Careers Job Description
General Description
The Prisoner Reentry Institute (PRI) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice is seeking an Advocacy Coordinator to work with the Director of Public Policy on an array of system reform initiatives. PRI’s policy advocacy work targets policies and practices that dehumanize and marginalize people with conviction histories. Our policy reform efforts are built from the collective knowledge and active participation of grassroots organizations, human service organizations, legal services, and directly impacted people. We also leverage our position within a public university to form trusted relationships with other public institutions and agencies to advance our collectively-created reform agenda. We work in two major areas:
- Reforming exclusionary housing policies that exclude people with conviction histories, and limit the use of background checks in housing
- Changing higher education policies and practices that limit opportunities for students with justice involvement, and development of an integrated strategy to support students with conviction histories.
About PRI
The Prisoner Reentry Institute is a center of research and action at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY. PRI is committed to providing opportunities for people to live successfully in the community after involvement with the justice system. Capitalizing on its position within a large public university and recognizing the transformational power of education, PRI focuses much of its work on increasing access to higher education and career pathways for people with conviction histories. PRI's comprehensive and strategic approach includes direct service, research, technical assistance, and policy advocacy.
Other Duties
Working closely with the Director of Public Policy, the Advocacy Coordinator is responsible for:
- Building and maintaining strong coalitions of stakeholders for PRI’s projects, including a broad range of organizations, elected officials, agencies, community leaders, and directly-impacted people.
- Cultivating strategic relationships and influential partnerships to further the PRI’s mission and strategic objectives.
- Collaborating closely with other members of PRI staff and the programmatic departments of PRI.
- Preparing and leading meetings, trainings, and events.
- Developing recommendations on public policy positions for reentry and criminal justice issues.
- Facilitating understanding of the effects of policy changes on people who have been involved with the criminal justice system.
- Working with PRI staff, stakeholders, coalitions, elected officials, or state agency staff to influence policy.
- Representing PRI in meetings, conferences, and other public events.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have a proven ability to manage multiple commitments combining attention to detail with maintaining a focus on the big picture. We are seeking candidates who excel in managing relationships, are highly organized, and who balance self-directive and collaborative instincts.
Candidates should possess:
- Relevant life experience (preferred)
- Knowledge of the criminal legal system and issues faced by people with conviction histories
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including keen judgment, and the ability to work with people from a wide array of backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise
- Strong presentation skills and ability to lead effective and focused meetings
- Experience with building and maintaining strong working relationships and fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders
- Efficient, organized work style and an ability to prioritize quickly and confidently
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively as a member of a highly-integrated team
- An understanding of the concepts of institutional and structural racism and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities.
- Bachelor’s degree is preferred
- Five (5) years of professional experience in human services, criminal justice and/or reentry.
- Proficiency with MS Office suite, Google Drive, and Outlook.
Include Cover Letter, salary expectations and resume.
RFCUNY Benefits
RFCUNY Employee Benefits and AccrualsAbout the Research Foundation
The Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY) was established as a not-for-profit educational corporation chartered by the State of New York in 1963. RFCUNY supports CUNY faculty and staff in identifying and obtaining external support (pre-award) from government and private sponsors and is responsible for the administration of all such funded programs (post-award).
RFCUNY stands between CUNY’s principal investigators (PIs) and the sponsors who support them and strives to fulfill its essential responsibilities to both groups. Working closely with individual PIs and Grants Officers on the campuses, RFCUNY oversees employment, accounting, audit, reporting, purchasing, and special responsibilities that include management of a planned giving program; liaison with governmental agencies and foundations; negotiation of agreements; facility construction and renovation; protection and commercialization of intellectual property; and compliance with applicable standards in research involving human subjects, animal care, environmental and radiological safety, and conflicts of interest.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Key Features
Prison Reentry Institute (PRI)
Full Time
Depends on Qualifications
Aug 29, 2019 (Or Until Filled)