Careers

At the Vera Institute of Justice, we envision a society that respects the dignity of every person and safeguards justice for all—and our workplace reflects that same vision.

Why Vera?

We are bold. We are innovative. We are urgent. We are agents of change, fighting for transformation of the criminal legal and immigration systems during a pivotal moment in American history. At Vera, our commitment to securing equal justice is what drives every task, every meeting, every initiative we take on. And critical to our success are our people—a diverse, talented pool of employees who share that vision and passion.

What We Do

Since Vera’s inception in 1961, we have been constantly learning and innovating, ready to tackle the most pressing injustices of our day—from the causes and consequences of mass incarceration, the racial disparities plaguing the criminal legal system, and the loss of public trust in law enforcement, to the unmet needs of the vulnerable, the marginalized, and those harmed by crime and violence. Our core priorities are eliminating money bail, ending mass incarceration, vastly improving life behind bars, and ensuring that immigrants receive due process. We also engage in advocacy and lobbying—putting our muscle, extensive data, and vast expert knowledge behind efforts to pass legislation, reform unjust laws, and deliver concrete change. Check out our work in action.

Our People

Vera, which has more than 280 staff members, is an equal opportunity employer with a dedication 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 diverse experiences in people’s educational backgrounds and encourage people who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal and immigration systems to apply.

Our Environment

Vera employees, in their casual to business-casual dress, work across four offices—in Brooklyn, New Orleans, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles—as well as remotely.

New York. In 2019, we moved our headquarters from Manhattan to its new home in Brooklyn, gaining an additional 8,000 square feet. The two-floor office is an extension of our ambition, and you can feel the energy, optimism, and bold thinking when you walk inside. The workspace is people-centered—inclusive and accessible—and on the walls, urging us on as we work, are pieces of art created by formerly incarcerated artists and Brooklyn-born artists dedicated to social justice.

Washington, D.C. Our DC office, which opened in 2005 and now serves 18 employees, is ideally situated to work with our Capitol Hill partners and collaborators, including Congress, federal agencies, and other criminal legal system and policy organizations as we seek change in federal policy.

New Orleans. Vera’s New Orleans office opened in 2006 during the city’s post-Katrina efforts. It’s our smallest office, with nine employees, but it’s mighty: in partnership with city leaders and community organizations, we are working to end unnecessary detention and develop innovative, collaborative projects that improve the delivery of justice in New Orleans.

Los Angeles. In 2018, Vera expanded its California office and focus, building capacity in research, technical assistance, and strategic communications. Vera’s California team, a staff of 22 in Los Angeles, works on immigration, juvenile justice, reentry, policing, communications, and more.

Our Benefits

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 employees through:

• Above-market-rate compensation
• Student loan repayment benefits and up to $2,000 for education costs and fees relevant to Vera work
• A comprehensive health insurance plan, including generous assisted reproductive technology coverage
• An employer-funded retirement plan with financial advisory and planning services
• COVID-19-related benefits including Power Hour (an hour of no meetings/emails), Wellness Days off with a $25 stipend, and extended Summer Fridays through the end of the year
• Generous paid time off, including sabbaticals and up to eight weeks of Paid Family and Medical Leave for employees with at least six months of employment
• Wellness initiatives, including on-site mindfulness meditation sessions; flexible time and remote work schedules; an employee assistance program; and a gym reimbursement program

Our Commitment to Race, Equity, and Inclusion

Vera is taking the steps necessary to live up to our mission value of race equity, striving to become a more antiracist, equitable institution every day. At Vera, we value antiracism, equity, and diversity across all races, genders, sexualities, abilities, and experiences with systems. Vera is committed to shaping space, resources, and work—internally and externally—to ensure that each person can thrive in that person’s own identities, circumstances and histories, such that disparities are eliminated and we all prosper.

We are taking purposeful action through our Race, Equity & Inclusion (REI) Initiative to identify inequities perpetuated by our organization and develop policies or practices to advance antiracist and equity principles in our workplace and work. We are developing an REI Strategy & Action Plan, which will serve as an ever-developing equity guidebook and accountability document for our organization.

Your Professional Development

The Vera Institute of Justice values staff members’ professional growth. Our commitment means we are constantly assessing how we can better provide additional opportunities for all Verans. It also recently led to the creation of the Learning & Development Manager position to specifically focus on improving engagement, retention, and learning opportunities among our staff. We are committed to listening to all Verans about their professional learning needs.

Vera’s current slate of professional programs includes:

• An Impact Pipeline where employees can receive funding to pilot their own projects
• Manager development and individual contributor training
• A fund devoted to supporting peer-to-peer collaboration
• Three new discretionary funds devoted to leadership, racial equity, and the amplification of existing projects
• $1,000 publication incentive awards
• Conference registration fees and travel
• In-house training with external facilitators, including The Management Center
• A subscription to LinkedIn Learning

Employee Engagement

Vera also encourages opportunities during and after work to strengthen bonds and create meaningful relationships. These include:

• Affinity groups, where employees who share similar experiences, backgrounds, or identities can connect with one another for support, networking, or other resources
• Monthly staff breakfasts
• Coffee meetups
• Happy Hours
• Brown bag learning opportunities