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:

The Program Coordinator provides administrative support for GJNY’s policy development and advocacy aimed at ending mass incarceration and creating a smaller, fairer criminal legal system in New York. The Program Coordinator will assist with the day-to-day functions of the Greater Justice New York program by providing ongoing support to the Program Director and team, including calendar management, maintenance of file systems, meeting and event coordination including logistics and preparation of materials and notetaking, travel arrangements, managing internal and external stakeholder relations, and helping manage priorities.

In this role, you will:

1. Provide administrative support to program/project leaders and programmatic staff, including projects related to advocacy and stakeholder engagement;
2. Support GJNY Team project management infrastructure including project development, documentation, execution, and closeout; work closely with project leads to ensure that projects meet objectives within agreed budgets and timelines;
3. Create and manage systems for processing and tracking invoices and expense reporting; organize scheduling of internal and external meetings; assist with planning, preparing for, and taking notes at meetings, webinars, and conferences;
4. Collaborate with operations departments across the Institute, including Facilities, Legal, Fiscal, Communications, and IT; facilitate communication within the team and serves as a point person to others across the Institute; Cultivate key relationships with corporations, celebrities, influencers, and potential funders to implement and grow a corporate social responsibility program
5. Create a benchmarking strategy across all corporate social responsibility pillars—philanthropic, employee giving, sponsorships, employee volunteerism
6. Copy edit program reports, proposals, presentations, op-eds, and blog posts; and
7. Review and curate information about New York trends, research, data, and articles related to programmatic objectives.

What qualifications do you need?

Required:

• At least one year of experience in office or project administration
• Organization and attention to detail: You are detail-oriented but can see the big picture and keep track of multiple competing deadlines/priorities because of systems developed to help you and the team meet deadlines. You also have requisite knowledge to complete these tasks, especially Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe Professional
• Background or Interest in Criminal Justice Reform: You will have a demonstrated commitment to criminal justice, racial justice, or related fields
• Interpersonal skills: You need to be able to engage effectively with our talented and diverse team members to generate and improve ideas and to efficiently execute your goals and deliverables
• Cultural competence and commitment to equity: We are committed to making our own organization one where people from all races and backgrounds thrive, you have experience working in and creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments. You bring real commitment to those values and a thoughtful perspective on how best to advance them
• Management alignment: You share our approach to management—results-oriented, practical, positive, and direct
• Exceptional problem solving and rigorous thinking: You quickly grasp the root of a problem and come up with ways to address them

Preferred:

• Advocacy experience; and/or lived experience as a person directly impacted by the criminal justice system.

List of required software applications:

• Ability to create and edit charts, tables, graphs and presentations, using PowerPoint, Word, and Excel software with minimal assistance.

Applications may also be faxed to:

ATTN: Human Resources / Program Coordinator, GJNY
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