Initiative Director, Greater Justice New York

About the team:

The Greater Justice New York GJNY Program Director is responsible for leading the program’s work—from a macro-level vision of what Vera’s role is in reforming New York’s criminal justice and public safety systems to the micro-level day-to-day responsibility of supervision, management, fundraising, relationship building, and delivering on the work itself. You serve as Vera’s lead expert on New York’s criminal justice issues and opportunities for reform, both as an internal thought partner within the institute and as an external representative to other stakeholders in the field. Though you primarily operate within the scope of Vera’s 501(c)(3) function, you frequently will collaborate with Vera Action, Vera’s 501(c)(4) sister organization. GJNY’s program director leads an 8-10 person team.

About the role:

As a senior leader within the organization, the Director has significant responsibility for shaping the vision of Vera's work in New York both at the city and state level. The Director should have extensive and nuanced knowledge of New York's criminal justice system, the workings of state and local policy, deep relationships with government and community stakeholders, and demonstrated experience in leading campaigns in New York to win policy change. The Director must value "inside-lane" work to build champions for our issues within government and an "outside-lane" approach of working in partnership with advocates, organizers, and grassroots and grasstops allies. The Director has a commitment to race equity and inclusion (REI) in their work, a passion for driving social change, and professional and/or lived experience with the criminal justice system

1. Strategic Management

• Lead the development, design, and implementation of advocacy strategies for GJNY policy campaigns, including management and execution of GJNY’s work in research, writing and publications, projects, partnerships, and other deliverables.
• Manage and operationalize various components of the team’s strategy and ensure cohesion of workstreams.
• In partnership with Vera Action, lead the c4 and political advocacy campaigns to create political buy-in for a new approach to safety, accountability, and justice among candidates and elected leaders.
• Develop and measure metrics to discern impact of the established strategy.
• Work closely with Vera’s Research, Communications, and Advocacy capacity teams to support the development and execution of the GJNY strategy.
• Partner with the development department to accomplish fundraising goals, to cultivate relationships with funders, and to support funder relationship management, proposal creation, and reporting deadlines.

2. Strategic Partnerships and Field Building 

• Manage GJNY’s stakeholder relationships at all levels of government, in New York City, Albany, and across the state, as well as relationships with advocates, community leaders and organizers, and with organizations that work locally and nationally that impact our work in New York
• Navigate complex political dynamics to advance GJNY’s work.  
• Lead and/or partner with other organizations, coalitions or other relevant groups to advance GJNY’s goals. 

3. Driving Public Opinion and Debate

• Represent Vera as one of the organization’s experts in media outlets (op-eds, interviews), conferences, webinars, and other external events.
• Serve as an organizational spokesperson in media, public forums, conferences, and other settings, including as Vera’s primary expert on New York criminal justice issues to journalists and media.
• Draft and edit program reports, proposals, presentations, and internal/external blog posts to communicate updates on GJNY’s work

4. Team Management, Mentorship, and Supervision

• Oversee and own the overall supervision and development of direct and indirect staff reports, including professional development, goal setting, advancement, and elements of accountability, aligned with Vera’s commitment to anti-racism, equity and an inclusive workplace.
• Manage all elements of the team’s operations including budget, deadlines, staff deployment, and team management.
• Maintain regular contact with the finance department to develop, track, and manage budgets.

What qualifications are we looking for?

Required:

• Advanced degree and 12+ years of relevant experience. In lieu of degree requirement, applicable work or life experience may be considered.
• Firsthand and extensive experience with New York’s criminal justice system—as an advocate, practitioner, policymaker, lawyer, researcher, or someone who is directly impacted.
• Experience managing staff, both those who are newer to the work world and those who have more years of experience, and a desire to work with both sets of employees.
• Expertise creating advocacy strategies from idea to infrastructure to implementation – including grassroots organizing and coalition building.

Preferred:

• Juris doctor or graduate degree in a social science or related field; or equivalent work experience; or relevant work or educational background and lived experience as a person directly impacted by the criminal justice system.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities you'll bring:

• Curiosity and willingness to research, read, talk to people, and learn constantly about New York’s dynamic and evolving criminal justice field, with an ability to translate that knowledge into strategic implementation and changes to policy and practice.
• Demonstrated ability to produce excellent writing in a variety of settings, from longer reports, briefing memos, to media opinions and editorials.

Location:

Please note this role will report to our Brooklyn, NY office. Vera employees adhere to a hybrid schedule and are in-office on an alternating schedule that generally amounts to 10 days per month.

Compensation and Benefits:

The compensation range for this position is $160,000-175,000. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to experience and performance. The salary range listed is just one component of Vera Institute’s total compensation package for employees. As an employer of choice in our field, supporting Vera staff - both personally and professionally - is a priority. To do this, we invest in the well-being of our staff through other rewards including merit pay, generous paid time off, a comprehensive health insurance plan, student loan repayment benefits, professional development training opportunities and up to $2,000 annual for education costs and fees relevant to Vera work, employer-funded retirement plan, and flexible time. To learn more about Vera’s benefits offerings, click here.

Applications may also be faxed to:

ATTN: People, Place, and Culture / [JOBTITLE]
Vera Institute of Justice
34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Fax: (212) 941-9407
Please use only one method (online, mail or fax) of submission.
No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

Vera is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status.

Vera works to advance justice, particularly racial justice, in an increasingly multicultural country and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission.

For more information about Vera, please visit www.vera.org.