Coordinator, Community Engagement

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

Neighbors in Action (NIA), formerly known as the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center, provides anti-violence programs, youth programs, and resource links to community residents in the Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant (Bed-Stuy) neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Its mission is to encourage communication and understanding, prevent future conflicts, and help foster stronger, healthier neighborhoods. The organization also houses two Cure Violence sites in partnership with the NYC Mayor’s Office: Save Our Streets (S.O.S.) Crown Heights and S.O.S. Bed-Stuy, collectively known as Save Our Streets Brooklyn.

Neighbors in Action Bed-Stuy is seeking a Community Engagement Coordinator. Reporting to the Associate Director, Community Safety, the Coordinator will work to increase community activation opportunities to promote neighborhood safety; create and maintain bonds between residents and third-party organizations for service referrals and support, manage NIA’s volunteer recruitment and management, serve as point-person for all the organization’s community initiatives including event planning and special projects, and perform constant outreach activities to community stakeholders, local organizations, and businesses.

• Develop and retain a comprehensive engagement plan, with a clear strategy, benchmarks, and outcomes, to create partnerships and gain a solid understanding of key community priorities;
• Capture community and resident insights and engage experts to create meeting and action agenda’s that introduce residents to a variety of interventions strategies and/or frameworks for community organizing and problem-solving;
• Develop and maintain a Client Relations Management (CRM) database inclusive of contact information for elected officials, local community-based organizations (CBOs), businesses, schools, faith-based organizations, government agencies (including NYPD), and other community stakeholders;
• Strategize and implement activation programming and community based initiatives for S.O.S. participants, community-members, and clients;
• Draft regular correspondence to community stakeholders about available activities and opportunities, including NIA events and accomplishments, via email, website, and text;
• Update outreach materials, talking points and presentation materials for Neighbors in Action and S.O.S. Bed-Stuy programs;
• Implement a volunteer management strategy, including utilizing appropriate technology for the maintenance of volunteer contact info, touch points, tracking, and appreciation;
• Represent NIA at community meetings, presentations, trainings, and conferences that are pertinent to the successful work of the organization;
• Discover new funding opportunities for NIA, including programming-specific grants that are geared towards therapeutic services, education and career opportunities for S.O.S. participants; and
• Additional relevant tasks, as necessary.

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 2-3 years of experience in a related area, preferably community engagement, organizing, and/or community development. The ideal candidate will be passionate, skilled, and experienced in working with communities to promote health and safety. Candidates who are formerly incarcerated or have other experience in the criminal justice system are particularly invited to apply. Other requirements include:

• Commitment to working toward positive community change;
• Demonstrated success leading logistics, identifying and achieving project goals quickly, effectively, and successfully in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment; 
• Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary environment, create collaborative relationships with colleagues, and work/communicate well with multiple department leaders;
• Superb facilitation skills to identify community issues, needs, feedback, and preferences in a timely manner; 
• Superior project and time management skills, highly organized, detail-oriented and meticulous about quality, accuracy, and timeliness; 
• A dynamic personality with a strong desire to lead and public speaking skills; 
• Exceptional analytical, written and oral communication, presentation, and writing skills;
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with governmental and community agencies, non-profit organizations, and community groups; 
• Experience working with a variety of community stakeholders;
• Experience working with youth, especially ages of 16-24;
• Ability to adapt and change course on strategies and actions, as needed;
• Ability to incorporate the mission and values of Neighbors in Action into all community outreach and events;
• Background in advocacy or community organizing; and
• Connection to and understanding of current conversations about community violence and building safe and healthy communities.

Position Type: Full-time, flexible schedule that includes evenings and weekends.

Position Location: Brooklyn, NY.

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.