Volunteer Coordinator, Immigration Court Observation Project

The Advocates for Human Rights: The Advocates is a volunteer based, non-governmental, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of internationally recognized human rights. The Advocates’ programming focuses on women’s rights, including freedom from violence; migrant and refugee rights, including both advocacy and legal services; peacebuilding in post-conflict societies; due process and freedom from persecution; and economic and social rights. The Advocates work to bring about systems change, reinforce accountability mechanisms, raise awareness, foster tolerance, and help individuals more fully realize their inherent rights. Position Summary The Volunteer Coordinator will work closely with the Policy Manager for the Immigration Court Observation Project (ICOP). ICOP draws on the international human rights practice of court monitoring to identify and bring visibility to systemic human rights violations arising in the context of civil immigration enforcement. Program staff train, mentor and support hundreds of volunteer observers who gather observation data to hold the courts accountable and fuel our advocacy agenda. This position supports the project by managing volunteer recruitment, training, and engagement, while overseeing the day-to-day operations of court monitoring activities. This role coordinates scheduling, data tracking, and quality control, and serves as a primary point of contact for volunteers. The position can be fully in-person or hybrid, with regular weekly in-person hours required at The Advocates’ main office and at the Fort Snelling Immigration Court. This is not an exempt position. This position is represented by the Office of Professional Employees International Union, Local 12. Primary Duties and Responsibilities Responsibilities include but may not be limited to: 1.Volunteer Recruitment, Training, and Oversight (50%)

• Manage volunteer recruitment and engagement to ensure program needs are met and volunteers have meaningful opportunities to contribute to program goals.
• Coordinate onboarding trainings for new volunteers and continuing education for existing volunteers, and ensure trainings are updated as needed.
• Maintain volunteer resources and website.
• Field interested volunteer inquiries and conduct outreach to engage new audiences in immigration court observation project.
• Conduct onboarding for new volunteers and arrange mentor shifts in court, accompanying new volunteers as necessary.
• Convene and oversee weekly volunteer office hours and monthly debrief meetings.
• Maintain records of active, pending, lapsed, and prospective volunteers, coordinating with the main organizational constituent database.
• Draft monthly volunteer newsletter in coordination with Policy Manager.
• Develop new opportunities for volunteers.

2. Daily Immigration Court Operations (50%)

• Be on-call for immigration court volunteers from 8:00am to 4:00pm to respond to urgent inquiries and concerns.
• Attend court from 8:00am to 9:00 am to manage volunteer assignments 3-4 times a week.
• Assist with recording daily docket information and ongoing hearing tracking.
• Maintain spreadsheets to track daily alerts from volunteers and integrate with larger data analysis.
• Review submitted observation forms, provide feedback to volunteers, and coordinate data entry.
• Coordinate volunteer scheduling with contract administrative assistant.
• Compile regular statistics of volunteer hours and impact.
• Coordinate daily operations with Policy Manager to ensure that volunteers and data support ICOP advocacy priorities.

Qualifications

Required:

• Associate’s or Bachelor's degree preferred and 3-5 years relevant experience in human rights, nonprofit management, volunteer engagement or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Strong understanding of immigration and/or human rights.
• A commitment to social justice and building an inclusive movement for change.
• Experience with volunteer training and management.
• Attention to detail and ability to manage volunteer tracking and documentation accurately.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diverse audiences and to provide responsive, empathetic communication.
• Ability to learn complex legal concepts and effectively communicate them to laypersons.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with a multidisciplinary team.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and working with diverse communities.

Preferred:

• Training or facilitation experience, including onboarding or leading group sessions.
• Experience coordinating events, outreach, or recruitment efforts.
• Experience using volunteer management software.