Full-Time

Managing Director

San Francisco & Fresno

Posted on 8/16/2025

Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)

Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)

201-500 employees

Legal representation for unaccompanied children

Compensation Overview

$111.2k - $146.4k/yr

San Francisco, CA, USA

Hybrid

Category
Consulting (3)
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Requirements
  • J.D. and admitted to state bar.
  • Minimum of 7 years of experience practicing immigration law, which should include representation of clients in humanitarian immigration claims such as asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, U visas, and T visas.
  • Minimum of 5 years of experience working with children, preferably immigrant and refugee children, and/or working with survivors of abuse, human trafficking, or other trauma.
  • Minimum of 4 years of experience supervising attorneys and non-attorney staff.
  • Minimum of 3 years of experience in program management, including experiences such as project management, tracking deliverables, hiring, planning, and development.
  • Minimum of 2 years of experience working with law firm attorneys and/or other legal volunteers.
  • Experience working with children or individuals in detained settings is preferred.
  • Experience working in a national or larger management structure is preferred.
  • Strong record of cultural competence and cross-cultural communication skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and persuasively both orally and in writing.
  • Demonstrated effective and authentically engaged leadership; ability to critically assess challenges and propose and execute solutions, with appropriate consultation and visibility to leadership; excellent professional judgment.
  • A deep understanding of and ability to work and lead effectively with internal and external stakeholders and participate in local coalition work.
  • 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 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 preferred but not required.
Responsibilities
  • Provides mentoring to KIND pro bono attorneys and as needed, limited direct legal representation to KIND clients. In the pro bono mentoring function, provide robust consultation and technical assistance to pro bono attorneys who have accepted a KIND case. In the direct representation function, perform ordinary functions of legal counsel including legal research and formulating the legal strategy for the case; conducting client interviews; appearing before immigration and/or state court or agencies, and drafting and filing court pleadings and applications for benefits.
  • Mentors and/or directs representation responsibilities will be determined based on programmatic and institutional priorities in consultation with Legal Programs leadership.
  • Serves as a member of KIND's Legal Programs management team, responsible for the overall management of field office including program quality and deliverables, staff performance, team cohesion and functioning, and integration with the Legal Programs department and organization at large.
  • Monitors and presents changes in immigration law to multiple audiences, including legal services and pro bono partners, and other high-level internal and external stakeholders. Consults with and contributes thought leadership and information on local trends to support the work of KIND’s Training and Technical Assistance team and other internal stakeholders.
  • Develops and implements effective management strategies to meet ambitious programmatic and funding deliverables and mission-critical priorities, including staff recruitment and development-support functions, employee engagement, and quality control of KIND’s legal services delivery.
  • Oversees the provision of top-notch mentoring programs and direct representation services to clients in the released and detained context as relevant.
  • Ensures data integrity and utilize case management databases and other technological tools to assist in creating more efficient processes and identifying training, recruitment, client needs/opportunities, and trends, in collaboration with KIND’s Data Strategy Team.
  • Promotes volunteer support by actively developing and maintaining KIND’s relationships with law firms and corporate counsel with a robust presence in the respective city and/or region, in coordination with KIND's Senior Director for Pro Bono Partnerships.
  • Serves as the field office primary liaison with KIND’s headquarters (including Legal Programs leadership, and Policy, Advocacy, Communications, Development, Human Resources, and Operations departments), working under the supervision of KIND’s Regional Director.
  • Maintains internal and external stakeholder relations; serve as KIND leader in local coalitions of various stakeholders supporting unaccompanied immigrant children.
  • Works with Legal Programs leadership, Development, and Finance to ensure compliance with all grant and funding requirements.
  • Manages team or field office budget and, with assistance from other team members, track expenditures and identify budgeting priorities.
  • Assists with special projects of local and national scope at the direction of KIND leadership.
  • Participates in local coalitions of various stakeholders supporting unaccompanied immigrant children.
  • Collaborates on social services programming for clients and pro bono attorneys in conjunction with the Social Services Team, including local field office Social Services Coordinator(s).
  • As a member of the management team in the Legal Programs department, the Managing Attorney is expected to uphold the following leadership characteristics:
  • Meaningfully contribute thought leadership and expertise to advance KIND’s mission and the strategic goals and objectives of the Legal Programs Team.
  • Offer new insights into challenges and opportunities; evaluate conventional approaches and provide and encourage new ideas and innovations and explore and implement new or innovative programs/processes in collaboration with leadership.
  • Partner with organizational leadership on conflict resolution.
  • Deal effectively with pressure and remain optimistic and persistent, even in an uncertain and challenging environment.
  • Together with other members of the management team, embrace leadership values and a work ethic that exemplifies authenticity, goodwill, transparency, and collaboration.
  • Inspire and foster team commitment, spirit, trust, and employee wellness.
  • Facilitate cooperation and motivate team members to accomplish group goals.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with non-profit and legal services management,
  • Experience building partnerships with government agencies, funders, and civil society organizations.
  • Experience managing budgets and financial reporting for a field office.
  • Ability to manage a diverse staff and maintain a positive working culture.
  • Bilingual in languages commonly spoken by unaccompanied immigrant children (e.g., Spanish) preferred.
  • Experience in a field-based role and working with refugees/unaccompanied children preferred.
  • Experience in a multi-location or distributed office setting preferred.
  • Knowledge of US immigration law and policy landscape.
  • Experience in grant compliance and reporting for international, national, or local funders.
  • Experience using case management/databases and data management tools.
  • Experience working with volunteers, including pro bono attorneys and corporate partners.
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)

Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)

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KIND is an international nonprofit that protects unaccompanied and separated migrant children, providing legal representation and support to safeguard their rights and well-being. It works through a global network across the US, Mexico, and Europe, combining legal services, case management, and psychosocial support with pro bono partners and NGOs. It differentiates itself by focusing specifically on unaccompanied children, offering wraparound services and a rights-based, child-centered approach, with early credibility from Microsoft and Angelina Jolie. Its goal is to ensure every unaccompanied child has access to legal representation and protections during migration.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Debt Financing

Total Funding

$9M

Headquarters

Washington DC, District of Columbia

Founded

2008

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • EagleBank's $9M credit in October 2023 funds VERA contract expansion.
  • Amazon's pro bono alliance since 2017 boosts representation for migrant children.
  • ECAP partnership since 2016 enhances Guatemala child reintegration programs.

What critics are saying

  • Guatemala instability disrupts ECAP programs, diverting U.S. resources.
  • VERA contract failure triggers liquidity crisis from EagleBank credit.
  • Post-2024 policy tightens borders, halving 5,000 annual U.S. cases.

What makes Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) unique

  • Founded in 2008 by Microsoft and Angelina Jolie for unaccompanied minors.
  • Serves 5,000 children annually via 755+ pro bono law firm partners.
  • Provides holistic care including legal aid, education, and psychosocial support.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account

Wellness Program

Mental Health Support

Company News

Flexible Work News
Nov 21st, 2024
Amazon announces pro bono aid for children in crisis

Amazon partners with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) to provide legal representation for children fleeing violence and persecution.

Eagle Bancorp, Inc.
Oct 13th, 2023
EagleBank Provides Financing to Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)

BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - EagleBank (NASDAQ: EGBN), one of the largest community banks in the Washington, D.C. area, today announced that it provided a $9,000,000 revolving line of credit to Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) to support their working capital for a new contract with Vera Institute of Justice, Inc. (VERA). KIND is a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization devoted to the protection of unaccompanied and separated children. Founded in 2008 by the Microsoft Corporation and co-founder and patron Angelina Jolie, KIND addresses the gap in legal services for unaccompanied minors by providing legal assistance and social services to these children. Through legal partnerships with organizations like VERA, KIND provides pro bono legal representation for refugee and migrant children across our nation. Since its inception, KIND has received referrals for more than 30,000 cases, and now serves over 5,000 children annually in partnership with over 755 law firm,

Benzinga
Oct 12th, 2023
Eaglebank Provides Financing To Kids In Need Of Defense (Kind)

BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EagleBank EGBN, one of the largest community banks in the Washington, D.C. area, today announced that it provided a $9,000,000 revolving line of credit to Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) to support their working capital for a new contract with Vera Institute of Justice, Inc. (VERA). KIND is a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization devoted to the protection of unaccompanied and separated children. Founded in 2008 by the Microsoft Corporation and co-founder and patron Angelina Jolie, KIND addresses the gap in legal services for unaccompanied minors by providing legal assistance and social services to these children

KIND
Sep 14th, 2023
ECAP and KIND's Impact on Child Reintegration

Can you provide background about ECAP and how the partnership with KIND came about?

BizPac Review
Sep 6th, 2023
Meet the Biden ICE official who previously worked for group working to shield illegal migrant kids from deportation

KIND received $115,000 in funding from the left-wing megadonor George Soros' Open Society Foundations between 2018 and 2020, according to the grantmaking group's website.

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