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 grassroots 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 almost 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

Vera generates ideas to transform justice systems and takes them to national scale. Following the completion of our strategic plan, we are expanding and formalizing our infrastructure for this multistage ideation and scaling process—which we call the Impact Pipeline. This staged process helps Vera staff generate ideas with potential for national impact, pilot those ideas, adapt and improve them, and evaluate their effectiveness.

In this new position, the Coordinator will primarily provide administrative support to the general functioning of the Impact Pipeline. The Coordinator will work under the supervision of the Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and the Director of Impact Strategy, and in close collaboration with the MEL and Impact Strategy Associates and other members of the Impact Pipeline management team.  

In this role, you will:

1. Provide ongoing administrative support to the Impact Pipeline Management Team, primarily the Director of Impact Strategy and the Director of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, including:

• coordinating events, trainings, workshops, and professional development opportunities for staff as they relate to impact strategy and monitoring, evaluation, and learning
• calendar management
• processing and tracking invoices and expenses
• making travel arrangements
• managing internal and external stakeholder relations
• helping manage priorities and workflow
• note taking

2. Support the MEL and Impact Strategy teams in the continued design, rollout, and management of the Impact Pipeline, how Vera develops, refines, and scales evidence-based solutions that match the scale and scope of the complex problems we aim to solve as we work towards our vision of fighting mass criminalization and creating anti-racist, reparative justice systems. This may include:

• Helping us stay organized by making sure our files are in the right place, up to date, and accessible on our SharePoint site and Airtable collaboration tool
• Coordinating and communicating with initiative teams as we partner with them across the pipeline stages

3. Support office communications, including drafting memoranda, PowerPoint presentations and other meeting materials, and Institute-wide updates

4. Team Support a learning culture and evaluative thinking as part of the Impact Pipeline team, for example by:

• Thinking about how we can continuously improve our ways of working
• proposing ways to combat biases in our work
• Making connections and seeing patterns across different pieces of work

What qualifications do you need?

Required:

• No degree required.
• 1-2 years’ experience, including internships
• Commitment to racial equity and its intersections and experience engaging in conversations about race, equity, and inclusion
• Some familiarity with and/or interest in research and evaluation methods, strategy design, and organizational learning
• Analytical thinking with superior problem-solving and logical thinking skills
• Strong task management and organizational skills and comfort working in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent communication, writing, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work on multiple projects effectively and efficiently, both independently and collaboratively with a team
• Knowledge of or lived experience with criminal and immigration legal systems preferable

List of Required Software applications:

• Proficient with Microsoft Outlook, PowerPoint, Word and Excel

Applications may also be faxed to:

ATTN: Human Resources / Pipeline Coordinator, Impact Strategy, Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
Vera Institute of Justice
34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, 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