Submitted by pnolan on
AmeriCorps Staff

HHS is hiring for short-term assignments

Migrant children are currently being housed by U.S. Customs & Border Protection in holding areas that were not meant for children beyond a short period of time. They are alone, scared, separated from family. The support these children, the Department of Health and Human Services is asking for you to help provide needed on-the-ground support.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement is offering paid, short-term positions dedicated to supporting government response efforts to the surge of unaccompanied children in certain areas of the country. The unaccompanied child program provides a safe and appropriate environment to children and youth who enter the United States without immigration status and without a parent or legal guardian who is able to provide for their physical and mental well-being.

HHS is seeking people who have the ability to coordinate, collaborate, communicate, and organize in the following roles:

On the Ground Support

  • Field Program Specialists – Field Program Specialists generally work in one of two capacities: 
    • Youth Care Workers – ensures line of sight supervision of UC to ensure safety of all children and staff at all times and will not necessarily be working with the children one-on-one. Jobs this role is being used to perform may include: hallway monitors, administrative support, and escorts for children to and from areas;
    • Case Management – assists with the collection of contact information from UCs for parents or relatives in home country and family members in the US. Preferred Spanish proficiency as well as those familiar with indigenous dialects spoken in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and/or El Salvador
  • Field liaison – serves as an on-the-ground point of contact, which may involve coordinating information flow between ORR staff and stakeholders
  • Volunteer coordination and reception – maintains accountability, security, assignments, and coordination of onsite volunteers; provides support for information technology needs on the ground; works across agencies, organizations, and teams to ensure seamless integration of volunteers into daily operations onsite

Virtual Support

  • Executive Communications Liaison – works closely with ORR leadership on briefing materials and responding to incoming communications
  • Rapid Response and Interagency Coordination – works closely with ORR leadership and staff to coordinate with partner agencies
  • Quality and Program Performance Officer – works on the development and evaluation of policies
  • Program subject matter experts – supports ORR’s Chief of Staff
  • Project Officer Support – reviews and makes recommendations on unsolicited grant and contract proposals, works on Funding Opportunity Announcements, reviews and supports grant applications, queues up grant awards for processing, engages with care providers/grantees on bed capacity; and assists with data/information requests;
  • Attorneys or policy analysts – helps with work associated with structuring and signing interagency agreements (within government) or other agreements (volunteer organizations and others) and state licensing issues. Budget background a plus.
  • Paralegal support – assists with researching, documenting, and tracking legal and policy-related matters;
  • Assistant – helps coordinate items for external clearance, tracks and follows up on tasks, and notes, and sends meeting requests;
  • Budget support – provides budget execution support, including initiating purchase actions and providing assistance with data/information requests.

Requirements

  • Individuals willing to serve on short- to mid-term (3-12 month) assignments
  • Individuals may be hired through a contract with the government
  • On the ground staff are expected to work 12-hour staggered shifts and will be selected for their roles, depending in part on their language proficiency.


To apply, submit your interest through the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement Volunteer Platform at https://orrresponse.force.com/s/