Community Ambassador

THE ORGANIZATION

The Center for Justice Innovation is a community justice organization that centers safety and racial justice. Since our founding in 1996, the Center has partnered with community members, courts, and the people most impacted to create stronger, healthier, more just communities. Our decades of experience in courts and communities, coupled with our field-leading research and practitioner expertise, help us drive justice nationwide in innovative, powerful, and durable ways. For more information on how and where we work, please visit www.innovatingjustice.org.  

The Center is a 900-employee, $100 million nonprofit that accomplishes its vision through three pillars of work: creating and scaling operating programs to test new ideas and solve problems, performing original research to determine what works (and what doesn’t), and providing expert assistance and policy guidance to justice reformers around the world.

Operating Programs

The Center’s operating programs, including the award-winning Red Hook Community Justice Center and Midtown Community Justice Center, test new ideas, solve difficult problems, and attempt to achieve systemic change within the justice system. Our projects include community-based violence prevention programs, alternatives to incarceration, reentry initiatives, and court-based initiatives that reduce the use of unnecessary incarceration and promote positive individual and family change. Through this programming, we have produced tangible results like safer streets, reduced incarceration, and improved neighborhood perceptions of justice.

Research

The Center's research teams are staffed with social scientists, data analysts, and lawyers who are academically-trained or have lived experience and who conduct research in the U.S. and globally on diverse criminal-legal system and justice issues. Their work includes evaluating programs and policies; conducting exploratory, community-based studies; and providing research translation and strategic planning for system actors. The Center has published studies on topics including court and jail reform, intimate partner violence, restorative justice, gun violence, reentry, sixth amendment rights, and progressive prosecution. The research teams strive to make their work meaningful and actionable to the communities they work with, policymakers, and practitioners.

Policy & Expert Assistance

The Center provides hands-on, planning and implementation assistance to a wide range of jurisdictions in areas of reform such as problem-solving courts (e.g., community courts, treatment courts, domestic violence courts), tribal justice, reducing incarceration and the use of fines/fees and reducing crime and violence. Our current expert assistance takes many forms, including help with analyzing data, strategic planning and consultation, policy guidance, and hosting site visits to its operating programs in the New York City area. 

Center Support

A dedicated support team within the Center ensures the smooth functioning of operations across various domains, including finance, legal, technology, human resources, fundraising, real estate, and communications. Comprising 15% of the organization's staff, these teams provide essential infrastructure support and innovative solutions aligned with the Center's mission and values. 

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Syracuse Project includes both community and court-based programs. The Syracuse Project educates and empowers individuals about their rights as tenants and promote safe housing, develop leadership skills and opportunities with at-risk or justice involved youth/adults, facilitate restorative/healing/community building circles with youth and elders, provide reentry assistance to individuals returning home from incarceration, and help noncustodial parents secure employment and pay child support. Their court-based work includes case management services for participants in Veterans Treatment Court and coordinating the development of a new Emerging Adult Domestic Violence Court. The Syracuse Project also leads the Take Back the Streets Service Provider Collaborative which brings together key partners including local government, and social service/health agencies with the goal of addressing community safety and cohesion.

The Community Ambassador conducts outreach to Syracuse city residents to improve access to safe and healthy housing. Community Ambassadors provide appropriate referrals to city agencies, and work to improve information sharing, services, and communication with the city’s Neighborhood and Business Development. Community Ambassadors are assigned to a quadrant (North, South, East, West) within the city of Syracuse where they focus outreach and engagement efforts.

• Conduct community outreach to residents through door-to-door, tabling events, neighborhood block parties, community centers, and other places around the city where people congregate;  
• Assist residents by linking them to resources, services and programs to address housing and quality of life issues in their homes and communities;  
• Act as liaison between residents and code enforcement, housing inspectors, and other city employees;  
• Share resident feedback with city agencies;  
• Maintain records in electronic grant reporting systems (Salesforce);  
• Assist in coordination of planning meetings, training programs, and other events;  
• Coordinate client meetings and code inspections;
• Provide verbal and written updates on caseload and client outcomes; and
• Additional relevant tasks, as needed. 

Position Type: Full-time temporary until June 30, 2025 with possibility to be extended.

Position Location: Upstate, NY.

Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $28.57 - $31.87 per hour based on a 35-hour work week and is commensurate with experience. The Center for Justice Innovation offers an excellent benefits package including comprehensive healthcare with a national network after 90 days of employment. We prioritize mental health care for our staff and offer services like Talkspace and Ginger through our healthcare plans. We also offer a 403(b) retirement plan with a two-to-one employer contribution up to 5%.

The Center for Justice Innovation is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace, and as such, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, national origin, age, military service eligibility, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other category protected by law. We strongly encourage and welcome applications from women, people of color, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, as well as individuals with prior contact with the criminal justice system. Our aim is to create a supportive and respectful environment where every individual, irrespective of their background or identity, feels valued and included.

As of February 10, 2023, New York City Executive Order 25 rescinded the requirement of the COVID-19 vaccination for City workers, new hires, and contracted employees. Accordingly, the Center does not require all new hires be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus; however, the Center recommends all staff, interns, and volunteers stay up-to-date on the vaccination.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete an employment eligibility verification document form upon hire. Kindly refer to the job posting for the relevant contact information. If the contact details are not provided, we kindly ask that you refrain from making inquiries via phone or email, as only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.