Program Manager (Refugee Resettlement)
Aurora, IL /
USPGMS/ US Ministries – US Resettlement Program /
Regular, Full-time
/ On-site
ORGANIZATION SUMMARY:
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that is fighting for change that lasts, right here in the U.S. and across the globe. We bring sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. The organization is approximately 75 years old and has worked in over 100 countries around the world since its founding.
In the United States, we come alongside local churches, community organizations and hundreds of individual volunteers to support newly arriving refugee and other immigrant families. Today, we are proud to partner with over 6,000 local churches, and 95,000 volunteers globally to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.
POSITION SUMMARY:
Are you a person of compassion? An advocate for justice? Someone who stands up for the rights of the vulnerable and speaks out for the marginalized, the exploited and the forgotten? Do you believe in our calling as Christians to welcome the least of these and love our neighbor?
If you answered ‘yes’, to any of the above, World Relief, and millions of people around the world need you.
The Program Manager will provide supervision and strategic management for programs serving refugees and other eligible immigrants during their first six months in the U.S. to ensure program participants reach a place of stability and move towards healthy integration. The Program Manager will lead a team of people who perform high quality, core resettlement services and ensure compliance with programs established by the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and its program intermediaries.
Role & Responsibilities
- Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Staff Supervision
- Embody the mission, vision and values as leader and an example for staff, volunteers, clients and the community
- Responsible for the hiring, training, supervising, coaching, and evaluating of resettlement staff
- Assist staff with setting individual goals, identifying professional development opportunities, practicing self-care, and managing priorities and workload
- Facilitate regular meetings with staff to provide supervision and support, including communicating expectations, providing constructive feedback, assisting with problem-solving, and providing accountability and coaching in areas needing improvement
- Participate in regular meetings with other program managers to ensure quality, team-based, and client-centric service provision
- Program Oversight
- Oversee the delivery of core resettlement services in compliance with grant and program requirements for the Reception and Placement (R&P), Matching Grant (MG), Refugee Social Services (RSS) New Arrivals, and Afghan Placement and Assistance programs
- Work with World Relief’s national office to assure cases for local resettlement
- In collaboration with volunteer mobilization staff, support preparations for incoming refugee families, including the provision of housing, furniture, household items, interpreters, and airport pick-up assistance
- Ensure all required services, appointments, and program enrollments after a refugee’s arrival are completed
- Regularly evaluate initial resettlement program operations and systems to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and service provision
- Ensure all services are culturally and linguistically appropriate and of high quality
- In conjunction with finance staff, monitor program budgets, reviewing them monthly at a minimum, to ensure expenses do not exceed income
- Participate in grant writing for renewal grants and grant acquisition activities for new opportunities
- Develop and maintain systems, policies, and procedures for case management staff, within the framework of WR’s systems and policies
- Provide direct service support, as needed
- Program Evaluation and Reporting
- Ensure accurate and timely submission of monthly R&P reports
- Perform regular review and monthly quality control to ensure electronic case files, client notes, and services are timely, accurate, thorough, and in compliance with R&P, MG, and RSS guidelines
- In collaboration with program directors and managers solicit client feedback both informally and formally about service provision, including feedback from refugee and immigrant community leaders via Community Conversations or other forums on a regular basis
- Respond to beneficiary and community feedback and use feedback to adjust service provision as appropriate
- Work collaboratively with Immigrant Family Services program management to identify program needs and establish clear and measurable objectives and goals to demonstrate how needs are met
- Participate with other program staff in weekly case briefing meetings to monitor client progress, adjust case plans, and effectively address the needs of clients
- Maintain regular communication with program managers and directors, locally and regionally, and provide appropriate feedback loops to the case management team
- Collaborate with Volunteer Mobilization staff to develop and maintain opportunities for WR volunteers to integrate with and support resettlement programming
- In collaboration with Program Directors, represent World Relief to funders, partner organizations, and other community stakeholders
- Participate in video calls and regular communication with WR’s Home Office
- Respond quickly to inquiries from partner organizations, funders, volunteers, and clients
- In collaboration with the program director, provide refugee arrival forecasts and program updates to staff, grantors, and community stakeholders and participate in the planning of key stakeholder meetings
- Work with local organizations to develop partnerships and ensure refugees are aware of and able to access external services as needed
- Participate in Immigrant Family Services management meetings and ensure strong internal collaboration and coordination around service provision and program design
Communication and Collaboration
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
- Ability to coach, motivate, and encourage others to work effectively and pursue excellence
- Fluent in English with strong interpersonal communication skills – active listening, speaking, and writing
- Excellent problem-solving and conflict resolution skills; ability to assess, analyze, and respond to changing realities appropriately
- Ability to manage multiple demands and deadlines with flexibility
- Decisive, ability to obtain necessary information to make good decisions
- Strong ability to work independently, remain focused, productive, and accomplish goals in a challenging, fluid and sometimes unpredictable environment
- Strong team player who demonstrates commitment and the ability to collaborate effectively across department and program areas
- Demonstrates integrity, humility, positivity, and a willingness to learn
- Ability to mediate conflict and provide constructive feedback in a timely manner
- Must be willing to perform other tasks as assigned
- Experience in refugee resettlement strongly preferred
Requirements
- Mature and personal Christian faith
- Committed to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief
- Desire to serve and empower the Church to impact vulnerable communities
- Able to affirm and/or acknowledge World Reliefs Core Beliefs, Statement of Faith, Christian Identity and National Evangelicals For the Health of The Nation document
- 2+ years of experience in program management
- Bachelor’s degree
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel)
- Valid driver’s license and car
World Relief offers a competitive benefits package (25 hours + per week):
World Relief contributes to monthly premiums:
-Medical
-Dental
Additional Benefits:
-Offer 16 Paid Holidays!
-Vision
- Paid Sick and Vacation Time
- Paid Parental Leave (12 weeks for qualified employees)
-FSAs: Medical & Dependent Care, & Commuter Funding
-Supplemental Life Insurance (employee, spouse, and children)
-Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, and Accident insurance policies
World Relief pays 100% for eligible employees:
-Group Term Life (employee, spouse, and children)
-Long Term & Short-term Disability
-Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D)
-Long Distance Travel Insurance
-Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
World Relief - Retirement:
-401K & Roth
-WR matches up to 4%, then an additional quarter percent up to 10%
-Eligibility: Full Time is eligible after 3 months of employment. Part time is eligible after 1000 hours in a year.
World Relief Discounts (Immediately Eligible):
-Verizon
-Pet Insurance through Nationwide
-Home and Auto insurance through Liberty Mutual
-Working Advantage Discount Program
World Relief is honored to be recognized with the Cigna Healthy Workforce Designation, Silver Level for meeting or exceeding the core components of our well-being program including leadership and culture, program foundations, program execution, and whole person health.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
· While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to have ordinary ambulatory skills sufficient to visit other locations
· The ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and manipulate (lift, carry, move) light to medium weights of 10-15 pounds.
· Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm, hand and finger dexterity, including ability to grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard, operate equipment and read application information.
· The employee frequently is required to sit, reach with hands and arms, talk and hear.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
· General office setting. World Relief also offers hybrid and remote schedules for limited positions.
· Great lengths of time working on computer, reading from computer screen, entering information, standing at copier or fax machine, and some time on the phone or in virtual meetings may be required.
· Year-end archiving activities involve repeated lifting and bending.
· Physical, emotional and intellectual demands
· Equipment used: Employee computer (desktop or laptop), printer, and copier.
· All of the above duties and responsibilities are essential job functions subject to reasonable accommodation. All job requirements listed indicate the minimum level of knowledge, skills and/or ability deemed necessary to perform the job proficiently. This job description is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements. Individuals may be required to perform any other job-related instructions as requested by their supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodation. This position description is not all-inclusive and is always under review.
We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V.
For World Relief staff, strong commitment to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief is essential, and Christian faith is a prerequisite for employment, based upon United States federal guidelines provided in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Legal Background in the United States
World Relief is both an equal opportunity employer and a faith-based religious organization. World Relief strictly prohibits and does not tolerate unlawful discrimination against employees on the basis of person’s race, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law, which does not conflict with the protections afforded World Relief as a faith-based employer.
In addition, physical or mental limitations will not be a factor in the application of World Relief's employment policies or employee practices, except for those situations in which occupational requirement make consideration of such factors necessary.
Pursuant to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 702 (42 U.S.C. 2000e 1(a) World Relief has the right to, and does, hire only candidates who agree with World Relief’s Statement of Faith.
