Program Associate, Vera Louisiana

Vera Institute of Justice; New Orleans (LA); Hybrid; USD 77,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Merit pay

Generous paid time off

Health insurance

Student loan repayment benefits

Professional development opportunities

Up to $2,000 annual education costs

Employer-funded retirement plan

Flexible time

Job summary

Vera Institute of Justice in New Orleans is seeking a Program Associate to support local and state advocacy campaigns, manage multiple program tasks, and liaison with internal communications, media, and coalitions. You will attend community meetings, build partnerships with local leaders, draft program materials, and support effective communications strategies.

The role emphasizes coalition leadership, project management, and outreach, with a hybrid schedule and local office engagement in New

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 3+ years of relevant experience; degree waiver possible with applicable work or life experience.
• Experience with the criminal legal system, public safety policies and public health policies.
• Preferred: racial justice advocacy, coalition-building, and state strategy.
• Deep understanding of New Orleans/Louisiana political ecosystem.
• Experience with advocacy campaigns at multiple levels of government.
• Excellent writing and communication skills.
• Legislative and budget drafting, research, or tracking.

Responsibilities

• Support coalition leadership in executing local and state campaigns for policy change.
• Foster relationships with external partners and facilitate coalition meetings.
• Draft memos, fact sheets, presentations, public comment/testimony and reports.
• Develop and update internal trackers and calendars; track action items.
• Co-develop communications strategies and draft newsletters.

Skills

Public speaking

Writing

Coalition building

Organizational skills

Policy advocacy

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Zoom

Slack

Asana

Job description

The Program Associate will support local and state advocacy campaigns to build thriving communities and reduce incarceration, manage and execute a suite of programmatic tasks, and liaise between internal communications, local media, and our coalition-focused work. The Program Associate is expected to attend community meetings and maintain strong partnerships with local leaders. They will draft program materials,contribute to effective communications strategies,manage coalitions and collaborations with community partners, and advocate to elected and government officials in public meetings. Ideally, the Program Associate has experience with and a basic understanding of the criminal legal and/or immigration systems inLouisiana.

The Program Associate will work on Vera Louisiana priorities like the Big Easy Budget Coalition and Liberty and Dignity Coalition. They will also work closely with the Communications team on relevant workstreams.

1. Program & Coalition Support

• Strengthen existing partnerships with local organizations, including those led by system-impacted people to assist coalition leadership in executing local and state campaigns for policy change
• Foster relationships with external partners, including being the primary contact, developing agendas for coalition meetings, facilitating meetings, providing or designating notetaking, etc.
• Draft memos, fact sheets, presentations, public comment/testimony and reports that focus on issues related to criminal legal system reform, decarceration, prosecution reform and investments in violence/crime prevention initiatives
• Facilitate and manage working groups within our coalition-based work
• Connect external partners to our resources and internal experts to support key campaigns
• Speak at conferences regarding Institute and initiative work and related areas

2. Project Management

• Drive several projects at once and be able to shift priorities, while maintaining timelines and meeting deadlines
• Coordinate with Vera’s Communications, People, Place and Culture, Research, and VeraTech departments, and/or any other internal Vera teams to push projects forward
• Assist in the review, editing, and development of other program materials, as necessary
• Develop and update internal task management trackers and calendars
• Take notes and track action items in internal and external meetings, helping to manage workflow and priorities

3. Communications and Outreach

• Co-develop and co-execute communications and outreach strategy that connects our work with the public
• Help draft talking points, op-eds or other communications materials from Vera Louisiana’s work and share them internally and with external partners as needed
• Co-develop and draft quarterly newsletters to our email list highlighting our work
• Support social media outreach strategies and uplift our traditional media presence
• Submit any inquiries or future projects to the Communications team internal tracker

What qualifications are we looking for?

Required :

• Bachelor's degree and 3+ years of relevant experience. In lieu of degree requirement, applicable work or life experience may be considered
• Demonstrated experience with the criminal legal system, public safety policies and practices and public health policies and practices

Preferred :

• Policy and advocacy experience in advancing racial justice, building coalitions, allies, and state strategy
• Deep understanding of the New Orleans and/or Louisiana political ecosystem
• Experience with advocacy campaigns at multiple levels of government
• Experience working in coalitions or organizing
• Experience public speaking or facilitating meetings
• Excellent organizational skills
• Flexibility and ability to prioritize and manage multiple activities in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Legislative and budget drafting, research, or tracking

Technical knowledge helpful for this role:

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite; Zoom; Slack; Asana or other cloud-based project management program
• Driver’s License

Location:

Please note this role will report to our New Orleans, LA 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 $77,000 - $80,000. 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.

• merit pay
• generous paid time off
• a comprehensive health insurance plan
• student loan repayment benefits
• professional development training opportunities
• up to $2,000 annual for education costs and fees relevant to Vera work
• employer-funded retirement plan
• flexible time

Vera is an equal opportunity 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, includingwith regard toeducational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission.