Make the Road New York (MRNY) builds the power of immigrant and working-class communities to achieve dignity and justice through organizing, policy innovation, transformative education, and survival services. Make the Road New York operates community centers in Bushwick, Brooklyn; Jackson Heights, Queens; Port Richmond, Staten Island; Brentwood, Long Island and White Plains, Westchester County. With a membership of 25,000, MRNY tackles the critical issues facing our communities, including workplace justice, tenants’ rights, immigrant rights and civil rights, TGNCIQ justice, public education, health care access, and immigration reform. (TGNCIQ = transgender, gender non-conforming, intersex and queer). MRNY is a newly unionized workplace, currently negotiating its first Collective Bargaining Agreement.

MRNY is a multi-service organization. Our member-led organizing committees -- which work on the issues named above -- implement strategies to combat shared problems, and develop leadership and the capacity for civic participation. We also provide an array of high-quality bilingual services: We offer English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Spanish-language literacy, computer literacy, citizenship preparation, and in-school and after-school youth programs. We have a robust legal program that offers direct representation across a spectrum of practice areas, including employment law, immigration law, housing and benefits, and TGNCIQ civil rights; we also take on impact litigation as a strategy for achieving broad change. Our health program offers facilitated enrollment into health insurance programs and SNAP benefits, a community health worker home visit program, nutrition education and emergency food pantries, health care navigation, and more."

Legal and Support Services at Make the Road New York:

The Department of Legal and Support Services at MRNY works to strengthen the organization’s organizing work by (1) helping to envision and implement strategies (including strategic litigation) that support our organizing campaigns; (2) providing technical legal support for policy work; and (3) providing legal and support services to meet the immediate needs of the community members who MRNY serves. The Department currently employs approximately 45 attorneys and advocates. Our legal team is integrated into all aspects of the organization’s work.

Current Opening:

We are hiring an Immigration Intake Paralegal to join and support our dynamic immigration team. The Intake Paralegal will focus on managing and facilitating internal and external referrals, troubleshooting general inquiries, escalating complex legal questions as needed, and offering general information about our services and practice areas to clients and community members. MRNY staff are currently working under a hybrid model, which requires a minimum of two days per week in their designated home office. This policy is subject to change and/or modification after September 2023. While this position will be primarily remote, there will be a home office assigned after hire and there may be a need for substantial in-person work, such as but not limited to joining staff meetings, facilitating workshops, meeting with clients and members in person, or other tasks that are not suitable for remote work. The home office may be any of our community centers: Brooklyn, Queens, Westchester, Staten Island, Long Island (Suffolk).

Key Responsibilities but not limited to:

• Manage and review incoming referrals to the immigration team and facilitate internal and external referrals based on client’s needs
• Conduct preliminary consultations with potential clients and gather necessary information to determine eligibility for our legal services
• Troubleshoot general inquiries, escalating complex legal questions as needed
• Serve as a resource to individuals referred to our team by offering information about our services and practice area
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of client interactions and referrals
• Assist with administrative tasks, such as scheduling appointments for individuals to meet with the immigration team

Requirements:

• High school diploma or equivalent experience
• 2 years of experience working in a legal or customer-facing setting
• Spanish language proficiency
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Experience with populations that make up major portions of Make the Road’s membership is a plus – such as documented and undocumented immigrants, individuals facing domestic violence, members of TGNCIQ communities, those who have experienced the criminal legal system, and youth
• Knowledge of immigration law is a plus
• Prior experience as an accredited representative is a plus
• Desire to work collaboratively

Job Competencies:

• Self-starter with strong organizational skills and strong attention to detail
• Be highly professional and team oriented with a passion for excellence and eagerness to help the department meet our goals.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and complete assignments under strict deadlines with minimal supervision in a fast paced environment.
• Ability to work under pressure required.
• Have a working knowledge of spreadsheets, Microsoft Office suite, and using a database (ideally Salesforce) to run reports.
• Flexible work schedule, some evenings or weekends required
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• High level of accountability and initiative; needs to be a self-starter and eager to do team work to support the organization as a whole
• Working knowledge of immigration law is a plus

Salary and Benefits:

Starting salary is based on a scale set by a democratically-elected personnel committee and will depend on factors such as experience and education. MRNY offers an excellent benefit package including health insurance, 401K, and generous paid vacation, sick, personal days. The salary range for this position is from $49,023 to $66,370.

How to Apply:

Please attach cover letter/resume and submit all documents to the Make the Road New York career center.

Make the Road believes that social change is best achieved through grassroots community-based organizing that flows directly from and engages the community demanding the change. As a membership-based organization, we are committed to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, criminal history, or Veteran status. We strongly encourage those from historically excluded groups to apply.