Immigration Program Director

Job Description

Our Immigration Program Management (IPM) team in the region act as the conduit between our key global and regional clients, as well as provide support to our case teams.  The Regional Immigration Program Management (IPM) Director/Senior Director leads this team of dedicated IPMs in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, providing senior leadership and mentorship to the team. 

The purpose of this role is to oversee a team whose mission is to build and maintain relationships of trust with clients, focused on development of client strategy and program management through by applying the firm’s knowledge and understanding of immigration.  The objective is to create and implement comprehensive immigration programs for clients, leveraging Fragomen knowledge and services, all while providing that senior level of support to the IPM team.  

RESPONSIBILITIES  

Client Service 

• Establish and lead oversee client relationships through building trust and confidence of clients at most senior level in region, typically at regional senior manager or director level 
• Leveraging expert-level knowledge of immigration and Fragomen services, assess program needs through understanding client objectives and priorities, and introduce or expand services provided to clients to meet those needs 
• Lead development and maintenance of client protocols; recommend and encourage Fragomen best practices 
• In collaboration with legal and case teams, manage risk for clients by providing regular updates to clients of changes in laws/regulations, and impact on client program 
• Manage risk for firm by ensuring teams adhere to protocols, processes and procedures, and ensuring that teams understand complex regularity regulatory issues for sector or client (e.g. media, extraction, technology) 
• Oversee and lead Annual and Quarterly Business Reviews, coordinating with global IPMs as appropriate  
• Work with clients to establish reporting and KPIs; inform/training country teams accordingly; provide ongoing protocol training to case teams 
• Work with Global Client Enablement team and client account engagement teams for onboarding new clients 
• Coordinate with Client Enablement and Client Engagement team on process improvements, leveraging new technology, and introducing new services 
• Keep global IPM/regional and global partners informed of challenges regarding pricing, staffing, service, with suggestions/recommendations where appropriate 
• Engage in and assist with deescalating major escalations and crafting solutions (data breach, application rejections); the IPM Director is an integral part in managing major escalations and ensuring that a coordinated response is prepared and provided to the client 
• Build and maintain open lines of communication with clients

Leadership 

• Managing a team of experienced IPMs (and IPM support) that is dispersed across the regional (i.e., potentially dispersed) and who are responsible for with a very diverse client base 
• Ensure leadership style is reflective of firm values 
• Positively contribute to the team, office and firm through participating in events, training and other internal programs 
• Encourage others to be innovative and share ideas; be responsive to concerns raised by team (both IPM and case teams) stakeholders regarding issues or challenges 
• Drive change within team that is aligned with firm objectives; engage in change initiatives by adapting, learning and contributing positively to change
• Organize and facilitate periodic regional IPM meetings and sharing sessions to exchange ideas and learnings across the APAC IPM group 
• Provide feedback and mentoring to IPM team, including being an integral part of their talent development and the talent review process 

New Business/Marketing 

• Be an ambassador of the firm and promote capabilities and services, emphasize Fragomen value proposition
• Seek opportunities to share successes and content internally, for knowledge sharing and best practice development 
• Grow revenue for various practices by identifying opportunities for expanding scope of services for assigned clients 
• Participate in contract renewal process/RFP process for existing clients and potential clients 
• Contribute to thought leadership initiatives and be seen in markets as subject matter expert; contribute to social media and knowledge content and present at regional events
• Liaison among Knowledge, Professional Practices, Legal teams and the Government Strategies team to ensure alignment and to maximize internal resources

People Management and Knowledge Sharing 

• Develop KPIs to measure contributions and value of IP resources for Fragomen and for clients
• Manage headcount and resources effectively
• Identify training needs and work with appropriate teams to deliver training to ensure IP team is current on products, services, priorities and legal environment
• Proactively engage with local country teams on regular basis to identify opportunities and challenges and better understand local immigration environment, and apply to client program and share with others 
• Provide members of regional IPM team stretch opportunities to engage with new clients or on new programs 
• Contribute to development of IPM and case teams by providing training and supporting firmwide talent development initiatives (e.g., Leadership Academy, Regional Development Conference, Practical Management Academy, etc) 

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• At least 10 years of immigration case management or program management experience 
• Bachelor's degree required; legal background preferred 
• Strategic account management experience 
• Excellent communication skills, including conflict resolution and active listening skills 
• Excellent time management and prioritization skills 
• Knowledgeable of work and process flow basics 
• Understating of account management business metrics 
• Technical acumen 
• Collaborative and inclusive leadership style 
• Effective people management and team management skills; ability to manage dispersed and/or hybrid teams 
• Minimal travel