(Hybrid, Full-Time Position in Los Angeles, CA)
Who We Are
Impact Justice advances safety, justice, and opportunity through boundary-breaking work that honors and empowers people and is changing expectations about what we can accomplish together. We imagine, build, and scale innovations, leverage research and other knowledge to connect the desire for change with informed action, and work to shift the narrative so that decision-makers and the public understand what’s at stake and what’s possible.
Specifically, we work to reduce the number of people caught up in harmful legal systems by creating alternatives that are responsive, restorative, fair, and effective; to improve living conditions and life outcomes and safeguard fundamental human rights for the millions of people still subject to mass incarceration; and to expand opportunities for formerly incarcerated and other system-involved people to heal, fully participate in community life, and reach their potential. We operate from the understanding that the struggle for justice takes place in a context of historic, systemic, and pervasive racism.
We are a diverse and allied staff of reformers, transformers, abolitionists, and dreamers who bring a wide range of knowledge, skill, and life experience to the challenging work we undertake together. We’re committed to living our values and to creating the kinds of equitable and inclusive team environments internally that we fight to help create in our broader communities. This includes providing opportunities to all job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, national origin, age, criminal history, disability, or genetics. The organization strongly encourages people of color, individuals who identify as part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer communities, and individuals impacted by the legal system to join the team. A majority of individuals on our current executive team identify as BIPOC and/or LGBTQ. We are committed to workplace diversity and providing equal employment opportunities.
About the Homecoming Project
Using the sharing economy model, the Homecoming Project (THP) at Impact Justice (IJ) pairs individuals returning home from prison with welcoming community residents (hosts) who have a room in their homes to spare. The Homecoming Project pays each host a daily stipend for housing the participant for up to 6 months. And, THP participants are provided a community navigator that works to connect them to the resources, supports, and wraparound services necessary for community re-entry. This innovative reentry housing project began in the Bay Area in 2018 and to date has housed over 100 returning individuals into homes within the community. The Homecoming Project is currently in Alameda, Contra Costa counties, and soon- to be Los Angeles county, with plans underway to expand into additional California counties and nationally.
By providing stable housing for people leaving prison, THP provides a base from which people can begin to build a new life, save money, find employment, and reconnect with family. Check us out here.
This position will work in Los Angeles but join a dynamic 5- person Oakland-based team.
Who You Are
You are a builder. You are a strategic thinker, a collaborator, and an innovator. You have an ethos toward partner development and using innovative solutions both inside the criminal justice space and elsewhere to solve issues surrounding housing affordability and attainment for marginalized populations.
This position is an experienced project and people manager with interpersonal skills that allow for meaningful interactions with the impact community and those new to our work. This position is external facing and will be skilled and adept in public speaking and facilitation with a high degree of comfort in translating complex information to meet the needs of a myriad of audiences including; impacted populations, policymakers, criminal legal system staff, funders, and community members.
This position is able to demonstrate an ability to work and problem solve independently as well as with a team.
This position has a strong commitment to ending the criminalization of BIPOC, poor people, and other marginalized groups.
You are also –
- An experienced professional within the criminal/juvenile justice system, and/or affordable housing/homelessness space, or other social justice movements
- An adaptive problem solver with a willingness to learn and grow
- An established professional with a pre-existing network of social service providers in Los Angeles
- A flexible self-starter who thrives in changing, dynamic environments
- Able to juggle and implement simultaneous multiple project elements
- Comfortable interacting with a wide variety of people, including individuals impacted by the criminal legal system, criminal legal system staff, and officials, and individuals from diverse backgrounds and life experiences
- Experienced project manager with an ability to use project management software (Asana)
- Experience collecting programmatic data and using case management software
- An excellent communicator with excellent listening and verbal/written communication skills
- An experienced and effective public speaker
- Adept at time management with a proven ability to meet deadlines
- Comfort working with remote team members
- Tech-savvy: comfortable with Google Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, Asana, and databases/case management systems
- A critical thinker with a high level of analytical/interpretive thinking and problem-solving skills. With an ability to delegate tasks with a positive, solutions-oriented approach to problem-solving
- Strategic, efficient, and able to synthesize and organize disparate information clearly
Big Pluses (but not requirements) –
- Personal experience within the social service system; including being system-impacted, formerly incarcerated, a former foster youth, or having loved ones who are systems-impacted
- Experienced using a database and/or case management system
- Housing Policy
- Prior case management experience
- Prior experience in local, state, and or federal housing policy
What You Will Do
Using the Homecoming model, this position will develop a robust project plan to launch THP- LA. This position will manage the development and daily operations of THP in Los Angeles.
At the start of this role, this position will not supervise any staff, however, it is anticipated that within the next 3- 6 months this position will support the build-out of the LA team and supervise staff once hired.
With support from the Director of THP, this position is responsible for creating and meeting grant and programmatic deadlines. This position may be asked to work closely with the VP of Innovations, the Director, and the development team on fundraising efforts.
Responsibilities Include –
- Expand and maintain partnerships with providers, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDRC), and policymakers.
- Public speaking: presentations, partner meetings, media interviews, podcasts, and other events as they arise.
- Manage, build out, and implement the Homecoming Project in LA.
- Collaboratively work with senior and executive staff across Impact Justice and all community partners as assigned.
- Project management: Manage various project deliverables, guide best practices and encourage iterative program refinement, manage program budget, effectively navigate challenges in program implementation, assess needs, identify helpful collaborators, and support and make high-stakes decisions.
- In collaboration with THP Director, build out a dynamic, growing team.
- Other duties as needed.
Travel
Some travel is required to attend training, conferences, or visit the Impact Justice offices in Oakland and Washington DC, estimated to be less than 10%. Note, travel is contingent upon changes in COVID-19.
Work schedule: Full-time, at 40-hrs per week, at least two days per week in the LA office.
Applying
The position will be paid between $81-90k. The benefits that come with working at Impact Justice include medical, dental, and FSA plans, significant vacation and wellness leave, and immediate vesting in our 401K with a generous match. This is a full-time, exempt, salaried position and is located in our Los Angeles CA office. This position will be in office at least 2 days per week, as well as work in the field directly with participants.
COVID-19 Vaccination is a condition of employment for all Impact Justice employees. We require employees to be fully vaccinated and up to date per the CDC guidance.
To apply, please submit your resume and instead of submitting a traditional cover letter, answer the following three questions to help explain your qualifications and interest in the position:
- Why do you want to work for Impact Justice’s Homecoming Project and why are you a good fit for this role? (200-word limit)
- Provide an example where you built a project, program, or process that did not exist before you created it. What were your processes and outcomes? Note- your project doesn’t need to have been implemented or successful. We are interested in your process.
- Using the qualifications listed above, please list the top 5 qualification(s) that you feel you currently excel in and 2 qualifications you feel you will need to work toward proficiency. Provide a very brief explanation for each (a few sentences).
If this all sounds like a good fit for you, please send the required materials to HomecomingProjectJobs@impactjustice.org.
We plan on making decisions on a rolling basis, so the earlier you apply the better.
Hiring Process
Elements of the Impact Justice hiring process may include phone screen interviews, candidate exercises (written or presentations), Zoom interviews, in-person interviews, and reference checks. Candidates are welcome to ask for alternative arrangements in the process if needed (for example, conducting an interview via phone rather than Zoom), Impact Justice will do our best to accommodate reasonable requests. Please communicate any alternative arrangements requested via the hiring email listed above.
Equal Opportunity Employment
Impact Justice provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants without regard to race/ethnicity, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, national origin, age, criminal history, or disability. We work closely with communities of color, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning, gender nonconforming, and transgender communities, the formerly incarcerated, and former foster youth. Those with lived experience in these communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Thank you!