Senior Program Associate
Remote
Full Time
Ending Criminalization and Incarceration
Mid Level
About Activating Change
Activating Change’s mission is to end victimization, criminalization, incarceration, and institutionalization of people with disabilities and Deaf people. We bring together people and organizations across the country working in disability, survivor advocacy, and criminal legal system reform movements. We foster alignment, build capacity, and support greater coordination across these social justice movements to realize our goals of freedom and healing – not harm and punishment - for people with disabilities and Deaf people. We collaborate with disability and Deaf communities across the country and work in close partnership with government and advocacy leaders to implement change.
People with disabilities and Deaf people are arrested and incarcerated in the U.S. at disproportionately high rates and the rates are highest for people of color with disabilities. Yet, disability has largely been excluded from justice policymaking and advocacy. We believe we cannot end mass incarceration without ending disability disparities in the criminal legal system. We are working to end the criminalization and mass incarceration of disability and Deaf communities and to transform our racist, ableist, broken criminal legal system. Our approach includes:
About the Position
As a Sr. Program Associate, you are responsible for developing trainings, consultations, and resources for people working on criminal justice reforms to help increase the accessibility of their work for people with disabilities and Deaf people. You will write reports, briefs, and blog posts aimed at raising awareness of the overrepresentation of people with disabilities and Deaf people in the criminal legal system and the need for disability equity in justice system reforms. You will also develop practical resources – toolkits, tip sheets, videos – to build their capacity around accessibility, equity, and inclusion. You will also help design and deliver trainings and consultations with similar goals.
We are looking for someone who has a deep understanding of making services and systems accessible for people with disabilities and Deaf people and knowledge of criminal justice system reforms, specifically, is a plus. The ideal candidate is a skilled project manager who can get things done, but not at the expense of the complexity and nuance of our work or relationships. You have excellent writing skills and a passion for design. You can create informative and dynamic resources that support practitioners to adopt new practices. You are deeply committed to disability and racial justice and practice equitable principles in all aspects of your work.
What You’ll Do
Qualifications
Required
Preferred
If you are excited about this position, but not sure if you meet the "must haves," please apply. We know that people of color, people with disabilities, Deaf people, and women sometimes don't apply if they do not meet all the qualifications. We review applications holistically and are committed to equitable hiring.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this position is $80,400 - $84,800. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to experience and performance. The salary range listed is just one component of Activating Change's total compensation package for employees. Supporting Activating Change 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 increases, flexible work schedules, generous paid time off, a comprehensive health insurance plan, employer-funded retirement plan, an annual stipend to support healing, education, and development, reimbursements for home internet expenses, stipends for work from home supplies, and tuition reimbursement.
No phone calls or emails, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.
Activating Change is an equal opportunity 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.
Activating Change’s mission is to end victimization, criminalization, incarceration, and institutionalization of people with disabilities and Deaf people. We bring together people and organizations across the country working in disability, survivor advocacy, and criminal legal system reform movements. We foster alignment, build capacity, and support greater coordination across these social justice movements to realize our goals of freedom and healing – not harm and punishment - for people with disabilities and Deaf people. We collaborate with disability and Deaf communities across the country and work in close partnership with government and advocacy leaders to implement change.
People with disabilities and Deaf people are arrested and incarcerated in the U.S. at disproportionately high rates and the rates are highest for people of color with disabilities. Yet, disability has largely been excluded from justice policymaking and advocacy. We believe we cannot end mass incarceration without ending disability disparities in the criminal legal system. We are working to end the criminalization and mass incarceration of disability and Deaf communities and to transform our racist, ableist, broken criminal legal system. Our approach includes:
- Amplifying the voices of people with lived experience to raise awareness, change narratives, and promote solutions.
- Building capacity within criminal justice organizations to address disability disparities.
- Generating support for criminal justice reforms within disability and Deaf communities.
- Fostering alignment and supporting partnerships across criminal justice and disability organizations.
- Supporting the development and implementation of policies, programs, and practices that end disability disparities in the criminal legal system and redefine our country’s approach to safety and justice.
About the Position
As a Sr. Program Associate, you are responsible for developing trainings, consultations, and resources for people working on criminal justice reforms to help increase the accessibility of their work for people with disabilities and Deaf people. You will write reports, briefs, and blog posts aimed at raising awareness of the overrepresentation of people with disabilities and Deaf people in the criminal legal system and the need for disability equity in justice system reforms. You will also develop practical resources – toolkits, tip sheets, videos – to build their capacity around accessibility, equity, and inclusion. You will also help design and deliver trainings and consultations with similar goals.
We are looking for someone who has a deep understanding of making services and systems accessible for people with disabilities and Deaf people and knowledge of criminal justice system reforms, specifically, is a plus. The ideal candidate is a skilled project manager who can get things done, but not at the expense of the complexity and nuance of our work or relationships. You have excellent writing skills and a passion for design. You can create informative and dynamic resources that support practitioners to adopt new practices. You are deeply committed to disability and racial justice and practice equitable principles in all aspects of your work.
What You’ll Do
- Write fact sheets, reports, web-based content, and other resource materials on the overrepresentation of people with disabilities and Deaf people in the criminal legal system and the accessibility of criminal justice system reforms.
- Develop resources (practical toolkits, tip sheets, demonstration videos, etc.) to assist people working on criminal justice reforms to improve accessibility and equity of those reforms so they benefit people with disabilities and Deaf people and reduce racial and disability disparities.
- Develop dissemination strategies to connect key audiences with resources and facilitate their use.
- Provide tailored consultations and guidance to increase accessibility and decrease disability and racial disparities in criminal legal systems.
- Assist in designing and delivering training – virtual and on-site – to people working in criminal justice reform organizations, the criminal legal system, and disability and Deaf organizations.
- Assist in designing and hosting convenings, learning communities, trainings, and site visits that bring together leaders from disability and criminal justice reform organizations, foster alignment, and promote partnerships.
- Assist in the development of the program area’s digital communications strategy and draft and/or review content for communications materials (email and social media content, blog posts, etc.).
- Stay up to date on trends and emerging issues and ensure Activating Change’s strategies and guidance reflect bold and innovative approaches that center race, disability, and community-based strategies.
- Integrate anti-racist and anti-ableist analyses and practices within the Senior Program Associate position and support them across the organization.
- Foster equity, accessibility, and community care internally and externally.
- Contribute to a culture within Activating Change where staff, partners, and consultants - particularly those who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color with disabilities - thrive.
- Other tasks as assigned.
Qualifications
Required
- A minimum of 6 years of work experience in the disability, Deaf, or criminal justice field(s).
- A demonstrated and in-depth knowledge of accessibility, equity, and inclusion for people with disabilities and Deaf people.
- Knowledge of the overrepresentation of people with disabilities and Deaf people in the criminal legal system and criminal justice system reform is a plus.
- Experience providing guidance and training and developing resource materials to improve accessibility for people with disabilities and Deaf people.
- Collaborative, rigorous thinker and problem solver.
- Excellent communication skills, including written communication.
- Detail-oriented but cognizant of big picture goals, with an ability to maintain multiple projects with competing deadlines and priorities.
- Curious and a quick learner, with a willingness to take in new information, perspectives, and data to inform your work.
- Ability to thrive in a virtual work environment: self-directed; proactively reaches out, responsive, comfortable in a virtual setting.
- A deep commitment to disability, racial, and language equity.
- An understanding of core anti-oppression concepts such as power, ableism and racism, privilege and marginalization, and how they relate to your work.
- Experience with Microsoft Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint, as well as Zoom and Canva.
Preferred
- Lived experience as a person with a disability or Deaf person, directly impacted by the criminal legal system.
- Demonstrated ability to work with advocates, government officials, criminal legal system personnel, people working on criminal justice reforms (carceral and non-carceral), and people with disabilities and Deaf people who are directly impacted by the criminal legal system.
If you are excited about this position, but not sure if you meet the "must haves," please apply. We know that people of color, people with disabilities, Deaf people, and women sometimes don't apply if they do not meet all the qualifications. We review applications holistically and are committed to equitable hiring.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this position is $80,400 - $84,800. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to experience and performance. The salary range listed is just one component of Activating Change's total compensation package for employees. Supporting Activating Change 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 increases, flexible work schedules, generous paid time off, a comprehensive health insurance plan, employer-funded retirement plan, an annual stipend to support healing, education, and development, reimbursements for home internet expenses, stipends for work from home supplies, and tuition reimbursement.
No phone calls or emails, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.
Activating Change is an equal opportunity 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.
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