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Advocacy Analyst, Messaging and Impact

Brooklyn, NY

Who we are:

The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal legal and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. For more information, visit vera.org.

Vera has a staff of 230 people, is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York and has offices in Washington, D.C., 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.

About the team:

The Advocacy Messaging & Impact Analyst will support the work of the Messaging and Impact department in creating written material and messaging supporting Vera’s advocacy work at the federal, state, and local levels. The primary responsibilities will involve supporting the editorial creation of written products like fact sheets and testimony through editorial review and fact-checking. Other support for Vera’s messaging work will involve policy research, writing, light design and data visualization work, and basic project management. 

About the role:

Editorial Support 

  • Assist with editing and revision on a range of Vera advocacy products, including fact sheets, policy briefs, testimony, data visualizations, letters, blog posts, and more
  • Provide fact-checking support for research and data on written Vera advocacy products, consulting academic research, journalism, and books
  • Draft original content as well as supplementary revision for memos, emails, blog posts, and more
  • Use Microsoft Word and Adobe InDesign to provide formatting and basic design for Vera Advocacy products like fact sheets and short reports 

Policy Research and Analysis 

  • Assist with research to provide evidentiary support for Vera advocacy goals
  • Assist with research around policy responses to key criminal legal issues that affect Vera’s federal, state and local advocacy work

Collaboration and Project Support 

  • Work with advocates across Vera’s initiatives to develop written advocacy material in collaboration with the Communications department
  • Support larger-scale data visualization projects with products like online dashboards 

Support for Data Analysis

  • Assist with basic data preparation for charts and other data visualization products
  • Assist with Quality Assurance review on data visualization products
  • Create basic data visualization products using programs like Datawrapper 

What qualifications are we looking for?

  • Bachelor’s degree 1+ years of relevant experience. In lieu of bachelor’s degree applicable work or life experience may be considered
  • Interest in criminal legal & immigration reform; experience writing and editing; experience with academic research 

Preferred: Basic experience with graphic design (e.g., Adobe InDesign) and/or data visualization tools (e.g., Excel, Datawrapper) 

Location:

Please note this role will report to our Brooklyn, NY office. Vera employees adhere to a hybrid schedule and are in-office on an alternating schedule that generally amounts to 10 days per month.

Compensation and Benefits:

The compensation range for this position is $64,000 - $67,000 per year. In addition, this position is part of a bargaining unit represented by the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (ALAA) UAW 2325. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to experience and performance. The salary range listed is just one component of Vera Institute’s total compensation package for employees. 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 staff through other rewards including merit pay, generous paid time off, a comprehensive health insurance plan, student loan repayment benefits, professional development training opportunities and up to $2,000 annual for education costs and fees relevant to Vera work, employer-funded retirement plan, and flexible time. To learn more about Vera’s benefits offerings, click here. 

Application Process:

To receive further consideration for this career opportunity, applicants are asked preliminary questions about logistics, their interest and qualifications. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional details about their experience via a phone screen/form in advance of an invitation for a virtual or in-person interview with the team. Some searches may explore scenarios during the interview process and/or an assessment prior to reference checks and a hiring decision.

Applications may also be faxed to:

ATTN: People, Place, and Culture / Advocacy Analyst, Messaging and Impact
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.

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.

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