Program Associate/Senior Program Associate, Crime and Justice Policy Lab (CJP)

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The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

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The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Program Associate/Senior Program Associate, Crime and Justice Policy Lab (CJP)

Job Profile Title

Coordinator C

Job Description Summary

The University of Pennsylvania’s Crime and Justice Policy Lab (CJP) seeks a full-time Program Associate and Senior Program Associate to support and help lead technical assistance, implementation, and applied research activities in Baltimore and Maryland. The Program Associate position is ideal for early-career professionals eager to contribute to innovative efforts to reduce violence and reform the criminal justice system. The Program Associate will support the day-to-day execution of key public safety initiatives and contribute to the Lab’s policy research and data-driven decision-making work. The role involves collaboration with internal team members, city agencies, nonprofit partners, and community stakeholders.

The Senior Program Associate position will support and help lead technical assistance, implementation, and applied research activities in Baltimore and Maryland. This position is ideal for an early-to-mid career professional with experience supporting cross-sector violence reduction and criminal justice reform strategies. The Senior Program Associate will work closely with CJP’s leadership and partner organizations to execute and sustain evidence-informed public safety efforts. The role involves a mix of coordination, day-to-day implementation support, and data-informed decision-making.

Job Description

This position is in the Crime and Justice Policy Lab (CJP), a research group within the University of Pennsylvania Department of Criminology. The mission of CJP is to apply rigorous methods of scientific research to improve public safety in disadvantaged communities, centering those communities in the design and execution of policy ideas, and ensuring that research and government policy is being done with communities rather than to communities. The end goal for our work is that citizens in Philadelphia and other major cities