Organizational Background

VOCAL-NY is a grassroots membership organization working to create healthy and just communities by building power among people affected by HIV, drug use, mass incarceration, and homelessness. We do this through community organizing, leadership development, participatory research, policy advocacy and direct action with the belief that true social change must come from the bottom up and be led by those most directly impacted.

Position Description

The Campaign Coordinator will be responsible for building and coordinating VOCAL-NY projects related to prosecutor accountability and advancing criminal justice reform.

A major project for this role (50% staff time), will be to coordinate VOCAL-NY’s involvement with Court Watch NYC. Court Watch NYC is a community-led accountability project that trains New Yorkers to watch and report on what’s happening in courtrooms to promote transparency, accountability, and justice. The aim of Court Watch NYC is three-fold: (1) hold prosecutors accountable to their promises to reduce inequality and unnecessary incarceration; (2) sustain community presence and pressure to shift court practices and culture; (3) build a base of New Yorkers that are engaged in criminal justice reform. Note: VOCAL-NY works closely with partner organizations to manage this project, and splits the workload accordingly.

In addition to coordinating Court Watch NYC, the Coordinator will also work with VOCAL-NY’s Civil Rights team on collaborative campaign projects to advance criminal justice reform. All VOCAL-NY campaigns are led by VOCAL-NY members who are directly impacted by incarceration and this role will be to support the vision and leadership of our members to advance campaigns. This includes, supporting grassroots advocacy in Albany and City Hall via lobby days and meetings with elected officials, organizing rallies and actions to draw attention to campaigns, representing VOCAL-NY in coalitions to advance campaigns. Examples of recent campaigns include: passing statewide legislation to end money bail and reform broken discovery practices, ending solitary confinement in New York, and closing Ryker’s Island Jail Complex.

Job Responsibilities

•         Volunteer Coordination – recruit volunteers; schedule court watch shifts & reminders; coordinate a court watch working group; organize regular debrief events.
•         Training & Education– create accessible and engaging trainings for court watch volunteers; organize and co-facilitate regular training sessions (monthly); develop educational tools and materials for the public related to prosecutor accountability.
•         Communications & Media – manage the Court Watch NYC email, website, Facebook & Twitter; respond to press inquiries as needed.
•         Project Design & Evaluation – develop and implement new ideas as the court watch program grows, create tools to evaluate success, and make modifications as needed.
•         Overall Project Management ­– work closely with our core organizational partners on overall project management, and be ready to take on unexpected tasks.
•         Support Advocacy & Organizing Campaigns: The position will also be expected to provide support for community organizing and campaigns around prosecutor accountability and criminal justice reform within VOCAL-NY.  We have a highly collaborative office environment where staff members provide regular support for each other’s campaigns, which is in part a function of our limited resources and ambitious scope of work.

Requirements / Qualifications

The ideal candidate will be an energetic, self-motivated individual who has strong inter-personal, public speaking, writing, and problem solving skills. Candidates must have a demonstrated commitment to criminal justice reform and a willingness to approach these issues through a racial justice analysis.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A deep commitment to ending mass incarceration.
• A deep commitment to working with and promoting the leadership of people directly impacted by mass incarceration.
• At least 2 years of full-time community organizing, advocacy (or related) experience.
• Familiarity with the New York City criminal legal system – including key players, processes, and practices – and an understanding of why the system is in need of reform.
• A willingness to work in a fast-paced environment, with changing assignments.
• An ability to lead their own projects, and take initiative.
• Excellent ability to facilitate meetings and trainings, coordinate coalitions, and develop partnerships among a wide and diverse array of stakeholders.
• Excellent written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Proficiency with common business software (e.g. MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Gmail).

This is a full-time position. The position will require occasional attendance at evening and weekend meetings.

Benefits

VOCAL-NY offers a generous benefits package of twenty days of paid vacation, monthly metro card, full cell phone coverage, a 100% employer-covered health and dental insurance plan, and 403(b) retirement plan.

How To Apply

Please send a cover letter and résumé to jobs@vocal-ny.org.. In the subject line, please put “Campaign Coordinator [Your Name]”. No phone calls please.

VOCAL-NY is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, people of color, people who are LGBTQ and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. We are particularly interested in hiring those who have been adversely affected by the criminal justice system and the war on drugs.

The position will remain open until filled.

Note: Only those candidates under consideration will be contacted

Location

80A Fourth Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217