Job Description

The Office of Immigrant Affairs seeks a detail-oriented individual with exceptional communication, organizational and administrative skills to join the department as a full-time Operations and Engagement Specialist. This new position will allow OIA to enhance the office's ability to respond to inquiries from immigrant and refugee residents by receiving and responding to all phone calls, voicemails and emails received by the office. The primary focus of this position is to address foreign born residents and their family’s questions and concerns about fully accessing public and community resources. This position will also add administrative capacity and efficiency to several office operations such as invoicing, scheduling, managing office supplies, updating and maintaining information of community-based partners in the OIA resources list and more.

Essential Functions

Constituent Services

• Track and respond to all phone calls, voicemails and email inquiries to the Office of Immigrant Affairs
• Track and respond to in person constituent service inquiries at the Office of Immigrant Affairs.
• Maintain and update directory of immigrant serving organizations in Philadelphia and make appropriate referrals for constituents.
• Liaise with city departments as needed to address constituent concerns.
• Document any challenges to accessing services for immigrants and elevates to OIA Executive Director or other appropriate staff for advocacy.
• Utilize telephonic and in person interpretation as needed to engage constituents and address their inquiries.
• Develop office materials in partnership with appropriate city agencies and community partners to address frequent needs and concerns of foreign-born residents based on trends in constituent services requests.

Administrative Support

• Support OIA team with administrative tasks as assigned (i.e. processing invoices, printing, scanning, etc.).
• Manage office supplies and orders for OIA and liaise with MDO administration for this purpose.
• Manage calendar for OIA Executive Director and support scheduling for OIA team as assigned.

Community Engagement

• Support OIA community engagement goals by attending in person and virtual events as assigned.
• Maintain and update directory of immigrant serving organizations in Philadelphia.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to work with InDesign, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Microsoft Suite (including Excel, Word, PowerPoint), and virtual meeting platforms including Zoom and Teams.
• Excellent organizational and proofreading skills
• Strong time management skills
• Ability to meet deadlines with keen attention to details and follow through
• Excellent interpersonal skills, maintaining tact and diplomacy in all situations
• Excellent written and oral communication
• Attention to detail, self-motivated, responsible and professional
• Solution focused and Action-oriented
• Willingness to learn, work hard, and teach others
• Ability to document and share feedback
• Ability to liaise between city agencies, community members, and nonprofit partners
• Active listening
• Ability to work independently as well as collaborate within a team
• Skilled in navigating large complex institutions
• Multilingual or bilingual proficiency
• Passion for the issue of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Work-Life

Working hours are generally 37.5 hours per week. This team is currently hybrid with virtual and in-office days. However, this position is expected to report daily to the office to be available for constituent concerns and administrative support. There are occasional evenings and weekends for community engagement and events, particularly during busy seasons for the office – June and September.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree or higher in Social Work, Human Services, Psychology or a related field, equivalent experience accepted.
• Previous experience connecting people to needed information and resources.
• Previous administrative experience.
• Previous experience working within immigrant and refugee communities, or serving organizations
• Previous experience working in multilingual settings, and/or diverse cultural backgrounds
• Must be bilingual in any of the following: Arabic, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, or Vietnamese; both written and verbal proficiency (multilingual preferred, Spanish language is most in demand)

Additional Information

TO APPLY: Interested candidates must submit a cover letter, writing samples, references and a resume.

Salary Range: $40,000 - $45,000

Discover the Perks of Being a City of Philadelphia Employee:

• Transportation : City employees get unlimited FREE public transportation all year long through SEPTA’s Key Advantage program. Employees can ride on SEPTA buses, subways, trolleys, and regional rail for their daily commute and more.
• Parental Benefits: The City offers its employees 6 weeks of paid parental leave.
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents.
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available
• Pay off your student loans faster - As a qualifying employer, City of Philadelphia employees are eligible to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Join the ranks of hundreds of employees who have already benefited from this program and achieved student loan forgiveness.
• Unlock Tuition Discounts and Scholarships - The City of Philadelphia has forged partnerships with over a dozen esteemed colleges and universities in the area, ensuring that our employees have access to a wide range of tuition discounts and scholarships. Experience savings of 10% to 40% on your educational expenses, extending not only to City employees but in some cases, spouse and dependents too!

Join the City of Philadelphia team today and seize these incredible benefits designed to enhance your financial well-being and personal growth!

_ *The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire_

Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully vaccinated.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to faqpchr@phila.gov.

For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx