Company Description
Who We Are
Great strides have been made over the past few years in promoting criminal justice reforms that recognize that prior “tough on crime” and incarceration-driven practices don’t always produce safer or healthier communities. New thinking has started to permeate the justice system and has prompted proactive and prevention-oriented strategies.
Against that backdrop, a new generation of reform-minded state and local elected prosecutors committed to changing their office culture and promoting a less punitive approach to addressing crime has come into office. Newly elected DAs in geographic areas ranging from Brooklyn, St. Louis, and Philadelphia to smaller rural communities are pushing back against the “law and order/tough on crime” rhetoric of past decades and elevating a national conversation around the importance of a fair, equitable and right-sized justice system.
FJP brings together these reform-minded and innovative elected prosecutors as part of a network of leaders committed to promoting a justice system grounded in fairness, equity, compassion, and fiscal responsibility.
Job Description
We are looking for a Research, Policy, and Development Fellow to join our growing team. The “RPD Fellow” is responsible for working closely with the Executive Director of Fair and Just Prosecution (“FJP”), FJP’s Chief Operating Officer, and other FJP senior staff in helping FJP develop its funding base and enhance its operational capacity and also in supporting and providing technical assistance to newly elected prosecutive leaders committed to new innovations, enhanced transparency and accountability and moving beyond past incarceration-driven approaches.
This is a robust job. Your main areas of responsibility are as follows:
- You will conduct research, assist with on the ground and remote learning, and produce briefs to educate these new leaders on issues of importance including strategies for reducing incarceration, promoting diversion and bail reform, enhancing transparency and accountability, addressing justice system racial inequities, and fortifying community trust.
- You will assist FJP in supporting this network of new leaders, including providing opportunities for them and their staff to learn about best practices, be exposed to reform-oriented national justice thinking and be fortified in their commitment to implement new approaches to promoting healthier and safer communities.
- You will also initiate and provide organizational and development support including, among other things, coordinating with outside consultants and FJP leadership in advancing and managing outside funding sources, as well as organizational enhancement and smooth functioning.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Interface with newly elected prosecutors, national organizations, academics and justice system leaders
- Research and draft briefing papers and assemble informational materials, including development and review of data, survey information, technical assistance materials, and protocols modeling new thinking in prosecutive practices
- Assist FJP staff with information gathering from prosecutors, academics and other subject matter experts in regard to prosecutive best practices, juvenile justice issues, strategies for reducing incarceration, diversion and bail reform, enhancing transparency and accountability, addressing justice system inequities, and fortifying community trust
- Work with FJP staff to plan, structure, and organize in-person and remote gatherings to enable newly elected prosecutive leaders to learn from each other – and from other experts in the field
- Work with FJP staff to help develop and conduct interviews, oversee surveys and provide assistance and support to prosecutive leaders who are part of the FJP network
- Work with FJP staff to help develop, promote and oversee opportunities for academic collaborations
- Work with FJP staff to develop and update project management and tracking tools and mechanisms
- Work with FJP staff to identify and promote other learning opportunities and partnerships that can enhance the ability of FJP prosecutive leaders to learn about and implement new justice system practices and thinking
- Coordinate, work with outside consultants, and assist with and help oversee FJP grant and development work
- Work with FJP staff to develop and update project management and tracking tools and mechanisms to enhance operational efficiency
- Work with the Executive Director and other FJP senior staff to support all aspects of FJP operations and workflow efficiency and management.
- Work with FJP’s Communications Director to support communications efforts that lift up FJP events, work products and other materials that advance new criminal justice thinking
Qualifications
Who You Are
First and foremost, you have a strong commitment to reforms in prosecution and changes to the criminal legal system and the ability to reimagine the role and function of prosecutive leaders in moving away from past “tough on crime” approaches. Additionally, you have the following background, experience, and skills/abilities:
- JD, Master’s Degree or equivalent post-graduate degree preferred
- Understanding of justice reform work and systems
- Strong commitment to reforms in prosecution and ability to reimagine the role and function of prosecutive leaders
- Ability to understand and help support a growing project focused on prosecutive reforms
- Ability to communicate effectively with, develop credibility among, and gain the confidence of, elected prosecutive leaders and their staffs
- Ability to juggle and prioritize multiple tasks, and help keep a large national project organized and on track
- Strong writing, research and oral communication skills
- Knowledge of criminal justice reform issues
- Familiarity with development work in the non-profit sector
- Experience with grant prospecting, grant application, and grant reporting
Additional Information
What Else You Should Know
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The project requires extensive home computer and telephone time and usage, research and writing. The position also requires occasional travel throughout the nation and will require the ability to travel by air or car to various parts of the nation. Light lifting up to 10 pounds may be needed.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
You will work from a home office. While on travel, the you will work from airports, hotel rooms, offices or space of other organizations or bodies.
What Now?
This role is an extraordinary opportunity to contribute to our mission of justice reform and work with a small but growing creative and dedicated team. If you would like to apply, please submit your resume today. We look forward to hearing from you.
Additional Information
The starting salary for this position is $62,000.
FJP is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. FJP’s work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law in the locality and/or state in which you are working.
Women, people of color, LGBTQ candidates, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.