Asylum Program Coordinator

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), which shared in the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, is a U.S.-based international advocacy organization working at the intersection of medicine, science, and law. With a global network of thousands of medical, scientific, and legal experts, PHR uses the power of medical and scientific evidence to document violations of human rights and humanitarian law, prevent abuses, protect survivors, and promote justice and universal human rights for all.

Building upon its highly respected place in the field, and supported by a committed and talented team, PHR seeks an Asylum Program Coordinator.

Work Authorization: Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

Location: Headquarters, New York, NY

Reports to: Senior Program Officer, Asylum Program

This is a full-time position located in New York, NY with a hybrid work model. Salary range is $53,000-$63,000 and is commensurate with experience. PHR offers comprehensive employer-paid benefits, including medical, dental, disability, and life insurance, a retirement savings plan, and generous vacation.

Organizational Overview

Physicians for Human Rights was founded in 1986 by five physicians who were united in the belief that health professionals, with their specialized skills, ethical duties, and credible voices, are uniquely positioned to prevent harm and promote respect for human rights. Since its founding, PHR has built a long and distinguished record of accomplishment by conducting groundbreaking investigations and advocacy, in concert with strategic partners.

PHR’s approach includes extensive documentation of the use of illegal and inhumane weapons in armed conflicts, attacks on civilians, and the physical and psychological impacts of torture and sexual violence as a weapon of war. Other core activities include protecting the rights of those seeking asylum in the United States, the human rights implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, and halting attacks on medical facilities and frontline health professionals.

Role Description

Reporting to the Senior Asylum Officer, we seek a Program Coordinator to join our team. This is an ideal opportunity for someone starting a career in the human rights field who possesses at least one year of experience in a professional setting.

As the Asylum Coordinator, you will support the daily operations of PHR programs by carrying out tasks including client and new volunteer screening, outreach to clinicians, clinic management, liaising with legal partners, and administrative support as needed, including with research projects on asylum / immigration / torture related topics.

You will play a central role in managing a volunteer network of more than 2,200 clinicians around the country to support hundreds of asylum seekers per year. You will collect, aggregate, and analyze data from network members and / or respond.  

Responsibilities

• Serve as chief liaison between programmatic staff, volunteer clinicians, and external legal partners, including on-boarding new volunteers, screening new client requests from attorneys, and conducting outreach and placement on forensic evaluation cases.
• Manage medical school asylum clinics and advise the PHR student advisory board on PHR asylum program policies and best practices, as well as on clinic trainings.
• Work in collaboration with senior program officer to manage data collection and reporting and monitor programmatic data to assess progress toward quarterly and annual goals.
• Work creatively to establish program efficiencies through new uses of technology, including maintaining, upkeeping, and sustaining Salesforce records.
• Assist in the hiring and supervision of interns.
• Handle administrative tasks for PHR’s Asylum Program and PHR’s Research and Investigation team as needed, ranging from processing research data to providing administrative support for research projects.
• Write blog posts, asylum network newsletters, and other content, and have opportunities to work on research projects and policy briefs.
• Respond promptly to queries and requests for information from PHR colleagues and external parties.
• Carry out all responsibilities in a timely manner and to a high standard consistent with the mission of PHR and the strategy of the program department.
• Carry out any other tasks as required.

Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree
• One to two years of relevant work experience required.
• Outstanding organizational skills, attention to detail, and follow-through.
• Energetic self-starter and proven ability to work effectively under deadlines.
• Proven experience with Salesforce database a plus.
• Proficiency in Spanish desirable.
• Strong team player who demonstrates excellent interpersonal skills, maturity, creativity, and flexibility.
• Demonstrated commitment to cultural competency and human rights. Comfortable working with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, effectively, and professionally with multiple stakeholders and organizations.
• Interest in and knowledge of human rights, immigrant rights, asylum law and U.S. immigration and border enforcement institutions and policies preferred.
• Proficiency with Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint required.
• Strong commitment to the mission and goals of PHR.

How to Apply

Applications from people with lived experience with regard to the U.S. immigration system, including members of communities disproportionately impacted by immigration policies are particularly encouraged to apply.

Please email cover letter and resume to resumes@phr.org. Please include the job title of the position you are applying for in the subject line of your email and where you saw this job posting in the email body.

 Physicians for Human Rights is an equal opportunity employer. We recruit and hire without regard to race, national origin, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, prior conviction, arrest history, disability, marital status, veteran status, or age.