Senior Program Associate, Ending Girls Incarceration

Who we are:

The Vera Institute of Justice, founded in 1961, is a nonprofit criminal justice organization that strives to build just government institutions and safe communities free from the scourge of racism, white supremacy, profit, and inequity that is pervasive in this country’s legal systems. We are an “inside” lane organization that drives change at scale with ambitious public sector leaders who share our commitment to building anti-racist, reparative systems that deliver justice. We leverage our access to government to transform these systems and work collaboratively with stakeholders across many movements—including advocacy, grassroots, and grasstop organizations. Our role is to pilot solutions that are transformative and achievable, harness the power of evidence to drive effective policy and practice, and use advocacy and communications to change narratives and norms.

Vera has a staff of 300 people and offices in New York City, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity in the workplace. We expect our staff to embody respect, independence, collaboration, commitment, anti-racism, and equity—both in our outward-facing work and the internal culture of our workplace. We value a range of experiences in people’s educational backgrounds and encourage people who have been directly impacted by the criminal justice system to apply.

Who you are:

Vera’s Initiative to End Girls’ Incarceration (EGI) aims to zero out the incarceration of girls and gender-expansive youth in the country’s juvenile legal system by 2030. To get to zero girls incarcerated, we partner with government and community leaders to develop solutions based on community needs while advocating for broader policy changes at the state and local levels that advance the freedom and well-being of girls and gender-expansive youth. As we boost local prevention and diversion services, we’re also working to decriminalize status offenses (like running away) and explicitly prohibit incarceration for misdemeanors and technical violations of probation, to protect a young person’s safety or address their needs, and when there is no threat to public safety. 

The Senior Program Associate will be a key member of the EGI team. This position requires some who works independently, with guidance in only the most complex situations. The Senior Program Associate will lead projects across sites with a variety of resource requirements, risk, and / or complexity. This team member solves complex problems using sophisticated analytical thought to exercise judgement and identify innovative solutions. 

What you'll do:

Program Development & Technical Assistance 

• Provide training and technical assistance to partners and key stakeholders on best practices and policy analysis 
• Provide support to related research projects   
• Work with leadership and team to research, develop & draft model policies, fact sheets, and educational materials 
• Lead the planning, drafting, and editing of program reports and presentations as needed 
• Lead the project management of sites and / or sub-projects that exist within the initiative 

Informing Strategy 

• Build and maintain relationships with community and government partners to implement and develop strategies 
• Develop expertise in distinct areas and run projects in that space; act at SME for that area of expertise when needed and propose new projects 
• Assist in the development of strategic plans 

Staff Supervision 

• Manage intern(s) and assist in their onboarding to the initiative 
• Invest in the professional development of team members 

Community Outreach & Partnerships 

• Foster relationships with external partners/sites 
• Serve as primary contact for external partners/sites 

What qualifications are we looking for?

• Bachelor’s degree + 4-7 years of relevant experience.  In lieu of degree requirement, applicable work or life experience may be considered. 
• A commitment to Vera’s mission to end the overcriminalization and mass incarceration of people of color, immigrants, and people experiencing poverty. 

Preferred education and/or experience 

• Subject matter expertise in juvenile legal systems processes and pathways to incarceration for girls and gender non-conforming youth. Experience with the legal system and/or working directly with young people in the legal system in a direct service or advocacy capacity is encouraged. In-depth knowledge of diversion and other programming resources (such as housing solutions) is also preferred.