Program Manager

Overview

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:

The Program Manager plays the key role in executing and supporting aspects of a strategic work plan, including taking primary responsibility for certain core components, leading collaborative teams on certain core components, and supervising others performing the work. This work may include research and writing; engaging stakeholders; leading trainings and presentations; writing policy reports and memos; and drafting op-eds and other strategic communications. Externally, the Manager assists the Program Director and Deputy Director in building and maintaining relationships.

Reshaping Prosecution works with prosecutors to limit who enters the system, primarily through declining and diverting cases, and to build evidence that doing so is a better path to safety. We believe, based on our country’s history of using power to marginalize people of color, that any system dedicated to safety should be racially equitable and accountable to the people it serves. As such, our work is guided by three principles with a focus on supporting safer communities: shrinking the front end of the system; addressing systemic racial disparities; and increasing accountability to directly impacted communities.

The Program Manager will lead technical assistance engagements with prosecutor offices to implement reforms that limit who enters the criminal system, address racial disparities (e.g. Black people may make up 15 percent of a county, but 50 percent of cases referred to an office), increase accountability to local communities, and build a case that these reforms contribute to safer communities. They will be responsible for completing the team’s objectives in the engagement and guiding a team that includes a programmatic associate, quantitative researcher, and qualitative researcher.

The Program Manager will also either lead our case study work to learn implementation lessons from offices around the country or support a cohort of alum offices as they continue pursuing reforms.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Project Management of site engagements

• Leading site partnerships with elected prosecutors, their offices, and local community organizations to implement reforms aligned with the team’s mission
• Establishing trust and credibility as a criminal justice reform expert with elected prosecutors and leaders within prosecutor offices
• Advising elected prosecutors, leaders within prosecutor offices, and community stakeholders on identifying and implementing reforms aligned with the team’s mission
• Coordinate meetings with team members to build cohesiveness and project manage the tasks necessary to complete the site engagement
• Co-develop with Program leadership team targets and milestones, and work to ensure that key targets and milestones are met. May develop new and improved tracking systems and project management tools, including liaising with finance and operations to keep track of teams and budgets.
• Strategizing with team members to address obstacles that arise during the site engagement
• Working with team researchers to guide and focus the data analysis to identify and implement reforms aligned with the team’s mission
• Leading the preparation of trainings, presentations, and memos to further the site engagement

Thought partnership and strategy development beyond individual site partnerships

• Managing either our case study work to learn implementation lessons from offices around the country or a cohort of alum offices as they continue pursuing reforms.
• Act as a proactive problem-solver and thought partner to the deputy director and director
• Assist Program leadership on overall policy and strategy
• Support Initiative or Program leadership on special projects, and later leading select special projects based on need
• Work with Program leadership and team to determine areas where processes can be improved, including soliciting and synthesizing feedback from Verans and stakeholders, proposing solutions, and closing feedback loops. Based on capacity and expertise, manage process improvements and solutions.
• Liaise with other teams, projects, and departments across Vera in moving strategy forward

Team Building and Culture

• Identify, organize, and participate in team leadership development trainings and activities
• Provide peer support and mentorship to SPAs and PAs to further their development
• Manage fellows, consultants, and part-time employees as needed

Public Engagement

• Attend meetings and create and lead presentations external to the institute
• Build relationships, communicate and collaborate regularly with partners to build momentum for reform
• Contribute to the national conversation on prosecution reform by attending and speaking at conferences
• Review and stay abreast of news in the prosecution reform space

Other projects and duties as assigned

What qualifications do you need?

Required:

• Bachelors degree +5 years of relevant experience. In lieu of a Bachelors degree, applicable work or life experience, particularly as a person with justice system involvement, will be considered.
• Deep understanding of the prosecutorial role
• Demonstrated ability to establish trust and credibility with prosecutors
• Ability to discuss race equity issues within the criminal legal system
• Ability to identify and develop criminal justice reforms 
• Demonstrated ability to manage a project, including assigned staff, from start to finish
• Empathetic approach to the work that values all team members
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both externally and internally with team members
• Strong writing skills
• Comfortable interpreting criminal justice data sets
• Ability to identify criminal justice reforms that a prosecutor’s office can implement, and discuss the legal ramifications
• Strong writing and research skills
• Strong communication and facilitation skills; and ability to present on nuanced topics
• Ability to multitask and manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously
• Ability to actively listen and collaborate
• Understand the impact of structural racism and oppression and be able to speak about commitment to community building, equal justice, and racial equity

Preferred:

• Juris doctor
• 3-5 years of prosecutorial experience
• Experience managing, supervising, or leading a team
• Demonstrated ability to work with advocates, government officials, criminal legal system personnel, practitioners, and people who are directly impacted by the criminal legal system
• Teaching or facilitation experience
• Demonstrated ability to manage a technical assistance project from start to finish

List of Required Software Applications:

• Proficient in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Zoom

Compensation and Benefits:

The compensation range for this position is $112,500 – $117,500. 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 and remote work schedules. To learn more about Vera’s benefits offerings, click here.

Applications may also be faxed to:

ATTN: People Resources / Program Manager, Reshaping Prosecution

Vera Institute of Justice

34 35th St, Suite 4-2-A, 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.

As a federal contractor, and in order to ensure a healthy and safe work environment, Vera Institute of Justice is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccine before their start date. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement.

Vera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action 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