Director of Legal Services

About CARECEN

CARECEN (the Central American Refugee Center of New York) is a nonprofit dedicated to defending the rights of immigrants and expanding access to resources for immigrant communities on Long Island. Through high-quality legal services, social work services, community education, and advocacy, CARECEN works to ensure that immigrants have access to trusted legal representation and equitable resources.

Position Overview

CARECEN seeks a strategic and experienced immigration attorney to serve as Director of Legal Services, leading Long Island’s largest nonprofit immigration legal services organization. The Director will oversee CARECEN’s legal department, which includes approximately 30 staff of attorneys, paralegals, and coordinators providing a wide range of immigration legal services.

CARECEN’s services include representation for family-based and humanitarian immigration matters, removal defense, unaccompanied youth, naturalization, pro se legal support, a low bono fee-for-service team, and a pro bono partnership team.

The Director will work closely with CARECEN’s Executive Director and leadership team to advance CARECEN’s mission.

Responsibilities

Legal Department Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership for CARECEN’s immigration legal services; oversee the delivery of high-quality, ethical, and trauma-informed legal representation consistent with best practices in immigration legal services.
• Monitor developments in immigration law, policy, and enforcement trends and guides CARECEN’s legal strategies and programmatic responses.

Staff Supervision and Team Development

• Supervise managing attorneys, supervising attorneys, and other legal program leaders. Provide mentorship and performance oversight for team staff.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, retention, and training of legal staff.
• Foster a collaborative and supportive work environment.

Legal Strategy, Case Oversight, and Ethics

• Ensure high-quality legal representation across CARECEN’s immigration practice areas; provide guidance to staff on complex legal matters.
• Establish policies and ensure compliance that promote ethical practice, client confidentiality, and responsible case management.

Grant Compliance and Program Implementation

• Ensure that programs meet grant-funded service deliverables and reporting requirements. Oversee systems for data collection and program evaluation to support continuous improvement of legal services.
• Oversee the performance and outcomes of CARECEN’s various legal teams including grant-based teams, pro bono team, and fee-for-service program.

Internal and External Collaboration

• Collaborate with CARECEN leadership, development team, and Community Programs team to strengthen the impact of the organization.
• Represent CARECEN in coalitions, partnerships, and legal service networks related to immigrant rights and access to justice.

Leadership Competencies

Successful candidates will demonstrate the following leadership competencies:

• Collaborative Leadership: Work effectively with attorneys, legal staff, community partners, and organizational leadership to advance shared goals.
• Strategic Thinking and Vision: Think strategically about the development of CARECEN’s legal services and anticipate emerging needs within the immigration legal landscape.
• Empowering Management Style: Commitment to supporting and empowering staff through mentorship and opportunities for professional development.
• Adaptability: Ability to pivot according to changes in immigration policy, legal trends, grant needs, and community needs and guide programmatic responses.
• Mutual Respect Leadership Style: Demonstrated commitment to inclusivity.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Admission to practice law and in good standing with the New York State Bar.
• Minimum 8 years of experience practicing law, including a minimum of 5 years of immigration law experience with humanitarian relief (such as asylum, U visas, T visas, VAWA, SIJS, and cancellation of removal), family-based immigration, and removal defense.
• Minimum 4 years of supervisory or management experience, including supervision of attorneys or legal staff.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex immigration cases and ensuring high-quality legal representation.
• Demonstrated commitment to immigrant rights, access to justice, and culturally competent legal services.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Admission to practice before the following courts strongly preferred:
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• Experience supervising managing attorneys or program leads strongly preferred.
• Experience practicing before USCIS, NVC, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). Experience with family court proceedings.
• Experience with federal immigration litigation, including habeas petitions. Experience participating in impact litigation.
• Experience working in nonprofit legal services, including alignment with values, overseeing grant-funded legal services programs.
• Experience working with pro bono attorneys, fellows, and legal interns.
• Fluency in Spanish preferred; languages commonly spoken by immigrant communities on Long Island (such as Haitian Creole or Portuguese) a plus.

Salary and Benefits

Compensation: $120,000 to $155,000 annually

Work environment: Ability to work hybrid based on hybrid work agreement with office hours in CARECEN’s Hempstead and Brentwood offices

Supervisor: Executive Director

Benefits

• Health Coverage (100% employer-paid premiums): Medical, Dental, and Vision
• Insurance & Protection (100% employer-paid premiums): NYS Disability and Paid Family Leave, Short-Term Disability / Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance
• Retirement: 401(k) plan with employer matching contributions
• Additional Support: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Employer-paid professional development opportunities, selected by staff

Time Off: 28 paid holidays and/or half-days per year ; 21 days PTO per year, Additional 7 PTO days after 5 years of employment; 5 Health/Wellness days per year

How to Apply: Email a detailed cover letter explaining why this job would be a great fit for you, a résumé and three (3) references to [email protected] with “Director of Legal Services” in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

CARECEN is an equal opportunity employer and embraces diversity.

Immigrants, women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and persons from other traditionally marginalized groups are encouraged to apply.

Pay: $120,000.00 - $155,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development assistance
• Vision insurance

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Hempstead, NY 11550