Regional Director, Social Services - Northeast

About KIND 

Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) is a global leader in the protection of unaccompanied and separated children who are forcibly displaced from their countries of origin. Launched in 2008, KIND champions a world in which every child’s rights and well-being are protected throughout their journey to safety. 

Building on its extensive programming and successful model in the United States, KIND is expanding in the Americas and Europe to bring its experience to bear in working with unaccompanied and separated children. Our work focuses on addressing the legal and mental health needs of this population; building strong partnerships and engaging in training and capacity strengthening with governments, NGOs, and the private sector; and advocating for systemic and pragmatic reforms to advance the rights of unaccompanied and separated children.

Position Summary

KIND seeks a full-time Regional Director, Social Services to join the Social Services program in the provision of Trauma Informed and Culturally Responsive services to migrant and refugee children. The Regional Director, Social Services works under the supervision of the Senior Director, U.S. Psychosocial Services and in collaboration with the Legal Services team in an interdisciplinary model providing direct oversight to the field offices and programs working with detained youth. This position will have both internal and external facing responsibilities ranging from direct supervision of Social Service Coordinators, data tracking and evaluation, program policies and guideline development, consultation and training as well as strategic program planning. S/he also liaises with external partners including donors, funders, and the ORR facilities and disseminates best practices and social service needs of clients. This role reports into the Senior Director, U.S. Psychosocial Services.

This position will be based in one of the following KIND cities or their surrounding areas: New York, New York; Newark, New Jersey; Hartford, Connecticut; or Boston, Massachusetts.

• Participates in drafting Social Services team components, including metrics, logic models, and narratives, for grant applications and reports.
• Supports fundraising and development efforts, as well as grant reporting for the Social Services team.
• Supervises, analyzes, and systematizes Social Services team’s data entry and metrics tracking in Legal Server.
• Implements and updates ethical policies, procedures, and guidelines to be implemented across all field offices and compiled in an updated Social Services Handbook.
• Creates and updates guidelines for the Social Services team in an interdisciplinary model pertaining to attorney-client and work-product privilege, federal and state confidentiality, and mandatory reporting laws.
• Implements guidelines on working with unaccompanied children working with pro bono volunteer attorneys that KIND provides mentoring for.
• Creates guidelines and leads Social Services team on self-care, wellness, prevention of vicarious trauma and burn out, as well as appropriate professionalism in client relations.

• Monitors and evaluates case activities, including client referrals, intakes, case strategy, and case closure through case rounds and regular check-ins.
• Consults and works with KIND attorneys and legal staff to integrate holistic, trauma-informed, and client-centered services that consider both legal strategy and service needs.
• Evaluates and provides expert consultation to the Social Services team and KIND attorneys on services referral, needs assessments, advocacy strategy, safety planning, and crisis management.

• Provides technical assistance and expertise to KIND staff and community partners.
• Obtains external expertise and training for the Social Services team for relevant case situations, as needed.
• Prepares practice advisories and gathers materials regarding best practices on various topics.
• Works with community partners to coordinate services and collaborate in efforts.
• Assists with training and presentations.
• Represents KIND at local coalitions, courts, and agencies.

• Undergraduate or graduate degree in social work, social welfare, or mental health.
• Fluency in English and Spanish (oral and written) required.
• Minimum of 5 years of working in social work, counseling, coordinating services, or related field.
• Experience supervising multiple staff in a social services environment for at least three (3) years.
• Experience working with immigrant and refugee children and youth, and low-income, diverse communities.
• Experience with program metrics and evaluation.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with people of diverse races, ethnicities, ages, sexual orientation and genders in a multicultural setting; experience working with ORR, CBP and Detained Populations.
• Ability to work collaboratively across disciplines, and preferably, prior experience working with attorneys, law firms, or other legal service providers; direct experience with crisis intervention, crisis counseling, and safety planning for clients; through a trauma-informed lens.
• Experience working with survivors of abuse, human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault or other traumatic experiences; experience advocating on behalf of limited English proficient clients.
• Ability to travel periodically to field offices sites and their satellite locations, as necessary.
• Detail and solution-oriented and able to effectively multi-task in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work within an office environment, have regular interaction (via telephone, teleconference, IM and email with KIND’s team) as well as in-person meetings with clients.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Teams and PowerPoint) or contemporary suite of skills, and data tracking tools.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (such as Teams, Excel, etc.)
• Ability to work collaboratively and multi-task in our KIND environment, managing numerous priorities and emerging opportunities.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to work on multiple projects in a deadline-oriented environment; ability to prioritize tasks and delegate as appropriate.
• Ability to work effectively with people of diverse backgrounds, lived experiences, and communication styles.
• Commitment to prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, as well as embracing transparency and authenticity in daily work life.
• Be disciplined and nimble to ensure delivery on our core mission of access to justice and protection of children’s wellbeing and rights.
• Ability to multitask and work with a sense of urgency in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Committed to practicing and supporting wellbeing and a work-home life balance.
• Experience working and communicating in a remote environment. 

Our Benefits

- Medical, dental, and vision insurance with KIND paying 100% of the employee only portion of the premium for one of the two medical plan options, dental, and vision. 

- Pre-tax flexible spending account (FSA) for both medical and dependent care.  

- Pre-tax transit and parking spending account.  

- Employer-paid life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment insurance.  

- Employer-paid short and long-term disability insurance.  

For a complete list of benefits, please click here. 

Our Focus on Wellness

KIND recognizes that our ability to help our clients starts with helping our team members. KIND has prioritized wellness for employees through Mindfulness and Wellness Trainings, Wellness Platforms, Employee Assistance and Resilience Programs, Time Away and Office Wellness Activities. 

For more information regarding our Wellness initiatives please visit this link.  

Application Instructions

To be considered for this role, please submit an employment application at supportkind.org/join-the-team, along with your resume and cover letter.

KIND has an organization-wide commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We strive to create a work environment where everyone has a sense of belonging. Individuals from historically underrepresented or underserved communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Disclaimer: KIND is committed to an ethical recruitment and hiring process and maintains a firm “no fees” recruitment policy. We will never charge a fee or ask for money as part of the application process. KIND also conducts all interviews via telephone or video conference, and at no time will KIND engage in a text or mobile app-based application or interview process. For more information, please visit the following website: https://supportkind.org/join-the-team/kind-employment-practices/.