Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Manager

Qualifying Requirements:

• WORK EXPERIENCE:  Three (3) years of full-time related work experience serving immigrant and refugee populations in either government, community organizing, constituent services, nonprofit management, social services, public policy, or a related field. Two (2) years of management-level as well as experience with local government is preferred. (Less than full-time experience will be calculated on a pro-rated basis). 
• EDUCATION/TRAINING:  Master’s degree in either Public Policy, Political Science, Sociology, Social Work, Public Administration, or related work experiences.  (See NOTE under the General Application Requirements Section above regarding the verification of education/training).
• EQUIVALENCY:  Education/training and/or work experience may be substituted on a year for year basis if the application clearly shows the required number of years to meet the Total Qualifying Requirement for this position (based on the sum of work experience and education/training listed above). The Total Qualifying Requirement is nine (9) years.  (See NOTE under the General Application Requirements Section above regarding the verification of education/training.)

The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) is a team within the Mayor’s Office that was established in January 2022. The office builds on the Welcoming Pittsburgh Roadmap (2015), while making room for current changes and priorities that exist in our city today.

OIRA supports departments on immigrant and refugee inclusion to provide better access to City government, our services, and our partners; partners with Neighborhood Services to ensure engagement and constituent services for our immigrant and refugee communities; welcomes new residents by hosting naturalization ceremonies at the City-County Building; collaborates with partner organizations and agencies to improve systems; develops policy recommendations for the local, state, and federal level; and celebrates the diversity of civic, cultural, and economic life that immigrants and refugees bring to the city.

OIRA OBJECTIVES:

• Increase inclusion and access to City services, including our local authorities, and our partner organizations.  In particular in the areas of:
  1. Language Access
  2. Workforce Development
  3. Small Business/Entrepreneurship
  4. Housing
  5. Civic Engagement
  6. Constituent Services
  7. Community Awareness/Education
• Celebrate the culture and diversity of our City.
• Continue to foster and build meaningful relationships with the community.
• Collaborate with city government and other partners to grow and retain immigrants in our city.

POSITION SUMMARY
The Manager of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) oversees the central coordination of services, projects, initiatives, systems alignment, and advocacy efforts dedicated to supporting Pittsburgh’s immigrant and refugee populations so that they have better access and inclusion with city government and services.

The ideal candidate will have a passion for and commitment to Mayor Gainey’s vision and core principles.  They will be an adaptive leader, who respects and honors the dignity of each diverse community in the city and is able to provide leadership and clear goals for team member(s) and other agencies as collaborations will allow. They will be a strong communicator and relationship builder who respects, welcomes, and honors the immigrants and refugees who call Pittsburgh home whether they are new or have been here for generations. They will also foster a collaborative and welcoming environment internally within city government and externally with sister-agencies, local institutions, and community partners.

Core Functions:

• Develops and updates an annual strategy for building a welcoming, safe, and thriving city for our immigrant and refugee residents.
• Plans, organizes, directs, and coordinates the administrative and operational activities of the Office.
• Collaborates with the appropriate city departments/teams, sister agencies, and partners to develop, manage, and implement responsive initiatives, as well as identify and address barriers to access of city services for immigrant populations in the areas of:
  • Language Access
  • Workforce Development
  • Housing
  • Civic Engagement
  • Small Business/Entrepreneurship
  • Constituent Services
• Manages relationships with the Sister City Association of Pittsburgh (SCAP) by managing the internal coordination within city government to ensure successful visits of delegation(s) to city government.
• Represents the Office of the Mayor at high-level meetings with internal and external partners.
• Manages special projects on behalf of the Mayor as it relates to uplifting, celebrating, and recognizing our immigrant and refugee communities.
• Supervises OIRA staff.
• Facilitates and supports a monthly community partnership meeting focused on improving the immigrant and refugee system of care in the City of Pittsburgh.
  • Provides guidance on the subcommittee/implementation teams’ working group.
• Collaborates/convenes/strategizes on fulfilling the Mayor’s goal of attracting and retaining 40,000 immigrants/refugees into the Pittsburgh area in the next 10 years.