Legal Director MACI

The MACI Legal Director strengthens the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of MIRA’s new Massachusetts Access to Counsel Initiative (MACI). This role provides strategic and technical leadership to staff attorneys, builds internal practice standards, ensures compliance and establishes structures to reduce program isolation. The Legal Director will report to the Senior Director of Programs.

The MACI program is a statewide program designed to expand access to high-quality immigration legal representation for newly arrived and vulnerable immigrant populations. Through a network of community-based legal service providers, MACI ensures equitable access to justice by providing direct representation, coordinated referrals, training, and legal oversight.

Job type: Full time

Salary range: $90,000-$95,000

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Work Schedule: Hybrid (one in-office day per week)

Apply: [email protected]

Key Responsibilities:

● Provide technical guidance and legal support to MACI’s staff attorneys, including serving as an escalation point for immigration matters.

● Develop, implement, and maintain immigration legal practice standards, protocols, and guidance for MACI programs.

● Identify training needs and develop a legal capacity building plan with the collaboration of the MACI attorneys

● Provide interpretation of evolving immigration policy and translate legal shifts into programmatic implications.

● Ensure legal standards and protocols are compliant, consistent and updated.

● Collaborate with the Senior Director of Programs on program planning, risk mitigation, and operational improvements.

● Supervision of two Senior Staff Attorneys and other team members as assigned.

● Prepare all MACI grant reports, including programmatic, financial and statistical reporting, and coordination with external database partners.

● Coordinates closely with MIRA and ORI staff to ensure the continued delivery of services in adherence with the contract.

Skills and Experience:

● JD and admission to the bar, in good standing, in any U.S. state.

● Minimum 6-8 years of experience in immigration law, including direct representation and removal defense.

● Experience supervising immigration attorneys for at least 3 years.

● Experience providing training on immigration legal topics preferred.

● Familiarity with a wide range of legal immigration cases, including but not limited to, cancellation of removal, asylum, U and T visas, removal proceedings, bond hearings, SJIS, VAWA, adjustment of status, etc., including criminal immigration consequences.

● Experience managing grants and partnerships, including strong project management skills. Experience in financial and grant recordkeeping is preferred.

● Strong public speaking and writing skills, with the ability to explain complex immigration legal issues to a wide audience.

● Strong judgment, organizational skills, and ability to manage multiple priorities.

● Commitment to immigrant rights, community partnership, and delivery of high-quality legal practice.

● Ability to work with individuals across the spectrum of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation and socioeconomic background.

● Ability to maintain highest confidentiality standards.

● Bilingual skills preferred.

Working Hours/Environment

● Full-time (37.5 hours per week)

● Flexible hybrid schedule with on-site and at-home work.

Salary & Benefits : MIRA offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience, along with a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, retirement benefits, paid time off, and professional development opportunities. The starting annual salary range for this position is $90,000 - $95,000, depending on experience.

How To Apply: To apply please submit your resume and cover letter to [email protected] with “MACI Legal Director” in the subject line.

People of color and individuals from immigrant backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. The MIRA Coalition is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates for employment will be considered without regard to race or ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation.

Organization Overview:

Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) is the largest coalition in New England promoting the rights and inclusion of immigrants and refugees. With offices in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, we advance this mission through education and training, leadership development, institutional organizing, strategic communications, policy analysis and advocacy.

MIRA is a dynamic and multi‐ethnic coalition with more than 140 organizational members, including grassroots community organizations; refugee resettlement agencies; providers of social, legal and health services, faith-based organizations and civil and human rights advocates. We organize and empower our members and allies, and together we mobilize immigrant communities to advocate for themselves, and amplify and support their voices. MIRA is a respected leader on immigrant issues at the state and national levels, and an authoritative source of information and policy analysis for policymakers, advocates, immigrant communities and the media.