Program Manager for California State Prison, Los Angeles County, Yards A and B

Insight Garden Program (IGP) is seeking a part time (25 hours a week) Program Manager. Our ideal candidate is based in the Antelope Valley of Los Angeles County and is passionate about providing trauma-informed programming in prisons, growing gardens, environmental education, and "inner gardening". They will also be capable of navigating prison bureaucracies, take pride in their organization skills, and hold previous experience as a group facilitator.

Who We Are

Founded in 2002, IGP is a nonprofit organization that facilitates an innovative 48-week curriculum that combines environmental education, permaculture gardening, “inner gardening” and reentry skills. Our core purpose is to reconnect people to self, community, and the natural world in prisons and beyond. We currently run our program in nine California state prisons and provide reentry support to all IGP participants.

For more information, please see www.insightgardenprogram.org

Position Summary

The Program Manager will report to the Southern California Regional Lead and is responsible for leading the implementation of our transformative in-prison programs at California State Prison, Lancaster, Yards A and B; and management of activities and deliverables associated with our various program grants. The Program Manager will work closely with other program staff including the reentry team and the prison to support ongoing logistics involved with providing weekly classes within the prison, managing volunteers, organizing the co-design and maintenance of a garden,and implementing activities associated with program grants. This is a 25 hours a week grant funded position that requires a dedicated program manager .

Who You Are

Someone who is excited to join a dynamic and diverse team, who will lead and manage in-prison weekly programming for 2 yards and warm handoffs to our reentry team. You should be able to envision how to weave all aspects of this position together holistically in alignment with IGP’s vision, mission and values. You have experience managing trauma-informed programming in prisons with a focus on connection to the natural world through gardening and environmental education. You also value collaboration across different functions and stakeholders. You are detail oriented and willing and able to navigate problem. solving with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). You are able and willing to do all the routine and important administrative tasks of reporting, tracking data, and all that is required for the effective and smooth functioning of IGP programs.

Responsibilities:

Lead the implementation of our transformative in-prison program at CSP, Lancaster, Yards A & B

• Class facilitation: Plan and facilitate weekly lesson plans for each site; coordinating guest speakers; building in garden-based activities.
• Relationship building with the prison administration: Establish and maintain a strong relationship with prison staff including, but not limited to, the Community Resource Manager (CRM), Plant Ops, and Warden’s office.
• Community building: Create collaborative spaces within the prisons and within the local community. Partnerships may relate to volunteer recruitment, guest speakers, fundraising, and outreach.
• Administration: Process security clearances for all guests and volunteers, manage and update program budget, maintain data for grant tracking and evaluation purposes, and support with grant reports as needed.
• Warm Hand-Off: In coordination with the reentry team, support the warm hand-off of participants to trusted reentry navigators and partners and provide support with gate pick ups where required.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities required:

• Group facilitation experience and knowledge & understanding of how to integrate concepts of gardening and environment in that space.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
• Solid time management skills with the ability to adapt to urgent needs and reprioritize tasks.
• Attention to detail and strong problem solving skills.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to multitask.
• Ability to anticipate issues and exercise foresight.
• Willingness to collaborate and work with and across different teams towards meeting IGP’s goals
• and objectives.
• Valid California driver’s license and access to a vehicle.
• Ability to work with IGP online systems including, but not limited to, Zoho, Asana, Google Suite and Slack.

Nice to Have:

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work/Human, Social or Behavioral Sciences or Plant/Environmental Sciences or closely related field and at least 2 years of experience.
• Experience in implementing programs within prison settings and working directly with incarcerated people, along with a demonstrated ability to navigate relationships with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

What Else You Should Know

Insight Garden Program is an equal opportunity employer and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by the issues we aim to address. We especially encourage people of color, LGBTQ people, systems impacted people, and people with disabilities to apply.

Salary & Benefits:

This is a 0.625 FTE position with an hourly pay rate ranging between $35 - $45/hour. Benefits include PTO, IGP paid holidays, retirement plan, and medical, vision, and dental coverage.

Location:

This is a hybrid position that includes on-site programming at CSP- Los Angeles County (LAC) in the city of Lancaster, and remote work outside of program hours.

How to Apply

Please complete our application form here : CSP Lancaster PM Application Form

Deadline to Apply: April 24, 2024