Program Officer, Allocations

U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), is a non-governmental, not-for-profit international organization with a mission to protect the rights and address the needs of persons in migration by advancing fair and humane public policy, facilitating and providing direct professional services, and promoting the full participation of migrants in community life. For over 100 years, we have shaped history with the belief that immigrants strengthen our communities, economy, and social fabric through freedom, hard work, and family unity. To learn more about our work, please see our website at www.refugees.org.

OVERVIEW

USCRI manages a Reception and Placement (R&P) program across the U.S. through a cooperative agreement with the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM),U.S. Department of State, The R&P program assists newly resettled refugees in the Unites States and helps them secure early economic self-sufficiency and successfully integrate into American society. As a member of the Pre-Arrival R&P team, the Program Officer, Allocations, will engage in processes to support refugees prior to resettling in their final destination in the United States.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Represent USCRI at allocations meetings twice weekly, requiring in-depth knowledge of the resettlement network, other resettlement agencies, and Refugee Processing Center (RPC)/PRM policies.
• Act as the case placement focal point by matching refugee and SIV cases allocated to USCRI to the office best suited to receive them; work closely with the Supervisory Program Officer to develop placement strategy in response to USCRI’s R&P Network needs.
• Review case files, including medical, protection, or other needs to ensure best placement for cases. Use a data driven approach to inform placement.
• Represent USCRI at allocations working group and other working groups as needed, alongside other resettlement agencies.
• Work closely with the Pre-Arrival Processing team to track assurances data in order to inform placements.
• Work closely with the Supervisory Program Officer for Pre-Arrival and Program Officer for Data to stay apprised of the R&P arrivals pipeline to inform USCRI allocations and placement strategy.
• Prepare for allocations meetings by reviewing cases, network capacity, and other factors to inform allocation and placement of cases.
• Collaborate closely with the USCRI Network offices and headquarters to keep abreast of network needs, capacity, and limitations as they pertain to case placement, and provide technical assistance as needed.
• In conjunction with Program Assistants, serve as a liaison between USCRI Headquarters and the resettlement network, which includes field offices and affiliates, ensuring timely communication and follow up.
• Coordinate with the Resettlement Processing Center (RPC) and Resettlement Support Center (RSC) on case follow up as needed.
• Maintain a deep understanding of the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) placement policies and guidelines. Maintain high performance and compliance standards in relation to these guidelines.
• Serve as a training resource on various aspects of refugee processing for the USCRI resettlement network.
• Use the R&P database to track and report pre-arrival activities and serve as a resource in supporting resettlement network’s use of the database.
• Travel to network locations to conduct in person monitoring and conduct desk audits to evaluate the quality of services being provided to qualified participants.
• Assist in drafting and submitting the annual R&P program proposal and reports to the funder.
• Identify, leverage, and stay abreast of relevant existing promising practices and tools from a wide range of sources and partners to enhance resource capability and impact.
• Undertake other duties as required and assigned.

REQUIREMENTS

• A Master’s degree from an accredited institution with at least two-three years of progressive experience in the resettlement or humanitarian field preferred, or a Bachelor’s degree with at least 5 years of progressive, relevant work experience.
• At least one year of pre-arrival refugee processing experience preferred.
• Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and R&P Program preferred.
• Experience providing training and technical assistance.
• Experience in program monitoring and evaluation or continuous quality improvement.
• Experience in data analytics.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office, with intermediate/advanced proficiency with Excel.
• Ability to work both as a team member and independently, with a high level of self­motivation, flexibility to meet goals and deadlines in a fast-paced environment; aptitude for ongoing learning and adjusting to frequent changes in processes, and a positive attitude.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate with USCRI affiliates, national partners, and funders.
• Exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to travel domestically several times per year.
• Demonstrated support of USCRl's values by exhibiting respect for others, maintenance of confidential information, an appreciation of a multicultural workplace, and a dedication to human rights, including of trafficking victims, refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers, and vulnerable or disenfranchised populations.
• Ability to work fully in-person at USCRI’s office in Arlington, VA.

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

• Satisfactory completion of USCRI’s Orientation and Program Trainings.
• Complete additional training as identified by supervisor or Human Resources.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Use of manual dexterity, tactile, visual, and audio acuity.