Initiative Director, Redefining Public Safety

About The Team

: The Redefining Public Safety (RPS) Initiative at the Vera Institute of Justice helps jurisdictions to adopt comprehensive approaches to public safety by championing solutions that prevent crime and break its cycle. The RPS team has substantive expertise in alternatives to crisis response, violence prevention and intervention, policing, and how government agencies can implement and sustain a comprehensive safety approach. In addition, the team has demonstrated capacity in providing technical assistance to jurisdictions; producing data and evidence for policy change; engaging in advocacy, communications and narrative change; and navigating the politics of policing, crime, and public safety.

About The Role

: The RPS Initiative Director will be responsible for the overall direction and management of RPS’s work, including the development of and accountability for the team’s goals; supervising the team and managing its budget; developing and holding key relationships and partnerships with policymakers and leaders in the criminal justice, policing, community violence intervention, and crisis response fields; representing Vera as an expert in public safety; navigating complex politics; shaping public opinion; and exploring new strategies to advance public safety writ large. As a senior leader within the organization, you will have significant responsibility in shaping and executing the vision of Vera’s public safety-related work and collaborating with staff and other senior leaders in the organization to drive change at scale. Your professional training may be in government, evidence-based policymaking, applied research, policy advocacy, or organizing at the federal, state and/or local level.

You have a commitment to race equity and inclusion (REI) in your work and a passion for driving social change. You have professional and/or lived experience with the criminal justice system. 1.

Strategic and Program Management Serve as the RPS initiative lead: refining, defining, and executing strategy and a holistic vision that elevates the work at a national level, continuously aligning the initiative’s efforts with its theory of change Manage and operationalize various components of the team’s strategy -- including legislative advocacy, site-based technical assistance, cohort peer learning, leading coalitions and networks, and research – and ensure cohesion of workstreams Develop and measure metrics to discern the impact of the established strategy Work closely with Vera’s Research, Communications, and Advocacy capacity teams to support the development and execution of the RPS strategy Partner with the development department to accomplish fundraising goals, to cultivate relationships with funders, and to support funder relationship management, proposal creation, and reporting deadlines 2. Strategic Partnerships and Field Building Develop and manage external relationships relevant to advance RPS’s work, including but not limited to: local/state/federal leaders in public safety, mayors, city managers, legislators, police chiefs, community organizations, advocates, and relevant academics Navigate complex political dynamics to advance RPS’s work Lead and/or partner with other organizations, coalitions or other relevant groups to advance RPS’s goals 3. Driving Public Opinion and Debate Represent Vera as one of the organization’s experts in media outlets (op-eds, interviews), conferences, webinars, and other external events Be fluent and have tangible experience in rapid response strategies and anticipate those opportunities, including partnering with Vera Action, the sister 501(c)(4), where necessary to tackle the challenging politics of crime In partnership with Communications, Advocacy, and Research, develop messaging and narrative strategies around public safety Scope, draft and edit program reports, proposals, presentations, and internal/external blog posts to communicate updates on RPS’s work over time 4.