Planner, Community Programs & Partnerships

THE ORGANIZATION

The Center for Justice Innovation is a community justice organization that centers safety and racial justice. Since our founding in 1996, the Center has partnered with community members, courts, and the people most impacted to create stronger, healthier, more just communities. Our decades of experience in courts and communities, coupled with our field-leading research and practitioner expertise, help us drive justice nationwide in innovative, powerful, and durable ways. For more information on how and where we work, please visit www.innovatingjustice.org.  

The Center is a 900-employee, $100 million nonprofit that accomplishes its vision through three pillars of work: creating and scaling operating programs to test new ideas and solve problems, performing original research to determine what works (and what doesn’t), and providing expert assistance and policy guidance to justice reformers around the world.

Operating Programs

The Center’s operating programs, including the award-winning Red Hook Community Justice Center and Midtown Community Justice Center, test new ideas, solve difficult problems, and attempt to achieve systemic change within the justice system. Our projects include community-based violence prevention programs, alternatives to incarceration, reentry initiatives, and court-based initiatives that reduce the use of unnecessary incarceration and promote positive individual and family change. Through this programming, we have produced tangible results like safer streets, reduced incarceration, and improved neighborhood perceptions of justice.

Research

The Center's research teams are staffed with social scientists, data analysts, and lawyers who are academically-trained or have lived experience and who conduct research in the U.S. and globally on diverse criminal-legal system and justice issues. Their work includes evaluating programs and policies; conducting exploratory, community-based studies; and providing research translation and strategic planning for system actors. The Center has published studies on topics including court and jail reform, intimate partner violence, restorative justice, gun violence, reentry, sixth amendment rights, and progressive prosecution. The research teams strive to make their work meaningful and actionable to the communities they work with, policymakers, and practitioners.

Policy & Expert Assistance

The Center provides hands-on, planning and implementation assistance to a wide range of jurisdictions in areas of reform such as problem-solving courts (e.g., community courts, treatment courts, domestic violence courts), tribal justice, reducing incarceration and the use of fines/fees and reducing crime and violence. Our current expert assistance takes many forms, including help with analyzing data, strategic planning and consultation, policy guidance, and hosting site visits to its operating programs in the New York City area. 

Center Support

A dedicated support team within the Center ensures the smooth functioning of operations across various domains, including finance, legal, technology, human resources, fundraising, real estate, and communications. Comprising 15% of the organization's staff, these teams provide essential infrastructure support and innovative solutions aligned with the Center's mission and values. 

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Staten Island Justice Center (SIJC) offers an array of programming for both youth and adults in Staten Island, focusing on engaging those with current or past justice involvement. SIJC provides judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys with alternative community sentencing options that hold individuals accountable in a way that is meaningful, proportionate, and restorative. The goal is to provide participants with individual and group services that help them to avoid future contact with the justice system and promote swift case resolutions that bolster public confidence in justice.

SIJC is seeking an energetic self-starter to support all operations. The Planner will report to the Deputy Project Director while also working closely with the Project Director, management team, and the larger Criminal Court Operations team at the Center. The Planner will play a central role in the support of SIJC’s current operations, new projects, and external communication with the greater Staten Island community. The Planners’ role will encompass a wide set of tasks including project management, marketing, communications, grant-writing, community outreach, relationship-building, and other responsibilities related to supporting and promoting the SIJC’s work.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Work closely with the Deputy Project Director to coordinate the management of new initiatives; including creating and maintaining relationships with partners, developing protocols and procedures, and providing overall administrative, logistical, and organizational support;
• Participate in outreach in order to further SIJC goals, including attending community and stakeholder meetings;
• Assist the Project Director with lobbying, advocacy and creating relevant materials and media to communicate SIJC’s impact to city and state elected officials;
• Help coordinate development and assessment of protocols, procedures and best practices for new and existing programs;
• Assist in the creation of a wide range of written materials to promote SIJC – including one-pagers, toolkits, grant proposals, policy papers, articles, and others – for both internal and external audiences;
• Provide administrative support, including but not limited to organizing conference calls and meetings, documenting and circulating next steps, editing documents, assisting with the submission of fiscal reports, and tracking progress on a wide-range of initiatives;
• Support the fundraising needs of SIJC, including identifying and building relationships with potential funders, drafting grant proposals, and other activities related to expanding the financial support for SIJC;
• Provide program support as needed around fiscal operations, policy and program development, event planning and execution, and other areas, as appropriate;
• Assist in planning and organizing SIJC wide meetings, retreats, working groups, and other gatherings, including creating agendas, materials, and presentations, as needed;
• Assist the social media committee in developing and implementing a communications strategy highlighting SIJC's work, including documentation of this work through various mediums and sharing them through a variety of digital platforms;
• Provide coverage and support for other SIJC programming as needed;
• Participate in staff meetings and staff development activities at SIJC; and
• Additional tasks as necessary. 

Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree with at least 2-3 years of relevant experience or equivalent experience. Candidate must have excellent administrative skills, outstanding written and verbal communications skills, and the demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and assignments simultaneously. Candidates will also demonstrate high critical thinking and natural problem-solving skills, with an interest in engaging SIJC’s work on both a macro and micro level. Candidates should be comfortable building strong relationships with people from a wide variety of personal and professional backgrounds. Past experience in project management, grant writing, and/or communications, will be valuable.

Position Type: Staten Island, NY.

Position Location: Full-time.

Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $58,200 - $77,000 and is commensurate with experience. The Center for Justice Innovation offers an excellent benefits package including comprehensive healthcare with a national network, free basic dental coverage, vision insurance, short-term and long-term disability, life insurance, and flexible spending accounts including commuter FSA. We prioritize mental health care for our staff and offer services like Talkspace and Ginger through our healthcare plans. We offer a 403(b) retirement plan with a two-to-one employer contribution up to

The Center for Justice Innovation is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace, and as such, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, national origin, age, military service eligibility, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other category protected by law. We strongly encourage and welcome applications from women, people of color, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, as well as individuals with prior contact with the criminal justice system. Our aim is to create a supportive and respectful environment where every individual, irrespective of their background or identity, feels valued and included.

As of February 10, 2023, New York City Executive Order 25 rescinded the requirement of the COVID-19 vaccination for City workers, new hires, and contracted employees. Accordingly, the Center does not require all new hires be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus; however, the Center recommends all staff, interns, and volunteers stay up-to-date on the vaccination.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete an employment eligibility verification document form upon hire. Kindly refer to the job posting for the relevant contact information. If the contact details are not provided, we kindly ask that you refrain from making inquiries via phone or email, as only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.