Director, Refugee & Immigrant Services

JFCS Pittsburgh

JFCS Pittsburgh has been an innovative force for cu tting-edge
human service delivery since 1937. We weave compassion, innovation, and a relentless commitment to dignity and justice through every element of our work. We partner with people across the region to navigate life ’s chang e s and challenges, ensuring that n o n eighbor
navigate s these difficulties alone .

We proudly serve job seekers, refugees and immigrants, people experiencing food insecurity, those seeking mental health support, youth, and older adults. Through meaningful support and compassionate care, our goal is to help every person feel valued, empowered, and able to reach their full potential .

A t JFCS , y our wor k matters. You’ll join a team of passionate problem solvers and strategic thinkers who care deeply about people and aren’t afraid to rethink the way support is delivered. Here, creativity is encouraged, compassion drives every decision, and your impact is felt immediately in the community .

If you want your work to spark purpose, connection, and meaningful change—JFCS is where you can make it happen.

Position Summary

The leader who steps into this role as Director of Refugee and Immigrant Services will di rect and supervise the provision of all immigrant and refuge e social ser vices, including refugee resettlement, case management, volunteer and peer support programs, and community collaborations .

This leader will have the opportunity to maintain strong r elationships with funders, including partnering with lead ership and development staff to craft
grant proposals and reports and oversee the implementation of grants and spending .

They will be given the freedom to nurture a supportive, trauma - informed , team environment, with a particular focus on cross-cultural dynamics, environmental and historical contexts, and a focus on work rooted in JFCS values and deep collaboration.

This department is staffed by a talented, multi-cultural team of about 18 people. The leader will p rovide ongoing professional development and team building so that insight, self-care, and skills are enhanced and supported.

Lead ing with strategic approaches to ongoing change
is essential in this role. Immigration and refugee resettlement are in flux , and JFCS's response has been proactive, creative, and client centered . JFCS is relied upon by city, county, state, and national entities to inform, ideate, and implement processes that are responsive to the moment, whatever that moment might br ing .

JFCS is looking for a leader who understands
the nee ds and p riorities of the immig rant and refugee communi ty and can
advocate, organiz e, and initiat e
new
programs and col laborations .  Th is leader wi ll be r es ponsibl e for
representing JFCS both internally and in the external community as an expert in the needs and priorities of the refugee and immigrant community as well as acting as
a liaison to task forces, committees and other organizing bodies regionally and nationally .

This lea der m ust b e trained
to und e rstand and
id ent ify
cross- cultural biases and have a deep understand ing and commitment to addressi ng cul tural differences .
Their role will include developing strategies fo r inclusivity in the provision of client services .

JFCS is committed to the work of welcoming the newcomer to our region – whoever they may be and however they have arrived here. We have believe d in and supported immigration and resettlement since JFCS was founded almost 90 years ago. We stand steadfast in this work today and into the future. We are looking for a leader to lay the foundation for a brighter tomorrow.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Program Leadership and Management

-Ensures that all services, such as case management, peer support groups, service coordination
and navigation have appropriate policies , procedures, and training that are consistent with JFCS organizational goals and client needs, optimal service delivery and g rant an d contract requirements.

-Creates emergency response plans and ensures that programs are able to respond to local and/or global events.

-Stays abreast of local, state, and national developments concerning refugees and immigrants.

-Participates in JFCS Leadership activities including the development of strategy, new initiatives, outcome s, impact, and organizational well-being.

Partnerships and Community Leadership

-Fosters collaborative relationships with other departments within JFCS to comprehensively meet the needs of all clients

-Collaborates with external partners and funders to make them aware of local needs

-Interprets
partner and funder expectations into concrete policies, procedures, and actions for staff

-Addresses urgent client and service provider issues

-A dvocates for change at systems level s

-Acts as a liaison with advisory councils, tasks forces, and advocacy organizations by actively collaborating with other agencies in the field

Resource Development and Implementation

-Partners with the Devel opment Team to prepare fou ndation, sta te, local and federa l
gran ts and
contracts

-Ensures implementation and compliance related to grants, services and contracts

-Participates in the preparation of reports for grants and contracts with the ultimate responsibility for submitting all data with accuracy and attention to detail

-Partners in building new initiatives for regional and statewide leadership

-Leads on implementation, maintenance, and evaluation of new initiatives

Program Leadership and Management

-Builds and  maintains
a strong team through hiring, onboarding, supervising, professional development, self-care, and collaborative cross-training

-Sets the tone for an effective and high functioning
team by demonstrating encouragement, openness, clear communication, self-care, and accountability for the highest sta ndards in the provision of client services

-Assists with problem solving and resource development when challenging client situations emerge and ensures a strength-based, client-centered approach to case management

-Convenes and leads departmental and certain project-specific staff meetings and oversees the convening of other project meetings as needed

-Provides for the professional and personal development of all department staff, and assists leadership to do the same for their direct reports

Other

-Participates in meetings and conferences  regarding
contracts , grants, and partnerships

-Participates in all leadership meetings and activities of JFCS

-Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

-Minimum  Bachelor’s degree, Master’s preferred

-Minimum 5 years’ experience working in leadership with nonprofit administration

-Experience working with refugees and/or other immigrants

-Personal experience with the US immigration system preferred

-Experience superv ising a large team and mento ring n ew supervisors

-C ollaborative, humble
approach to leadership, with a keen ability to listen critically and assimilate and synthesize diverse opinions, approaches, and information

-S trong experience with program design,
thorough
monitoring and evaluat ion abilities ,
and extensive experience with
grant compliance and evaluation

-Personal qualities of a successful candidate w ould include creativity, curiosity, a focus on life-long learning, kindness, insightfulness, strategic thinking, a passion for justice, and a calm and positive attitude

Physical Requirements

-Prolonge d periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer

-Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times