About the Organization 

Founded in 1979, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is a leading non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their loved ones. NILC’s mission is grounded in the belief that everyone living in the U.S. regardless of race, gender/gender identity, immigration status, or economic status — should have equal access to justice, resources, and educational and economic opportunities that enable them to achieve their full human potential. Together, NILC and the affiliated NILC Immigrant Justice Fund (IJF), a 501(c)(4) organization, work to advocate more directly for federal immigration reform policies. NILC is committed to advancing its mission — which intersects race, immigration status, and class — through racial, economic, and gender justice and equity orientation. 

About the role 

Reporting to the General Counsel, the Managing Director provides leadership for the Immigrant Movement Visioning Process (IMVP) strategy, programs, and operations, driving execution of the organization’s multi-year vision bringing clarity, alignment, and momentum to collective efforts grounded in the Five Freedoms framework. Working at the intersection of strategy, campaigns, and relationships, the Director helps shape shared priorities, convenes movement leaders for deep collaboration and decision making, and ensures the IMVP work advances long term systems change. The Director is a trusted partner and connector, cultivating strong relationships with immigrant justice leaders, organizations, funders, and allied movements, and serving as a visible representative of IMVP’s values and goals. 

This role is not a member of the Bargaining Unit.  

This role is a term-limited position and is funded through June 2027 

The IMVP Managing Director will be responsible for providing leadership and driving success in the following key areas: 

Key Position Responsibilities 

Strategic and Program Leadership 

• Drive implementation of IMVP’s strategic vision and multi-year workplan, ensuring clarity, coordination, and accountability across leadership teams and partners. 
• Lead the design and facilitation of regular leadership convenings, retreats, and working sessions to guide collective decision-making and strategy alignment. 
• Strengthen and operationalize the Five Freedoms framework, ensuring that all programmatic work advances IMVP’s long-term movement goals. 
• Oversee and evaluate campaigns and initiatives to ensure alignment with IMVP’s strategic objectives and collective impact. 
• May participate in or lead cross functional/departmental projects using the MOCHA framework/methodology. 

Movement and Partnership Development 

• Cultivate strong, trust-based relationships with immigrant justice leaders, partner organizations, funders, and allied movements. 
• Serve as IMVP’s lead organizer for the Long-Term Agenda (LTA) process with the FIRM Network, guiding joint strategy, coordination, and deliverables. 
• Act as a public representative and spokesperson with partners, coalitions, and community-based organizations to advance shared priorities. 
• Support joint fundraising and donor engagement, including proposal development, funder briefings, and narrative alignment. 

Organizational Leadership and Staff Management 

• Direct IMVP’s staff and consultants, including the Project Manager and workstream leads, fostering an inclusive, learning-oriented, and high-performance culture. 
• Design and implement staff development strategies, ensuring team members have the training, feedback, and resources to thrive. 
• Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders to manage IMVP’s operational systems, budgets, and contracts. 
• Develop and manage budgets, allocate resources effectively, and ensure efficient program and campaign delivery. 
• Lead performance evaluation and continuous improvement processes across IMVP’s teams and initiatives. 

Campaign, Strategy, and Policy Integration 

• Design and oversee organizing and policy-aligned initiatives that integrate research, communications, and narrative strategies. 
• Provide strategic guidance on national narrative and campaign priorities to build a cohesive immigrant justice movement. 
• Oversee systems for tracking progress, assessing impact, and reporting outcomes across IMVP’s initiatives. 
• In collaboration with the General Counsel, lead the strategic planning and tactical implementation of long-term and day-to-day finance & accounting processes to strengthen NILC’s financial oversights and position. 
• Lead and manage all day-to-day financial accounting processes ensuring revenue and expenses are recorded accurately and timely, managing the month end close process ensuring entries are accurate, errors are minimized, and data is accessible and transparent to internal stakeholders. 
• Maintain and recommend improvements of internal controls and safeguards for areas including receipt of revenue, costs, program budgets, and disbursements. 

Shared Organization Responsibilities 

• Champions NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income by demonstrating a commitment to human rights, and racial, economic, and social justice 
• Attends and actively participates in NILC meetings at the organization, department, project, and individual level 
• Develops relationships and supports NILC and IJF colleagues across all teams, recognizing that each individual brings a unique background and perspective to the work and assuming good intent from each other. 
• Follows through on commitments acting with a clear sense of ownership individually and collectively by taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and failures, establishing clear responsibilities and processes for monitoring work and measuring results, and designing feedback loops into work. 
• Quickly adapts to new situations by experimenting, tackling unfamiliar tasks, and learning from mistakes. 
• Acts with integrity by following through on commitments, being direct and truthful, keeping confidence, and showing consistency between words and actions. 
• Commits to centering NILC’s values of racial justice & equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships & collaboration, encouraging respect & personal well-being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty in all decisions and actions 

In recognition of the fluidity of the work and ecosystem that NILC operates in, other duties may be assigned depending on organizational need. 

What We’re Looking for in This Role 

• Commitment to NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income and a demonstrated commitment to human rights, racial, economic, and social justice, and equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice for all. 
• Collaborative, proactive, and action oriented working style with a strong service mentality promoting mutual accountability and inspiriting trust and confidence from colleagues, other NILC team members, and NILC leaders alike. 
• Maintains a focus on continuously improving processes, and internal controls. 
• Demonstrates sound judgement in decision-making, high integrity, and utmost respect for confidentiality. 
• Strong verbal and written communication skills: ability to read, analyze, and interpret as well as draft documents such as reports, correspondence, and presentations for various audiences. 
• Excellent attention to detail and proven track record of mitigating risk and reducing errors. 
• Demonstrated critical thinking skills and the ability to interpret and apply accounting rules, 
• Creates a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help NILC achieve its objectives. 
• Develops cohesive teams that leverage diverse expertise and viewpoints to accomplish shared objectives. 
• Extensive knowledge of non-profit accounting principles, procedures, and standards, including a strong understanding of 501(c)(3) and multi-entity compliance with a related (c)(4), 990's, audits, payroll, and other practices unique to nonprofits. 
• Proficiency with accounting and reporting software; Ability to analyze, interpret, and communicate financial and accounting data to different internal and external audiences. 
• Recognizes each team member's unique background and perspective to achieve team goals in a positive and motivating working environment. 
• Develops team through coaching, feedback, exposure and stretch assignments. 
• An inclusive management style that places deep value on diverse perspectives and emphasizes the development and growth of team members and encourages learning and continued improvement. 

Qualifications Required 

• Demonstrated commitment to immigrant justice, workers’ rights, and social and economic equity. 
• 7–10+ years of progressive leadership experience in advocacy, organizing, or movement-oriented organizations, ideally managing multi-stakeholder collaborations. 
• Proven record of leading complex campaigns or strategic initiatives, from design to implementation and evaluation. 
• Experience supervising and developing teams, with demonstrated ability to motivate and lead across lines of difference. 
• Strong facilitation and negotiation skills, with experience managing partnerships, coalitions, and collaborative processes. 
• Expertise in strategy development, campaign planning, and organizational management, including budgeting and program oversight. 
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage diverse audiences and stakeholders. 
• Strategic thinker with operational discipline, balancing visionary leadership with practical execution. 
• Flexibility and resilience to thrive in a fast-moving, emergent environment. 

At NILC, we know that talented people may have different backgrounds or experiences, and if your education and experience doesn’t exactly align with the above that’s okay! NILC believes that diversity in all dimensions of the organization supports and bolsters the innovative thinking essential to its success and is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants. NILC’s goal is for our people to reflect the communities in which we live and serve and to ensure representation of people of color, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities in our organization. We encourage you to apply and let us know in your cover letter why you are qualified and the right fit for this role and NILC. 

Work Environment 

Location & Travel:

NILC's offices are located in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, California. For this role, up to 30% of overnight interstate travel may be required; generally, travel is quarterly to the NILC Washington, D.C. office or another location within the US for 3-5 nights at a time.

Remote work locations are as follows: (Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, Montana, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin). To be considered, applicants must live in one of the work locations.

Compensation & Benefits:

NILC provides an incredible benefit package that includes employer-paid healthcare coverage (100% for employees and 75% for dependents), employer-supported dental and vision coverage, a 403(b)-retirement plan including an automatic contribution from NILC, paid parental leave, monthly cell phone and wellness stipends, pre-tax accounts for transit, health, and childcare benefits (FSA), and employer-paid short- and long-term disability and life insurance. NILC also provides a generous paid-time-off policy, 15 holidays and 22 days of paid time off annually (increased to 32 after 2 years of employment).

NILC’s compensation and benefits philosophy are to provide a competitive offering in the nonprofit sector and ensure equity across the organization. Salary range: $140,000 - $170,000. 

Physical Demands 

• Remaining in a stationary position, often standing, or sitting for prolonged periods 
• Communicating with others to exchange information. 
• Repeating motions, like typing or answering a phone, that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers.