About Acacia Center for Justice:

The Acacia Center for Justice (“Acacia”) provides legal support and representation to immigrants facing deportation through the development, coordination, and management of national networks of legal services providers serving immigrants across the country. Acacia’s goals are twofold: to support immigrant legal services and defense networks to provide exceptional legal services to immigrants; and to advocate for the expansion of these programs and the infrastructure critical to guaranteeing immigrants access to justice, fairness, and freedom. Acacia ensures accountable, independent, zealous, and person-centered legal services and representation to protect the rights of all immigrants.

Job Summary:

Acacia and its partners operate and manage multiple nationwide legal access and representation programs. These programs provide critical services to immigrant adults, children, and families in immigrant detention and/or in removal proceedings. With federal immigration policy and priorities constantly changing, these programs are regularly called upon to pivot and shift with little to no notice. The Program Planning, Services, and Support (PPSS) team allows for greater flexibility, agility, and nimble responsiveness to shifting requirements.

The Data and Research Manager on the PPSS team will work to coordinate planning, workflow, and process management across the program management teams and Research, Evaluation, and Data Analytics (REDA) units; to provide staffing support on new and urgent issues where necessary; and to support effective program execution and implementation across Acacia’s programs in the face of evolving demands. The Data and Research Manager will be resilient, adaptable, and collaborative in the face of change, working confidently and competently to move projects and achieve deliverables in a timely manner.

Primary Duties/Responsibilities:

As assigned by the Director, and in close collaboration with REDA and program management teams, provide research and data-related support in response to shifting demands and priorities. This may include situations such as: new and/or urgent program requests from the government for new initiatives or expansion; new and/or urgent developments in the field that have significant impact on program operations; new organizational research project initiatives driven by grants and/or internal funding; and limited staffing capacity in other units as a result of unfilled positions and/or extended leave. The Data and Research Manager will need to be able to adapt and shift focus for limited time periods as called by the situation. At various times, responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Build on project management and technical mentoring skills, including taking projects from proof-of-concept analysis to production-ready processes
• Collect project requirements from both a business and a technical standpoint and serve as the liaison for cross-functional data, analytics, and research projects
• Identify opportunities to use data to support, and be responsive to, ongoing program management and oversight data needs
• Support routine and ad hoc reporting for federally contracted immigration programs, including through preparation of data or background research for reports
• Conduct code review of peer and data analyst code
• Support work of data and research analysts to document and correct data quality issues
• Support and/or manage the implementation of technology applications and cloud infrastructure required for new programs and initiatives with collaboration from REDA, program management, and Information Technology and Security (ITS) units
• Complete discrete assignments and projects in collaboration with REDA and program management staff and as assigned by supervisor.

Collect, develop, and update programmatic workflows to support efficient and effective work across units:

• Work with REDA and program management teams to collect and document workflows (both internal and external) and to create or refine centralized information for each program’s provider network and team
• Identify and problem-solve areas of need for increased efficiency or effectiveness. In collaboration with relevant units/teams, create or update as needed process-mapping across units to support task implementation
• Upon request, work with various units or programs to determine areas where processes can be improved, including soliciting and synthesizing feedback from Acacia staff, subcontractors, and other stakeholders, proposing solutions, and closing feedback loops. Based on capacity and expertise, may manage process improvements and solutions
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with staff on other Acacia units, as well as a working knowledge of the research deliverables and processes on the contracted programs, so that when support is necessary, transition can be done as seamlessly as possible. Support efforts to ensure Acacia’s race equity and inclusion priorities are a core aspect of research. 

Required Skills, Knowledge, Abilities:

• Project management experience in planning, executing, monitoring, and managing cloud-based IT projects, preferably related to data science or analytics
• Strong working knowledge of relational databases systems (e.g., SQL servers), AWS cloud services (S3, Redshift, Lamda, DMS) and ETL processes (Airflow, DBT), particularly as they intersect with data science and analytic pipelines
• Professional experience with intelligence, statistical, and analytic and visualization tools, and statistical or visualization tools such as Tableau and R 
• Foundational knowledge of data management and security requirements for federal contracts and a commitment to uphold data security, privacy, and ethics principles
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with others toward short- and longer-term goals
• Ability to problem-solve under challenging circumstances, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and pivot and manage work on multiple projects simultaneously, efficiently, and effectively
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to work collaboratively on a team as well as to manage projects independently
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams to advance shared priorities
• Deep commitment to race equity and inclusion, and to treating others, regardless of background, experience, and organizational hierarchy, with empathy, patience, and person-centeredness.

Preferred Skills, Knowledge, Abilities:

• Advanced project management certification (PMP or similar certification)
• Experience designing and improving administrative and analytic workflow processes
• Fluency in at least one analytical programming language e.g., R (preferred), Python, and/or SQL; ability to learn R/RStudio while in the role required if not already fluent
• Emerging interest in the use of data for public service and/or social justice
• Experience working in immigration or social science research environment
• Proficiency in software commonly used at Acacia including ClickUp, Microsoft 365 applications, SharePoint, Smartsheet, Slack, GitHub and Zoom
• Fluency in a language other than English spoken by people impacted by immigration enforcement in the United States.

Education and Experience:

• PhD or master's degree preferred
• Bachelor’s degree required, plus six to nine years of relevant experience in data systems project management (see required and preferred skills, above). In lieu of advanced degree, applicable work or life experience may be considered.
• Experience in a supervision or informal supervision role
• Experience managing and/or producing research and evaluation deliverables for projects in the nonprofit or government sector preferred.

Additional eligibility requirements:

• In accordance with federal contracts, a National Crime Information Center (NCIC) check and security clearance is required for this position (for additional information: https://irp.fas.org/agency/doj/fbi/is/ncic.htm).
• This position requires US Government Tier 1 background investigation to handle secure datasets (for additional information: https://www.dcsa.mil/is/eqip/).
• Acacia is unable to provide H1B sponsorship at this time; candidates must have United States citizenship or LPR status.
• Acacia cannot accept applicants that live outside of the United States; all Acacia employees must reside within the United States.

Compensation and Benefits:

Acacia has established an internal compensation philosophy that centers equity and pay transparency. The salary for this position is set at $118,200 The salary listed is just one component of Acacia’s total compensation package for employees. Supporting Acacia staff—both personally and professionally—is our priority.

• Medical/Dental/Vision- Some plans at $0 cost to the employee
• Employee Assistance Program
• 20 days per year of vacation time
• 12 days per year of sick time
• 5 personal days
• 4 organization-wide Wellness Days
• 11 observed holidays, including the last week of December.
• $2000 Professional Development Stipend
• Home office set-up stipend
• Internet Stipend
• 401k with 5% employer contribution, no employee participation required.
• Student loan repayment assistance.
• Gym Reimbursement

People of color and those who have been impacted by the criminal system and immigration system are strongly urged to apply.

To Apply:

Please upload a resume and cover letter at the link provided or email hiring@acaciajustice.org with Subject: ATTN: Human Resources / [Job Title], Acacia Center for Justice

Equal Opportunity Employment:

Acacia is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to recruit persons of diverse backgrounds and support their retention and advancement within the organization. We are committed to fostering a workplace culture inclusive of people with respect to their race, ethnicity, national origin, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, marital status, age, disabilities, political affiliation, religious beliefs, or any other characteristic. Our commitment to justice and diversity also means providing a work environment that is welcoming, respectful, and engaging.

This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties, responsibilities and requirements but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function within our organization.

Acacia Center for Justice is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status.

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