MILA Program Manager

MIXTECO INDIGENA COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PROJECT JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: Program Manager

DEPARTMENT: Social Services

PROGRAM: MICOP Immigration Legal Assistance (MILA)

REPORTS TO: Social Services Director

LOCATION: MICOP Office, Oxnard

STATUS: Non-Exempt

HOURS OF WORK: Full Time, 40 hrs/week

Founded in 2001, Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) supports, organizes and empowers the indigenous migrant communities of California’s Central Coast through improved access to health and community resources, community organizing, language interpretation, education, direct assistance, cultural promotion, and our indigenous‑led Radio Indígena community radio station. MICOP offers a fast‑paced, multilingual and multicultural work environment dedicated to carrying out our mission.

MICOP’s Immigration Legal Assistance Program (MILA) was developed in 2018 to provide immigration legal assistance to Indigenous (i.e., Mixteco, Zapotec, and Purépecha) and Spanish‑speaking community members across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Services include assisting clients with immigration legal applications including DACA, citizenship and other immigration legal services. Additionally, MILA can provide removal defense, such as bond, prosecutorial discretion and other defensive representation in Immigration Court, as well as assist with Special Immigrant Juveniles Status and asylum applications.

The MILA team assists unaccompanied minors and their guardians with Office of Refugee and Resettlement concerns, and works closely with local law enforcement agencies.

In addition to providing legal assistance to residents in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, MILA provides immigration outreach and education services, including Know Your Rights workshops, to the Indigenous immigrant community in the region reaching thousands each year in‑person and through our social media and online platforms. The MILA Program Manager provides essential supervision and management of the MILA program.

• Oversee and supervise MILA program in Oxnard and Santa Maria, ensuring program goals, reporting and invoicing is complete within the grant/contract period.
• Assist in recruitment of volunteers, interns and provide supervision of support staff.
• Manage expense reports, support grant application and contract invoicing.
• Provide support to the MILA team to prioritize workload, maintain up-to-date confidential records, and complete any other administrative functions.
• Responsive to contract, reporting or other requests by State as required.
• Provide regular reports on MILA’s program to MICOP’s executive team, including successes and challenges requiring attention.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Excellent organization and time management skills
• Good communication skills and ability to work in a multicultural and multilingual work environment
• Self‑starter and ability to work along but also lead group discussions and activities to determine needed functionality.
• Excellent interpersonal and verbal skills, including the experience and ability to interact with staff, government and community‑based organization partners
• Excellent writing and editing skills with the ability to prepare a wide array of written materials as needed.
• General understanding of US immigration law, and a willingness to learn.
• Strong computer skills with proficiency in Google Suite, MS Office tools and demonstrated experience working with databases
• Ability to work with sub‑contracting agencies as a team lead and provide support (technical and programmatic) as necessary.
• Ability to manage and supervise the MILA team working at MICOP offices in different regions.
• Bilingual Spanish and English required.

• Minimum of 3 years of demonstrated project management and program planning experience in a nonprofit setting.
• Proven ability to prioritize workload, be collegial with colleagues while being self‑motivated, execute projects independently, and possess outstanding project management skills that are organized and results‑oriented.
• Experience creating new reporting tools and training on new reporting requirements.
• Experience reporting to government agencies, foundations, or nonprofits is a plus.
• Experience in handling confidential and sensitive information.
• Experience with program budgets, invoicing and generating expense reports is a plus.
• Experience supporting and supervising staff.

All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.