across the organization. Responsibilities include supporting fundraising, facilitating board and leadership meetings, managing across projects, and acting as a sounding board for the leader.
The role requires a broad skill set, including strategic thinking, strong communication, relationship-building, and an ability to manage complex, confidential tasks. The Managing Director plays a leadership role together with the Legal and Advocacy Director at HILSC and serves as an ambassador for HILSC by liaising with HILSC partners to cultivate strong collaborative relationships in addition to augmenting the capacity to provide holistic services to the immigrant community.
The ideal candidate is knowledgeable about the immigration system; possesses deep understanding of the immigrant community and non-profit capacity in Greater Houston and beyond; and is motivated, passionate, creative, self-starting, meticulous, with good project management, interpersonal, and organizational skills. Flexibility and commitment to serving the immigrant communities in Greater Houston are key competencies.
Principal Duties And Responsibilities
- Strategic Leadership - Serve as a thought partner to the Executive Director, driving organizational strategy and ensuring alignment with the nonprofit's mission.
- Project Management - Lead and oversee strategic, cross-functional projects and initiatives from conception to implementation.
- Operations and Efficiency - Improve internal processes and systems to boost operational efficiency and effectiveness.
- Board and Stakeholder Relations - Coordinate with the board of directors and key stakeholders, managing communication and preparing materials for meetings.
- Communications - Manage internal and external communications, serving as a liaison between leadership and different program staff or constituencies.
- Human Resources & Culture - Support HR functions, contribute to a positive and collaborative team culture, and may manage direct reports.
- Financial & Fundraising Support - Assist with financial management and support the organization's fundraising and grant management efforts.
