Program Manager, Criminal Justice

Job Description

C ode for America uses the principles and practices of the digital age to improve how government serves the American public, and how the public improves government. We use a data-driven, user-centered, and iterative approach to building technology to help government services work, starting with the people who need them most.

We are looking for a Program Manager to join our Criminal Justice team and help us expand the reach of our Clear My Record initiative. The vision for Clear My Record is for the government to automatically clear all eligible criminal records to help people access living wage jobs, secure stable housing, and participate in educational opportunities from which they are typically excluded. The Clear My Record team works at the intersection of technology, design, and policy. We are working to expand, streamline, and automate the criminal record clearance process to clear all eligible criminal records in the U.S.

Clear My Record is an initiative of Code for America’s Criminal Justice portfolio. The Criminal Justice portfolio works to transform the way government delivers services to those most impacted by the criminal justice system. Our goal is to help government implement policies that decriminalize, decarcerate, and reinvest in communities by removing barriers to employment, housing, health and education.

You are a perfect fit for this role if you enjoy writing, making sense of complex processes, reviewing statutes and legislative proposals, and identifying opportunities for connection across teams and stakeholders. You are a writer, policy analyst, and people-person who believes in the role of government in meaningfully serving all people, and you have the professional and/or lived experience to achieve our vision. You thrive on a cross-functional team, in a fast paced environment, bring curiosity to your work, and gravitate towards opportunities for growth, learning, and connection.

We strongly encourage individuals impacted by the criminal justice system (individuals with criminal records, family members of individuals with criminal records, etc.) to apply. This role may be remote or based in San Francisco, and reports to the Senior Director of the Criminal Justice Program.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the lead content writer for the Clear My Record team, collaborating closely with the Senior Director and other CMR team members to write and edit short- and long-form articles, blog posts, web copy, “thought partner” briefs, narratives, internal and external memos, etc.
• Review and analyze legal statutes and legislative proposals related to post-conviction relief and record clearance laws, collaborating closely with qualitative researchers, designers, and product team members to craft conviction relief eligibility maps and government process and data flowcharts.
• Organize, identify, and create opportunities for engagement between the Criminal Justice Portfolio and Code for America’s national Brigade Network and Community Fellows, including serving as a liaison between Criminal Justice team and Network team.
• Support the Criminal Justice program team in developing and implementing program strategies to advance the Clear My Record initiative and further Code for America’s mission.

Requirements

• Excellent writing, editing, and storytelling skills for a diverse audience (policy experts, government officials, technical, and the general public), including ability to present concepts verbally and visually.
• Demonstrated skill and experience in analyzing public policy, legal statutes, etc. and explaining them clearly, both orally and in writing, to internal and external audiences.
• Strong project management and communications skills, with a high attention to detail, successful follow-through, ability to identify and mitigate risks, and drive superb execution.
• Ability to flourish with minimal guidance, navigate ambiguity, and be proactive around team and external communications.
• Politically astute and able to find common ground and build relationships across differences especially within a government environment.
• Ability to travel up to 35% time to support program and product strategy.
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team, know when to act independently, when to engage key stakeholders, and when to consult on decision-making.

Benefits Code for America offers full health and dental benefits, a 401k plan with matching funds and a culture that is collaborative, hardworking and fun. About Code for America

Code for America is a startup non-profit with a great culture and a huge opportunity to make a difference. We work in collaborative, agile, cross-functional teams, and value high-quality, user-friendly work product. We strive to learn from everything we do and regularly host talks from leaders in the civic technology movement. We respect each other, work hard, and have a great time together. We’re looking for individuals who share our vision, our values, and our willingness to do what it takes to achieve an ambitious mission over the next few years.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Code for America values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBT individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply.

Code for America is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.