Immigration Program Manager

This role is not eligible for immigration sponsorship. 

Immigration Program Manager (Snr Specialist II, People Services

The Immigration Program Manager will serve as the strategic owner of ASM’s U.S. immigration program, with primary accountability for program design, risk management, vendor governance, and long‑term scalability. The position exists to ensure that ASM can reliably attract, retain, and support critical talent in a complex and evolving regulatory environment, while reducing organizational risk, leader escalation, and operational dependency on individual judgment. The successful candidate will operate as the single program owner for U.S. immigration, partnering closely with Legal, Talent Acquisition, People Partners, Global Mobility and external counsel. 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities 

Strategic Immigration Program Leadership 

• Act as the end‑to‑end owner of ASM’s U.S. immigration program, including strategy, governance, procedure, prioritization, and decision authority. 

• Design, maintain, and evolve immigration policies and operating standards aligned to business needs, workforce planning, and regulatory realities. 

• Serve as final decision authority on complex or high‑risk immigration matters, including visa strategy, exceptions, and escalation paths. 

• Establish clear decision frameworks to balance business urgency, employee experience, compliance, and long‑term risk. 

• Monitor U.S. immigration trends, enforcement posture, policy changes, and industry benchmarks; proactively translate impact for leaders. 
  
  
• Provide timely, accurate and empathetic guidance to employees, managers, and stakeholders on international transfers, relocations and immigration impacts on employment decisions.
   
• Support employees through immigration milestones, documentation needs and compliance touchpoints. 

Vendor Governance & Performance 

• Own the relationship with external immigration counsel and related vendors. 

• Define, implement, and enforce service‑level expectations, success metrics, escalation thresholds, and reporting cadence. 

• Lead quarterly and monthly governance reviews focused on quality, timeliness, risk indicators, and employee experience. 

• Drive continuous improvement in vendor processes, intake discipline, communication standards, and technology integration. 

• Partner with Legal and Procurement on contract structure, renewals, and performance remediation as needed. 

Immigration Strategy & Workforce Enablement 

• Partner with Talent Acquisition & Global Mobility to define sponsorship eligibility guardrails, early risk assessment, and candidate disposition standards. 

• Provide immigration strategy guidance to leaders during hiring, internal transfers, promotions, and workforce planning. 

• Support People Partners and managers with clear guidance on timelines, constraints, and trade‑offs to reduce ad‑hoc escalation. 

• Act as a trusted advisor to employees navigating complex immigration journeys, ensuring consistency and transparency. 

Executive Partnership & Change Management 

• Prepare and deliver immigration program updates, risk assessments, and roadmap proposals to senior leadership. 

• Influence leaders through data, structured options, and clear articulation of risk and impact. 

• Lead expectation‑setting through education, communication, and upfront transparency to reduce escalation culture over time. 

• Drive program maturity through documentation, role clarity, and scalable operating models 

• Advise on complex cases or escalations requiring legal interpretation or executive decision-making. 

Compliance, Risk and Audit Readiness 

• Own the strategic direction of ASM’s I‑9 program, including vendor oversight, audit readiness, raid readiness, remediation standards, and process improvement. 

• Partner with Legal and People Compliance teams to ensure defensible documentation, data integrity, and regulatory alignment. 

• Anticipate and mitigate compliance risks proactively. 

• Establish repeatable controls that reduce dependence on manual intervention or tribal knowledge 

• Monitor federal and state regulatory changes affecting immigration, mobility and employment compliance, recommending timely updates to practices and documentation. 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Law or related field.
   
• 7+ years of immigration experience, including demonstrated program ownership responsibility.  Strong knowledge of US immigration regulations, employment eligibility verification and audit / compliance principles. 

• Proven ability to operate as a senior decision authority in complex, high‑volume immigration environments. 

• Strong experience managing and holding external legal counsel accountable through metrics and governance. 

• Demonstrated success partnering with executives, Legal, Talent Acquisition, and People leaders. 

• Exceptional judgment, communication, and stakeholder management skills. 

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and successfully work cross-functionally. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Prior experience leading immigration programs through periods of rapid growth or regulatory disruption. 

• I‑9, E‑Verify, or audit leadership experience. 

• Immigration law, paralegal certification, or equivalent practical expertise. 

• Experience designing scalable operating models rather than solely executing cases. 

Location:  

This role will be based out of our Phoenix – Elwood location until ASM’s new American headquarters building has been completed in North Scottsdale.