Associate Director of Research, Reshaping Prosecution

Who we are:

The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal legal and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. For more information, visit vera.org.

Vera has a staff of 224 people, is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York and has offices in Washington, D.C., 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.

About the team:

The Reshaping Prosecution Program is dedicated to transforming what it means to be a prosecutor by focusing on the dignity of all people impacted by the criminal justice system. Prosecutors play a critical, but often hidden, role in mass incarceration as one of the most powerful actors in the criminal justice system. They decide who to charge with a crime, what crime to charge, and what sentence to recommend if there is a conviction. Despite this immense power, prosecution has only recently become a focus of criminal justice reform efforts. Our team helps prosecutors across the country work to end mass incarceration, pursue racial equity, and be more transparent with the communities they serve. Specifically, we work with prosecutor’s offices and community-based organizations to improve safety by creating diversion programs that address the underlying drivers of crime and center racial equity.

The Associate Director of Research reports directly to the initiative director with a “dotted line” to the research director. In this role, the Associate Director of Research oversees staff working across a range of methodologies and multiple projects or studies, engages in sophisticated hands-on research as needed, and manages the team’s research portfolio. This position has fluency in advocacy and communications strategies and draws on their substantial expertise in the field to oversee evidence-based messaging and policy in support of big goals. They are responsible for all research products and publications coming out of their teams. Associate Directors of Research bring substantial management experience, advanced methodological skills, strong research communication skills, and experience building and leading a research team. This is a senior-level position for researchers with extensive technical expertise and substantive knowledge and experience.

About the role:

Research Leadership 

• Represent research on the initiative leadership team
  • Work with the initiative director to develop strategies that incorporate research; participate in initiative’s theory of change planning; monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL); and other activities related to the impact pipeline
  • Work with the initiative director in support of annual planning and budget development, staffing plans, and fundraising
• Serve as a member of the Vera Research Leadership Team
  • Ensure that researchers across the organization receive appropriate training, mentoring, and technical assistance
• Supervise, support and mentor the initiative research team
  • Partner with initiative director and the research leadership team to develop staffing plans and lead recruitment and hiring
• Cultivate relationships with partner organizations
• Supervise all research w