Director of Federal Advocacy, Advocacy and Partnerships

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 216 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:

Vera’s Advocacy & Partnerships (A & P) department serves as the organization’s “center of gravity” for Vera’s initiatives and projects to develop and win policy change on criminal justice and immigration reform. Vera Action is the political and advocacy partner of the organization and is the hub for tackling the politics of our issues. Staff across Advocacy & Partnerships and Vera Action lead or support campaigns, advise Vera staff on navigating political environments and executing on movement strategies, and creating data and evidence for policy change.  

Vera’s overall advocacy brings to bear our strongest advocacy asset—producing data, evidence, and solutions—to our campaigns, legislative work, and coalitions. Vera’s advocacy includes four core functions:   

• Vera Action, an independent (c)(4) entity that focuses on messaging, narrative change, media strategy, and political engagement to tackle the politics of crime and immigration.
• Advocacy Messaging & Impact, a rapid response editorial and data team responsible for developing advocacy framing and messaging, and producing data and knowledge, for Vera’s advocacy.
• A federal advocacy team that will lead Vera’s advocacy in Congress  in D.C.
• A state and local advocacy team to develop, lead, and execute an advocacy strategy in statehouses and local governments across the country. 

About the role:

You know DC and the Hill, and have an extensive and nuanced understanding of the criminal and immigration legal systems and the inner workings of federal advocacy. You believe in the value of doing “inside” lane work to build champions for our issues within government with an “outside” lane approach of working in partnership with advocates, organizers, and grassroots and grasstops allies.

About You 

You are passionate about social and racial justice, motivated to drive change, and unafraid to challenge the status quo. You are enthusiastic, collaborative, curious, and kind. You are comfortable working at a fast pace on high-intensity projects and managing others to do the same.

What you'll do:

Strategic Management  

• Develop Vera’s strategy to shape federal legislation and Executive Branch policy for the organization’s justice reform and immigration priorities in partnership with Vera’s initiatives and steward the execution of those strategies.
• Work with Vera’s Vice President of advocacy and partnerships and other members of the Advocacy and Partnerships department to set an agenda for and deliver on the organization’s most pressing advocacy campaigns.
• Serve as a strategist to initiatives and projects across Vera to develop a federal angle, where it exists, to their overall advocacy agendas, and facilitate partnerships with advocates, organizers, government and elected officials.

Federal Advocacy Strategy

• Serve as a liaison to Congress, federal agencies, and national advocacy groups.     
• Manage a team who work closely with Vera’s initiatives on specific aspects of campaigns, including meetings with legislative and executive staff, drafting testimony, creating materials to share with legislators and federal agencies, organizing congressional briefings, advising Congress on legislation, lobbying on federal appropriations, and collaborating with other justice reform and immigration organizations.

Vera Action 

• Support Vera Action’s work to tackle the politics of crime and immigration by conducting briefings and serving as a liaison on the political work in Congress and the Administration.

Operations Leadership  

• Manage all elements of the team’s operations, including budget, deadlines, staff deployment, and team performance.
• Maintain regular contact with the finance department to develop, track, and manage budgets.  

Other duties as assigned

What qualifications are we looking for?

• Advanced degree with 10 plus years of relevant experience, a significant portion of this professional experience working on federal policy, legislative advocacy, or political activity. In lieu of degree requirement, applicable work or life experience may be considered.
• You have deep, substantive knowledge of the federal landscape, Washington, D.C.’s players, and its politics, and you have a track record of working effectively to move federal legislation, policy, or public sentiment on social justice issues.
• You are an expert in navigating federal advocacy opportunities and threats, with knowledge of the Administration, the Hill, and relevant Congressional Committees, including the Senate and House Judiciary and Appropriations Committees.
• You are a skilled communicator and understand how to navigate the complexities of working within coalitions and partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders and organizations.
• You are excited about working collaboratively within and outside of Vera to turn shared priorities into actual wins.
• You are flexible and able to multi-task, prioritize, and manage multiple activities in a fast-paced environment.
• You have experience with the justice system—either you were yourself in the system, have a family member who is/was in the system, you worked in the system, or you worked to change the system. 
• There is no minimum educational requirement for this position.
• You are able to travel up to 15% of the time.

Preferred: 

• Knowledge of and prior work experience in criminal legal and immigration reform is preferred. 

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities you'll bring: 

• You hold credible, deep relationships with government partners, leaders, advocates, and organizers who work on the same array of criminal and immigration legal issues that Vera focuses on.

• You are comfortable with the authority and decision-making responsibilities that accompany a manager's role in the organization. That means you must truly enjoy—not just tolerate—working with others, both external to Vera and inside the organization, to shape Vera’s advocacy and approach to policy change.   

• You are flexible and able to multi-task, prioritize, and manage multiple activities in a fast-paced environment. 

• Most of all, you must be committed to transformational change and share the belief that for Vera’s advocacy work to be effective, it must be rooted in anti-racism and aligned with the priorities of people and communities most impacted by this country’s criminal and immigration legal systems

Location:

Please note this role will report to our Washington, D.C., 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 $168,000 - $175,000. 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.

Applications may also be faxed to:

ATTN: People, Place, and Culture / Director of Federal Advocacy, Advocacy and Partnerships
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.