Program Manager & Trainer

(Full-Time Position at Central California’s Women’s Facility (CCWF), Chowchilla, CA)

Who We Are

Impact Justice advances safety, justice, and opportunity through boundary-breaking work that honors and empowers people and is changing expectations about what we can accomplish together. We work to reduce the number of people caught up in harmful legal systems by creating alternatives that are responsive, restorative, fair, and effective; to improve living conditions and life outcomes and safeguard fundamental human rights for the millions of people still subject to mass incarceration; and to expand opportunities for formerly incarcerated and other system-involved people to heal, fully participate in community life, and reach their potential.

We are a diverse and allied staff of reformers, transformers, abolitionists, and dreamers who bring a wide range of knowledge, skill, and life experience to the challenging work we undertake together. We’re committed to living our values and to creating the kinds of equitable and inclusive team environments internally that we fight to help create in our broader communities. The organization strongly encourages people of color, individuals who identify as part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer communities, and individuals impacted by the justice system to join the team. A majority of individuals on our current executive team identify as BIPOC and/or LGBTQ. We are committed to workplace diversity and providing equal employment opportunities.

About Growing Justice

Growing Justice was inspired by Impact Justice’s 2020 series Eating Behind Bars, which documents the unhealthy, degrading quality of food in prisons nationwide. In collaboration with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), CalPIA (California Prison Industry Authority), and Skout Strategy, Impact Justice will establish a vertical farm on the grounds of the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in the fall of 2025 that will produce nutrient-rich leafy greens for incarcerated individuals. The farm will be operated by Impact Justice, and will also function as a job-training site. Impact Justice has partnered with Skout Strategy and Agritecture to create a five-month, 200-hour curriculum and training program specifically for use in prison that combines classroom education with hands-on learning opportunities as participants help to run the vertical farm. We plan to train participants in cohorts of 7-10 over the five months and match graduates with relevant, sustainable employment opportunities upon their release.

In addition to the site at CCWF in California, Growing Justice is in the process of developing 2 other sites in 2025: one at Camille Graham Correctional Center in Columbia, SC (launching July, 2025), and one inside Impact Justice’s office building in downtown Oakland, CA for formerly-incarcerated individuals (launching Q4, 2025).

Who You Are

This is a new project and a new position. Overall, you have a strong conviction about food justice for all people. You have a vision of what food justice can and should look like for those that experience incarceration. You will also have a strong understanding of and experience in CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) with an ethos toward innovation. You are a educator with a high EQ, and are highly adaptable.

This position is broken down into two parts: Program Manager OR Senior Program Manager (commensurate with experience), and Trainer / Technician.

As the Trainer and Technician: You have extensive prior CEA/urban farming experience, as well as expertise in teaching and/or managing training programs. You have strong training and presentation skills and a high degree of comfort in translating complex information to meet the needs of a myriad of audiences. Your CEA/urban farming knowledge will enable you to confidently operate the (small: 3 containers total, with 1 designated for cleaning and storage) container farm more or less independently.

As the Program Manager / Senior Program Manager: You are an experienced project or program manager with strong interpersonal skills that allow for meaningful interactions and discovery amongst people from a wide range of backgrounds. You have in-depth experience in program development and implementation. You are a creative thinker who likes big challenges and is excited to play a key role doing something that’s never been done before.

You are also:

• An adaptive problem solver with a willingness to learn and grow
• A highly-autonomous self-starter who thrives in changing, dynamic environments
• Able to juggle and implement multiple simultaneous project elements
• Comfortable interacting with individuals impacted by the criminal legal system, criminal legal system staff and officials, and external partners, consultants, or vendors
• An experienced project manager with previous experience collecting programmatic data
• Adept at time management with a proven ability to meet deadlines
• Comfortable working with remote partners, consultants, and staff
• Tech-savvy: comfortable with Google Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, Asana, and databases/case management systems
• A critical thinker with a high level of analytical/interpretive thinking and problem-solving skills
• Methodical, efficient, and able to synthesize and organize disparate information clearly

Big Pluses (but not requirements):

• You have experience within the criminal/juvenile justice system
• You have personal experience within the social service system; including being system-impacted, formerly incarcerated, a former foster youth, or have loved ones who are systems-impacted

That said, we know there are great candidates who may not think they fit into what we’ve described above or who have important skills we haven’t thought of. If that is you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself! And if you’re a formerly incarcerated individual or someone who has a family member who is or has been incarcerated, or otherwise have direct experience with the criminal legal or juvenile legal systems, we will be particularly excited to hear from you.

What You Will Do

You will report to the VP of Innovations. Your core responsibilities will be:

As the Trainer / Technician:

• Receive comprehensive training in this specific CEA operation (AmplifiedAg system and tech) and job training curriculum (created by Agritecture and Skout Strategy); fully absorb materials and be prepared to instruct program participants in both classroom and farm settings
• Develop supplemental training materials / assets or modify curriculum as needed
• Develop and implement a recruitment plan for Growing Justice participants
• Develop, maintain, and evolve a robust Operating Manual for the farm, including all Standard Operating Procedures, Good Agricultural Practices, Food Safety requirements, harvest cycle schedule, inventory management, etc.
• Run the Growing Justice training program and provide training and oversight to CCWF program participants including the creation and evaluation of any testing materials
• Monitor participants throughout the program and actively work with those needing special attention

As the Program Manager / Senior Program Manager:

• Manage Growing Justice’s budgeting and project deliverables for the CCWF site
• Manage partnerships and relationships with project partners, consultants, and CCWF / California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) staff, and manage the program overall
• Effectively navigate challenges in program implementation
• Oversee program data collection and evaluation (in partnership with the research team)
• Develop strong relationships and work closely with other core Growing Justice project members (including Program Managers and Trainers from other sites) to ensure overall program success
• Flag major issues to the VP of Innovation as they arise; make and implement recommendations for improvements
• Be laser-focused on results and what the program needs to continuously improve its quality of training and quantity of individuals served
• Participate in fundraising efforts for the CCWF site as needed
• Participate in public speaking opportunities, including media interviews, podcasts, and other events as they arise

Required Qualifications

• 8 - 10 years of experience in urban farming and/or ag-focused program development, training, or farm operations.
• A critical understanding of and deep commitment to fostering a more humane, responsive, and restorative system of justice in our nation.
• Comfortable working with remote teams and staff.
• Able to work with diverse communities and individuals- across, race, ethnicity, sexual preference, ability, age, gender identity, class, criminal legal experience etc.
• Strong writing and communication skills.
• Strong public speaking skills with experience addressing a wide range of audiences.
• Collaborative nature and proven track record of teamwork and generous leadership.
• Strong critical thinking skills, resourcefulness, and ability to problem-solve.
• Coaching skills based on an ethos of social justice, racial justice, community, and mutuality.