Administrative And Legal Assistant (kalamazoo)

POSITION: The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) is seeking an Administrative and Legal Assistant for our Kalamazoo office. The successful candidate will have an emphasis on managing office administrative needs for the unaccompanied immigrant children’s team at the local office level and across the team and occasional work on cases for unaccompanied immigrant children. The role will also involve assisting with administrative projects outside of the children’s team. This is a chance to join a talented grant-funded team doing important and challenging work at a critical time. This position requires 5 days in-office from 9am - 5pm and is not eligible for remote work. All MIRC staff must reside in Michigan or Ohio by the first date of employment.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM: MIRC is a legal resource center for immigrant communities. The three pillars of our work are: 1) direct legal services; 2) systemic advocacy; and 3) community education and engagement. MIRC is part of Michigan Statewide Advocacy Services (MSAS), a non-profit law firm providing free legal services to low income and senior persons through several statewide programs. MSAS is administered by the Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP), which provides access to the justice system for those who need it the most through civil legal aid offices and statewide advocacy programs. MAP’s mission is to advance the safety, independence, and economic stability of those most affected by poverty, racism, and other structurally oppressive systems by increasing access to justice and working for systemic solutions. Visit michiganimmigrant.org and miadvocacy.org for more information.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Administrative and Legal Assistants assigned to these MIRC-wide roles will focus on mail scanning and processing for their assigned office, handling children’s team and MIRC-wide projects, and case-support needs of managing attorneys. 

QUALIFICATIONS: An associate’s degree or commensurate professional experience is required; a bachelor’s degree is preferred. No prior legal experience required. This position requires the ability to read, speak, and interpret English and Spanish, so a high level of Spanish language proficiency is required. Applicants must possess excellent communication, collaboration, analytical and problem‐solving skills as well as a demonstrated commitment to protecting the rights of immigrants or other persons in poverty. Candidate must be detail-oriented with strong organizational skills. Candidate must be proficient with major software and web services including Word, Excel, G Suite, and have access to a reliable internet connection if they intend to work remotely some of the time. Applicants who have experience, especially related to immigration and poverty, will receive priority. 

BENEFITS: This is a full-time position with a salary starting at $43,754 and based on relevant experience. MAP offers a generous benefits package including life, short- and long-term disability, health, vision, dental and flexible spending accounts. If staff do not require health benefits, they have the option to take an annual $1,500 payout in addition to the base salary paid over the course of the year. MAP also has a generous leave policy allowing staff to accrue 3 weeks paid vacation the first year and 15 paid holidays, as well as a 401K retirement plan including employer match for eligible staff after 6 months of employment. MAP is a qualifying employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

TO APPLY: Please complete this application and submit your resume and cover letter. You can also access the application by copying and pasting the following web address into your browser: https://miadvocacy.bamboohr.com/careers/159. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

MSAS is an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.