Detention Hotline Coordinator, Detained Adult Program

Amica Center; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 69,000 - 81,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Pre-tax commuter benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

Amica Center is seeking a Detention Hotline Coordinator to lead the delivery of legal services through the free detention hotline and KYR outreach. The role involves supervising volunteers, training staff, and ensuring trauma-informed legal education for detained or at-risk individuals in the Capital Region and beyond.

The position requires 3+ years of immigration-law experience, supervision experience, and Spanish proficiency. This is a full-time, hybrid role based in Washington, D.C.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years of strong experience or legal training in immigration law.
• At least 1 year of supervision experience.
• Oral and written Spanish professional proficiency is required; fluency preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage Detention Hotline operations, staffing, and technology.
• Supervise volunteers, interns, and paralegals who educate callers.
• Provide legal training to volunteers and staff staffing the hotline.
• Answer legal questions and provide in-chat support to volunteers and callers.
• Coordinate with KYR and other teams to update resources and trainings.

Skills

Immigration law experience

Spanish language proficiency

Team collaboration

Volunteer supervision

Tools

Excel

Job description

Who We Are

The Amica Center for Immigrant Rights fights for the rights, safety, and unity of immigrant communities, standing with those trapped in our nation’s fundamentally flawed immigration system. We engage in unwavering legal defense and strategic litigation for immigrant children and adults facing detention and deportation in the Capital Region and beyond, because everyone has the right to be free, safe, and supported.

Our Work Environment

Amica Center’s Programs provide trauma-informed, person-centered legal services to adults and children impacted by immigration detention across the Capital Region and beyond. Serving hundreds of detained adults each year and offering legal orientation, screening, and representation to detained and formerly detained children, our work centers client autonomy, dignity, and holistic support within a fundamentally unjust system. Both programs operate in deeply collaborative environments that emphasize interconnectivity across teams, professional growth, mentorship, and adaptability. Staff bring deep expertise to a complex and evolving immigration system, working together through shared learning, innovation, and advocacy to advance the rights and wellbeing of the people we serve.

Position Summary

The Detention Hotline Coordinator for the Detained Adult Program (DAP) will lead efforts to ensure the effective delivery of legal services through Amica Center’s free detention hotline and through support to the in-person Know Your Rights Team who visit government detention facilities throughout Virginia. The Detention Hotline Coordinator will oversee hotline operations to ensure callers—whether detained represented individuals, pro se (un-represented) respondents, or non-detained people seeking information—receive accurate, trauma-informed legal education and assistance. They will maintain up-to-date training materials, troubleshoot emergent legal issues, and collaborate across teams to strengthen hotline management, workflows, and response systems. This is a highly collaborative position, playing a key role within the Know Your Rights (KYR) Team, and closely collaborating with the Volunteer Program, the Direct Representation Intaking Team, and DAP managers.

General Duties and Responsibilities [1]

• Management of Detention Hotline and Know Your Rights Support
• Manage operational aspects of the hotline, including staffing schedules, technology troubleshooting, and administrative tasks that keep the hotline running smoothly.
• Manage the provision of legal services over the hotline. This includes supervision of volunteers, interns, and paralegals who provide legal education and resources to callers.
• Provide substantive legal training to volunteers, undergraduate interns, legal interns, and paralegals who staff the hotline.
• Answer legal questions and provide in-chat support to volunteers, interns, and staff who cover the detention hotline, as they answer calls from individuals who may have emergent legal situations. Provide brief legal education where appropriate. Troubleshoot these types of requests clearly and empathetically.
• Ensure hotline training materials remain up to date with legal changes and any changes to the Know Your Right team’s processes and that in-person KYR and hotline supporting teams collaboratively share and update resources and trainings to maximize efficiency in the provision of legal services. Stays abreast of key legal updates to incorporate into hotline and KYR work.
• Manage the administrative volunteers that provide remote services to pro se individuals calling the hotline. This includes managing systems that facilitate document delivery, email referrals, callback requests, and the tracking of first time callers.
• Coordinate across teams to ensure all hotline-related KYR systems are effective and useable by staff, volunteers and interns.
• Provide emergency coverage of the hotline as needed.
• Participates in detention facility visits in Virginia (normally 1 overnight visit per quarter) for the provision of Know Your Rights presentations and group workshops.
• Identify and track trends and emerging issues faced by the people we work with in detention affecting their immigration cases. Coordinate with others in the organization to help detained people respond to and access better information on issues and make appropriate referrals.
• Organizational Services
• Conducts training and supervises other staff and volunteers on administrative tasks, including database maintenance.
• Undertake own administrative functions, including for hotline caller and KYR work and ensuring the inputting and accuracy of data and case information into shared databases in a timely fashion.
• Assists program leadership in planning and implementation of program goals.
• Assists other program staff in high-work/low-bandwidth periods.
• Actively engage in Amica Center’s training and advocacy efforts, as needed.
• Participates in stakeholder relationship activities, including in-person and telephonic meetings with community groups, governmental bodies and representatives, and other legal service providers.
• Coordinate with all internal Amica Center Programs (e.g., Impact Lab, DAP Direct Representation teams) to ensure all programs are kept abreast of detention developments, clients, and referrals.

[1] This list is illustrative and not intended to be a complete classification of all job functions or tasks.

Requirements

Competencies Required

Legal Proficiency

The Hotline Coordinator demonstrates a firm understanding of relief eligibility to allow for meaningful contribution to hotline intakes and client-facing legal activities and thought leadership in discussions during intakes, follow-up and casework with minimal supervision. They also have the ability to convey legal concepts to those with limited legal experience (i.e. volunteers, undergraduate interns, and legal interns). The employee clearly and skillfully employs the law in written and oral presentations with limited supervision and input from supervisors. The employee demonstrates a mastery of understanding legal information versus advice and educates others on this distinction and is familiar with preparing client filings and can support paralegals, interns, and volunteers on doing so with limited attorney input.

Client and Programmatic Proficiency

The Hotline Coordinator skillfully and clearly presents legal and procedural concepts to detained individuals with limited supervision. The employee demonstrates trauma-informed interviewing and rapport building skills. They satisfactorily handle all required in-jail and in-office programmatic obligations (management of Detention Hotline, KYR, and rapid response) with minimal supervision. The employee manages their workload to allow for proper prioritization and thoughtful use of time and resources. The employee contributes to the supervision and professional development of volunteers, interns, and junior staff.

Administrative

The employee ensures that all administrative aspects of their position, attendant to the provision of services to clients, are carried out without managerial intervention, including timekeeping, file upkeep, database upkeep, etc.

Qualifications Required:

• At least 3 years of strong experience or legal training in immigration law.
• At least 1 year of supervision experience.
• Strong ability to collaborate across teams and departments.
• Oral and written Spanish professional proficiency required, fluency preferred.

It is expected that the candidate will need to travel for work-related business. As a result, the candidate must possess a valid driver's license and be comfortable operating a vehicle upon hiring. This role requires travel, but qualified individuals with disabilities may be accommodated in a reasonable manner under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience supervising volunteers preferred.
• Experience managing data systems and processes preferred
• Experience with Excel and data manipulation preferred.

Salary:

$69,000- $81,000 commensurate with experience

Position Type:

Full-time, exempt position

Reports To:

Managing Attorney, Know Your Rights Team and Volunteer Manager

Supervisory Responsibility:

Volunteers, Undergraduate Interns, Legal Interns, and Staff Assisting on Hotline

Location and/or Travel Requirements:

This position will be based at the Washington, D.C. or Baltimore, M.D. Office. Travel to the area when needed for hearings, jail visits, and programmatic meetings is required.

Telework:

Amica Center operates a hybrid work environment where staff are required to work at least one day per week in-office, but some roles require more office/on-site attendance or travel.

Benefits:

Amica Center offers a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, flexible spending account, life insurance and pre-tax commuter benefits for those living in the DMV.

Paid Time Off:

Amica Center provides personal, sick and volunteer time off, federal holidays, winter break closure and parental leave.

EEO Statement:

Amica Center for Immigrant Rights is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with anti-discrimination law, it is the purpose of this policy to effectuate these principles and mandates. Amica Center prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Amica Center conforms to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations.

Our Anti-Racism Statement:

To learn more about our anti-racism statement- https://amicacenter.org/becoming-anti-racist/

COVID-19 Vaccination:

All employees are required to be fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. To be fully vaccinated means having completed the full dosages required for the type of vaccine obtained as designated by the CDC. If boosters are subsequently recommended by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) then employees will be required to receive the booster within thirty (30) days of their eligibility to access the boosters.

This position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and will be a member of the Amica Center United bargaining unit.