Component Relations Manager

We Are

Headquartered in downtown Washington, DC, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is an organization comprised of nearly 17,000 individual attorney members who practice and teach immigration law. For our members, we provide continuing legal education, information, advocacy, professional services, and expertise. Founded in 1946, AILA's mission is to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.

The Governance Department supports AILA’s leadership and decision-making structures, including the Board of Directors, Regions, Chapters, and key committees. It leads efforts related to leadership cultivation and recognition, manages committee selection processes, and ensures governance activities are inclusive, transparent, and aligned with AILA’s values.

The Component Relations Manager serves as the primary operational liaison between AILA’s National Office and its five Regions and 39 volunteer-led Chapters, supporting effective chapter operations, ensuring consistency and alignment with established national policies, procedures and governance guidance. This position ensures all components are equipped to deliver value to their members while meeting key administrative and governance requirements.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for Chapter leadership, providing timely and well-informed guidance on operational and procedural matters.
• Serve as a frontline responder to Chapter officer inquiries, often involving nuanced association management, policy, or procedural questions.
• Monitor and respond to a high-volume shared Chapter Support inbox, addressing multiple deadline-driven inquiries with accuracy and consistency.
• Research and reference existing bylaws, policies, and guidance to provide accurate responses and elevate complex governance matters appropriately.
• Compile relevant information from existing sources and seek guidance from senior governance staff when clarification, interpretation, or precedent-setting decisions are required.
• Exercise sound judgment in identifying operational issues that can be resolved within established guidance versus governance matters that require escalation to senior staff.
• Coordinate Council of Chapter Chair meetings, including meeting scheduling, agenda development, preparation of meeting materials, meeting minutes, and follow-up.
• Maintain and update Chapter Leader Resources, including regularly updating templates, FAQs, and training materials to reflect current policies and practices.
• Manage onboarding, transitions, and orientation for new Chapter Leadership.

• Communicate and follow up with component leadership regarding required administrative and fiscal processes, including annual filings and compliance related items.
• Manage the annual Chapter Liaison appointment and tracking process, in collaboration with the Governance Coordinator.
• Ensure timely and accurate delivery of new member notifications to Chapters.
• Collaborate with the Governance Coordinator to manage and maintain component webpages, officer listings and listservs.

• Monitor component listservs to identify trends, surface emerging issues, and share opportunities with staff to improve guidance and resources.
• Strengthen the component leader communities through staff-supported forums that encourage collaboration and adherence to AILA standards.
• Maintain close coordination with internal departments to ensure components receive accurate and consistent tools and information.

• Provide operational and administrative support to the Regional Coordination Committees, including meeting scheduling, agenda development, meeting minutes, and follow-up.
• Support AILA’s regional structure by coordinating established processes, timelines and communications directed by senior governance staff.
• Identify opportunities to streamline workflows, clarify guidance, and reduce administrative burden for volunteer…