Senior Strategist, State and Local Advocacy, Advocacy & Partnerships

Vera Institute of Justice; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 107,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Vera Institute of Justice seeks a Senior Strategist for State and Local Advocacy to develop and implement strategies for legislative and policy changes. This role includes managing advocacy efforts and collaborating with initiative teams and coalition partners. Candidates should have substantial experience in advocacy and public policies, demonstrating strong leadership and communication skills.

Benefits

Generous paid time off

Health insurance plan

$2,000 annual education reimbursement

Employer-funded retirement plan

Professional development training

Qualifications

• 4-7 years' relevant experience preferable.
• Experience with criminal legal and public safety policies.
• Planning advocacy campaigns in government.

Responsibilities

• Develop campaign strategies for advocacy.
• Collaborate on coalition work and training.
• Manage campaign databases and project tracking.

Skills

Advocacy strategy

Power building

Training

Communication

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Zoom

Slack

Asana

Job description

Senior Strategist, State and Local Advocacy, Advocacy & Partnerships

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, visitvera.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:

Vera’s Advocacy & Partnerships department is responsible for coordinating the vision, strategy, and staff development across Vera’s initiatives to pass legislation, change policy, and create change at scale. We work to ensure that the goals of our advocacy campaigns align with the people and communities most impacted by criminal justice and immigration policies, and we collaborate with movement and advocacy partners to produce the right knowledge and ideas needed to change policies and legislation at the right time.

Vera’s advocacy department serves the following core functions:

• Providing State and local government and movement strategy guidance to Vera’s national and place-based initiatives, with a focus on lobbying, campaigns, and coalition work, Vera Insights, a rapid response data and evidence team responsible for developing and producing data and knowledge to key partners and audiences;
• Federal Policy expertise to lead Vera’s advocacy strategies in DC; and
• Vera Action, and independent (c)(4) entity.

About the role:

The Senior Strategist of State and Local Advocacy is Vera’s internal strategist, and consultant on advocacy. In this role, they will support Vera’s initiative teams in building , strategic advocacy plans with clear goals, roles, and benchmarks. Additionally, they will provide support to teams by assisting in troubleshooting challenges, moving the campaign forward, adjusting strategy, and stepping into roles to assist when necessary.

What you'll do:

Develop and implement strategies & campaigns

• Work with Director of State and Local Advocacy and other members of the Advocacy&Partnerships department todevelop campaign and advocacy strategyfor the organization’score issues and priorities, including legislation and policy change related touniversal representation for immigrants, bail reform, reentry, sentencing, parole,budget justice,and other areas.
• Provide Training, for initiative teams and staff members
• Manage a database that keeps track of all active campaigns, goals, and status of current projects.
• Lead campaign and issue strategy development on 1-2 core priorities at any given time; andprovideguidance andsupporttothe 4-6Verainitiatives that have advocacy goals and priorities underway that are primarily led by, or entirely led by, the initiative team staff.
• Work as point on assigned campaigns and initiative plans as needed.
• In collaboration with the Director of State and Local Advocacy, and Vice President of Advocacy & Partnerships, help Vera staff build campaign and advocacy skills; navigate political government andhow the legislative session, budget, and other core segments ofa jurisdiction’spolitical process work;andhow to effectively partner withgrass topsand grassroots allies.
• Lead or support, as needed, with the development, drafting, and passage of legislation, new regulations, or administrative policies.

Coalition work and internal knowledge & skill building

• Collaborate internally with programmatic and Advocacy & Partnerships staff, and externally with partner organizations to strengthen coalition work
• Participate in strategically relevant coalition spaces
• Effectively partner with grass tops and grassroots allies
• Provide trainings for Initiative team members on campaign fundamentals

Other projects and duties as assigned

What qualifications are we looking for?

Required :

• Bachelor’s degree plus 4-7 years' 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
• A strong knowledge set in advocacy strategy, and power building.
• At least 3 years of experience with planning and leading advocacy campaigns in at least one level of government.

Preferred :

• 3 - 4 years of issue advocacy and community organizing experience
• Experience building and / or leading coalitions in partnership with other grasstops and grassroots organizations
• 2 - 3 years of electoral political experience
• 2 - 3 year of organizing experience
• Driver's License
• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Experience in public advocacy campaigns involving fiscal policy
• Legislative and budget drafting, research, or tracking
• Ability to work collaboratively with a national, remote team Abilit y to issue spot and problem-solve across policy and advocacy strategy development and implementation, including to proactively and creatively develop resources and tool s , as appropriate
• Expe rience with project management; f lexibility and ability to prioritize and manage multiple activities in a fast-paced environment.

Technical knowledge helpful for this role:

• Microsoft Office Suite
• Zoom
• Slack
• Asana or other cloud-based project management program

Location:

Please note this role will report to our Brooklyn, NY or Washington DC office. Vera employees adhere to a hybrid schedule and are in-office on an alternating schedule that generally amounts to 10 days per month. This role requires up to 15% travel, which may include site visits, conferences, or partner meetings, depending on program needs.

Compensation and Benefits:

The compensation range for this position is $107,000 - 110,000.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, 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 / Senior Strategist, State and Local Policy, Advocacy & Partnerships
Vera Institute of Justice
34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Fax: [phone]
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, includingwith regard toeducational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission.

Interested in building your career at Vera Institute of Justice? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Phone *

Resume/CV *

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Pronouns *

LinkedIn Profile

Website

This is a hybrid position. Are you able to report to one of our Vera offices? * Select...

Which office would you be based out of? *

Brooklyn, NY

Washington, D.C.

New Orleans, LA

Our roles are hybrid based out of one of Vera's offices (Brooklyn, NY; Los Angeles, CA; New Orleans, LA; Washington, DC).

The salary range for this position is [$107,000 - $110,000]. Please confirm that this range aligns with your expectations and that you would like to proceed with your application. * Select...

Demographic Questions

We invite applicants to share their demographic background. If you choose to complete this survey, your responses may be used to identify areas of improvement in our hiring process.

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirelyvoluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Vera Institute of Justice ’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

How would you describe your gender identity? (mark all that apply) * Select...

How would you describe your racial/ethnic background? (mark all that apply) * Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Vera Institute of Justice’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305

Page 1 of 1

OMB Control Number 1250-0005

Expires 04/30/2026

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026
Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp .

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

• Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
• Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
• Blind or low vision
• Cancer (past or present)
• Cardiovascular or heart disease
• Celiac disease
• Cerebral palsy
• Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
• Diabetes
• Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
• Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
• Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
• Intellectual or developmental disability
• Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
• Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
• Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
• Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
• Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
• Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
• Short stature (dwarfism)
• Traumatic brain injury

Disability Status Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.