Address
Form of workKino Border Initiative / Iniciativa Kino para la Frontera
Job Description / Descripción de Puesto
Job Description / Descripción de Puesto
Position title / Nombre del puesto: Mobilization Specialist
Employee Definition: Regular Employee; Full time with benefits / Empleado de planta con prestaciones
Exempt / Empleado de confianza
"The Kino Border Initiative is a binational, inclusive Catholic organization, inspired by the spirituality of the Jesuits and the Missionaries of the Eucharist; locally rooted in Ambos Nogales on the Mexico – US border and with a regional approach throughout Central and North America."
As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, our mission is to promote humane, just and workable migration through humanitarian assistance, education and policy advocacy.
The KBI is deeply rooted in values of faith and spirituality, equity and justice, holistic accompaniment, human dignity, hope and joy. The emotional and social wellness of our staff is an explicit priority.
Purpose of Position: The Mobilization Specialist will advance political will for migration with dignity and promote migrant integration through building communities’ capacity for hospitality, with a particular focus on supporting education partners, long-term volunteers, Catholic Sisters Walking with Migrants (CSWM) participants and others connected with KBI who wish to take action in solidarity with migrants in their community.
Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Education to Animate Leadership and Solidarity (30%):
a) Support education team to host individuals and groups for multi-day, one day, or half-day visits to the KBI and explain its work and the context of migration with the end of transforming hearts and minds toward more solidarity with migrants.
b) Support the Education Coordinator in developing post-immersion follow-up plans for education partners that will move them along the spectrum of solidarity with migrants with deepened institutional commitment, and support students, faculty, staff, parishioners as they implement follow-up plans.
c) Organize and/or support development of regional summits that build community and capacity among KBI education partners in places the KBI US Social Worker has also identified as particular areas of need based on numbers of migrants who, i.e., due support at KBI in Nogales and have settled in those regions. In these cities/regions, make connections between migrants who received support at KBI and KBI education partners.
b) Support the Education Coordinator in developing post-immersion follow-up plans for education partners that will move them along the spectrum of solidarity with migrants with deepened institutional commitment, and support students, faculty, staff, parishioners as they implement follow-up plans.
c) Organize and/or support development of regional summits that build community and capacity among KBI education partners in places the KBI US Social Worker has also identified as particular areas of need based on numbers of migrants who, i.e., due support at KBI in Nogales and have settled in those regions. In these cities/regions, make connections between migrants who received support at KBI and KBI education partners.
2. Accompaniment to Empower Volunteers to Solidarity Post-Departure (45%):
a) Support Advocacy Coordinator in implementing and updating Advocacy Training for all volunteers who serve at Kino at least 1 month and other education or advocacy related trainings as needed.
b) Develop and implement Phase 2 of the Catholic Sisters Walking with Migrants (CSWM) program, which includes:
- Organize bimonthly check-in meetings to reinforce the sense of network amongst participants and to plan joint advocacy actions.
- Support CSWM graduates and phase 2 participants in their local work for migration with dignity.
- Connect CSWM graduates to asylum seekers who have traveled from KBI.
- Travel with Catholic Sister Advocates to their mother houses to support them in organizing programming to raise awareness in their congregations and communities, including through having an asylum seeker from KBI co-present at the events which share about migrants’ experiences and Catholic teaching to build empathy for migrants in the local community and combat the harmful anti-immigrant narratives.
- Develop and implement structures for subgrants for CSWM phase 2 participants to start a ministry or launch a program, such as a sponsorship program for asylum-seeking families.
3) Advocacy Strategy and Networking (25%):
a) Develop and maintain connections with strategic Catholic partners (for example NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, US Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking, etc.) and connect Catholic Sister Advocates to their initiatives in ways that lift up the unique vulnerabilities of people at the southern border as well as the strong Catholic teaching and tradition around hospitality and welcome.
b) Work with KBI communications and development staff to amplify the solidarity action of KBI partners as well as humanizing migrant stories.
c) Support the Advocacy Coordinator in honing KBI’s advocacy priorities and translating these priorities into actionable steps KBI partner institutions can take in their local communities.
d) Support Advocacy Team with documenting abuses, both in the US and Mexico, training others to document abuses, offering presentations to strategic partners, and other relevant projects as needed.
Knowledge, Abilities and Personal Characteristics:
- Experience working with vulnerable populations.
- Experience working with Catholic institutions, especially congregations of Catholic Sisters or as a vowed member of a religious congregation preferred.
- Experience in advocacy, community organizing, group facilitation, or other grassroots change work preferred.
- Familiarity with the US/Mexico border region, contemporary migration issues and trends, and US/Mexico immigration policy preferred.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Spanish.
- Ability to work collaboratively in a binational team environment with good interpersonal communication and organizational skills.
- Must possess a US passport or an immigration status that allows the individual to move easily across the U.S. – Mexico border, or the possibility of obtaining the corresponding visa.
Education/Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in education, peace and justice studies, religious studies, or theology, Latin American studies, political science, or equivalent disciplines preferred.
This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employee may perform other related duties as needed to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.
Language skills:
- Must be able to read, write, and speak fluently in Spanish and have advanced communication skills in spoken and written English.
Compensation: The expected salary range is $50,000 - $60,000 per year, commensurate with experience. Benefits includeemployer-paid health insurance, employer matching contributions to a 403(b)-retirement plan, 2 weeks paid vacation, 13 days of annual sick leave (which can also be used toward family leave), many Federal and Catholic holidays, and six weeks paid new child leave.
TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION: Please send a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references to Jorge Torres at jtorres@kinoborderinitiative.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with a priority deadline of November 10, 2023.
KBI values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture — All individuals can apply for this position. People of color, women, individuals with disabilities, immigrants, and people from other underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION: Please send a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references to Jorge Torres at jtorres@kinoborderinitiative.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with a priority deadline of November 10, 2023.
KBI values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture — All individuals can apply for this position. People of color, women, individuals with disabilities, immigrants, and people from other underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
