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

The Vice President, Training and Technical Assistance is based at KIND’s Headquarters (remote) and reports to KIND’s Senior Vice President for Global Partnerships, Capacity Strengthening, and Training. The Vice President, Training and Technical Assistance will lead a dedicated and growing team in the expansion of KIND’s training and technical assistance initiatives. The incumbent will be responsible for establishing the vision and operational plan for KIND’s training and technical assistance for legal and psychosocial services, and trauma-informed and culturally responsive best practices in the care and attention to unaccompanied and separated migrant, refugee and displaced children at various stages in their journey to safety. The incumbent will lead the effort to grow the team in response to regional and global needs for training and technical assistance. They will embrace the use of technology and other tools to maximize impact and reach of KIND’s training programs. They will also work to grow a national and international network of trained professionals providing legal and psychosocial services to unaccompanied and separated children across the globe and increase the capacity of government agencies to protect the rights of migrant children and provide child-centered attention and care.

Essential Functions

The Vice President, Training and Technical Assistance will provide strategic, visionary leadership and program development, overseeing the key programmatic areas below:

Training

Directs and oversees the effective and innovative design, development, implementation, and delivery of curricula designed to meet a wide range of training needs and program objectives at KIND with an expert focus on trauma-informed strategies, child-centered and culturally responsive practices in legal and psychosocial service delivery, and strategies to promote staff and partner resilience and to mitigate secondary trauma.
Ensures the delivery of high-quality, expert content to KIND’s Global Legal programs staff, law firm and corporate partners (in collaboration with KIND’s global pro bono partnerships team and local pro bono mentoring staff), NGO partners, and other legal partners across all jurisdictions where KIND works. Training supports the provision of free, quality legal services to immigrant and refugee children in areas including humanitarian claims, procedural issues, practice skills, best practices, cutting edge legal claims, child-centered and trauma-informed lawyering, and more.
Supports the training of KIND’s psychosocial services staff and that of partners and other entities, oversees development and delivery of training on quality-of-care standards and culturally responsive practices, and promoting resilience of, and protective factors for, unaccompanied children.
Harnesses expertise of content experts across the organization and identifies and brings in external content experts or resources as needed, to develop and deliver a coherent and cohesive, quality training program to multiple audiences.
Train-the-Trainer: Strengthens the capacity of the training staff for internal and external sessions and oversees the process to streamline training materials.

Technical Assistance

Directs and oversees development, delivery, and maintenance of:
Expert legal technical assistance to KIND Global Legal programs staff and external partners by responding directly to substantive, procedural, and case strategy questions, connecting staff members and partners to other sources of expertise, and facilitating contact with outside experts, as needed,
Practice advisories on existing and emerging topics impacting the legal representation of unaccompanied and separated children seeking protection,
Legal manuals and other guidance materials including such as case law updates, model filings, checklists, guidance memoranda.
Guides and other resources for KIND staff and partners to deepen understanding of best practices in working with unaccompanied and separated children, including trauma-informed tools.
A bank of anonymized sample materials from KIND and trusted partner cases to share inside and outside of KIND.

Capacity and Systems Strengthening

In collaboration with KIND’s experts on the range of legal, child protection, and psychosocial needs of children-on-the move, including particular geographic/regional contexts, directs and oversees performance in the following areas:
Design, development, and implementation of curricula to meet the range of training needs of government and other key actors responsible for care, custody, and protection of unaccompanied and separated children in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and Europe, and other regions as needed.
Development and implementation of technical assistance initiatives with government agencies and actors in select jurisdictions.

Technolgy

In partnership with KIND’s Chief Technology Officer and other KIND experts, informs and leads the program design and use of technology solutions to:
Design and enhance access to training and technical assistance, including virtual hotline functions, the use of interactive online self- paced learning tools, and other technology tools to augment the efficiency and quality of training and technical assistance provision.
Develop and iterate curriculum content appropriate to chosen technology solutions and diverse audiences.

Monitoring and Evaluation

In partnership with KIND’s M&E functions, monitors and evaluates the qualitative and quantitative impact of KIND’s training and technical assistance programs in delivering relevant content, increasing expertise of those trained/receiving technical assistance, elevating professional practices of trained actors, and improving service delivery to unaccompanied and separated children.

Team Leadership

Supports and participates in the recruitment, hiring, and successful onboarding of staff, working closely with regional leads as relevant.
Guides, nurtures, supports, and coordinates the work of high-performing, outcome- and quality-focused team members.
Maintains a positive work environment, which facilitates collaboration and information sharing and is conducive to attracting, retaining, and motivating diverse talent.
Shares research and innovative approaches related to training and technical assistance with KIND staff to align program strategy with developing trends.

Other Responsibilities

Works with senior leadership on the Global Partnerships, Capacity Strengthening, and Training team to design and lead building of a center of expertise on training and technical assistance in the field of unaccompanied and separated migrant, refugee, and displaced children.
Works with the Senior Vice President for Global Partnerships, Capacity Strengthening, and Training and the Development team to develop and implement a diversified fundraising strategy for KIND’s training and technical assistance.
Works across KIND program areas, develops organization wide and jurisdiction specific educational and training philosophy and objectives.
Oversees development of organization wide and jurisdiction specific training and technical assistance strategy.
Actively assists with thought leadership and innovative strategic planning in expansion and other service delivery efforts, including piloting technology-based solutions as well as crisis response and remote mentoring and technical assistance initiatives.

Qualifications and Requirements

Juris Doctor, Masters in Social Work or Education, Masters in Psychology, or similar relevant advanced degree.
Minimum 10 years of experience designing and managing training programs, preferably substantive training to attorneys, social work professionals, or other professionals, or designing and delivering higher education in clinical legal or psychosocial settings.
Minimum six years of experience supervising and managing professional teams, preferably across multiple countries, languages, and cultures, and with increasing responsibilities.
Minimum of five years of experience serving in a management and/or advisory role to executive leadership and effectively engaging in communication across the various levels of an organization, including researching and preparing memoranda and reporting for executive-level leadership.
Experience in the following:
Delivering training to government officials;
Designing online training and/or other technology-supportive self-paced learning;
Bringing together content experts from across an organization to deliver a coherent and cohesive training program to multiple audiences; and
Program monitoring and evaluation.
Demonstrated track record developing curriculum and training for NGOs, international organizations, or government agencies on international protection and/or legal or psychosocial services, or higher ed curriculum design and delivery in areas such as social work and other clinical programming.
Training and expertise in adult learning and content development for adult learners.
Demonstrated track record of developing strategies that align tightly with evolving organizational priorities.
Exceptional written and oral communication skills and ability to work in coalition, consensus-building environments.
Excellent organizational skills and the ability to work on multiple projects in a deadline-oriented environment.
Passion for the plight of unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children, and the enthusiasm and skills to communicate that passion to potential partners and other organizations.
A demonstrated commitment to effective and innovative leadership and to sound management practices.

dependent on experience.

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/.

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Vice President, Training and Technical Assistance