***THIS RECRUITMENT HAS NOW CLOSED***
Rainbow Migration is the longest running UK charity dedicated to supporting LGBTQI+ people through the asylum and immigration system. We are a respected charity across the UK and Europe, well known for our proactive work with MPs, civil servants, media, law firms, and the judiciary, to name just a few, and this is in addition to the valuable delivery work to service users.
We are looking for a new Legal and Policy Director to lead and develop our unique immigration advice service and draw on the experiences of our service users to influence positive change in the asylum and immigration system.
The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate a track record in providing legal advice as well as influencing policy. You will have the confidence and gravitas to deal with high profile individuals, the media, influencers and stakeholders and enjoy working in collaboration with similar groups to effect systemic change.
This is an exciting time to join us; the political landscape keeps us on our toes, we are a close knit hard working team, we are in our 30th year, and we will be commencing the implementation of our new organisational strategy.
You will:
- Work with the Executive Director, Campaigns Manager and Communications Manager to develop a policy influencing strategy
- Apply your litigation and policy experience to deliver change in areas such as refugee status determination, detention and asylum support
- Lead strategic litigation in the UK and the European Court of Human Rights
- Be responsible for the design and delivery of Rainbow Migration’s legal advice service, ensure compliance with regulators, and supervise the delivery of immigration advice on asylum and partnership applications by staff and volunteer lawyers
- Line manage our Legal Officer and assist them in delivering advice on LGBTQI+ asylum, especially complex claims
- Manage relationships with legal aid and pro bono law firms
- Design and deliver training to lawyers, charities and others
- Build knowledge and skills among immigration caseworkers and lawyers to represent LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum
Owing to the nature of the work, the successful applicant will be required at the point of conditional job offer to disclose all spent and unspent criminal records and subsequently to undergo an enhanced DBS check. See our website for more information.
Contract type: Permanent
Hours: Full-time (35 hours per week). We will consider part-time or job share. Occasional evening work is required, and possibly at weekends, but with plenty of notice. Rainbow Migration encourages staff to maintain a good work life balance and has a TOIL system in place.
Salary: Starting at £60,000 with potential annual step increases up to £64,946 (pro rata if working part time), plus statutory employer’s pension contribution. In addition to an annual step increase, the trustees consider giving a separate inflationary increase every April.
Location: Rainbow Migration’s offices are based in Borough, Central London. This role will have an office-based contract but the postholder can choose to work from home for part of the week in agreement with the Executive Director. You must be available to work from our offices in London when necessary. The successful candidate would also be welcome to work from the office full-time if that is their preference. At the time of posting this advert, none of our staff are going into the office every day. There might also be occasional travel outside London with plenty of notice.
Annual leave: 25 days per year rising after 24 months by 1 day after each year of service to maximum of 28 days per year (pro rata if working part-time).
Wellbeing: We offer up to 2 days of wellbeing leave to be taken at short notice in each calendar year. One-to-one clinical supervision is also available for this role.
How to apply
Please read the job description and person specification.
For an informal conversation about the role please contact recruitment@rainbowmigration.org.uk
Applications should be sent to recruitment@rainbowmigration.org.uk
Application is by way of CV with a Supporting Statement that should set out your motivations for applying for this role and to this charity and how your work experience to date meets the scope of the responsibilities. As a general guide, your Supporting Statement should be around two sides of A4.
Closing date: Interviews will be held on a rolling basis so please apply ASAP
At Rainbow Migration, we don’t just accept difference – we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status. We consider all qualified applicants, consistent with any legal requirements.
We welcome applications from candidates with lived experience of going through the UK asylum or immigration system and people of colour who are currently underrepresented among our staff. We will also interview all disabled applicants who meet the necessary criteria for this vacancy.
We are proud to be a member of the Experts by Experience Employment Network, which aims to create a charitable sector that is led by people with lived experience of the asylum and immigration system. As part of this network, we challenge the one-size-fits-all approach in our employment practices, and respect personal circumstances and needs of people with lived experience. Please feel free to use information and resources at www.ebeemployment.org.uk/ebe which may help in preparing your job application.
By submitting an application, you:
- Confirm that you have the right to work in the UK and will produce the necessary documentation if you are offered this post
- Declare that to the best of your knowledge and belief, the information provided with your application is true and correct and that you understand that any false information or statement given will justify the dismissal from Rainbow Migration if appointed
- Accept that if successful, you will be required to disclose all unspent criminal records at the point of conditional job and subsequently to undergo a basic DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check.
Your privacy and data protection
In order to recruit and manage staff, Rainbow Migration needs to store personal information (data) about all applicants. Rainbow Migration is registered as a “controller of personal data” under the Data Protection Act 2018 with the Information Commissioner. By applying for this role, you agree that we will keep the information on your CV, covering email, audio or video recording. Please see our privacy policy.
Monitoring information is kept separately and is pseudonymised to avoid identification of applicants. Monitoring information is amalgamated for statistical purposes and the original data then destroyed.
Rainbow Migration keeps all personal information safely and securely, and does not share your information with anyone outside Rainbow Migration or any other organisation without your consent. Information is kept for the minimum period necessary which for CVs, covering emails, video and audio recordings for unsuccessful applicants is 12 months after the conclusion of the recruitment campaign.
