Project Manager

About the Organization

Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, challenging racial and economic injustice, and protecting the basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.

Founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson, a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer and bestselling author of Just Mercy, EJI is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. We challenge the death penalty and excessive punishment, and we provide re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people.

EJI works with communities that have been marginalized by poverty and discouraged by unequal treatment. We are committed to changing the narrative about race in America. EJI produces groundbreaking reports, an award-winning calendar, and films that explore our nation’s history of racial injustice. We also launched an ambitious national effort to create new spaces, markers, and memorials that address the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation, which shapes many issues today. In 2018, EJI opened two cultural institutions, the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, both located in Montgomery, Alabama. EJI expanded the Legacy Museum to four times the size of the original museum in October 2021.

EJI provides research and recommendations to assist advocates and policymakers in the critically important work of criminal justice reform. We publish reports, discussion guides, and other educational materials, and our staff conduct educational tours and presentations for thousands of students, teachers, faith leaders, professional associations, community groups, and international visitors every year. 

Job Description

EJI is a growing organization that is scaling quickly, having more than doubled in size in the last few years. The Project Manager will work cross-functionally and will have a unique role in helping grow EJI’s impact and further its key strategic projects.

Responsibilities include:

• Manage multiple, complex projects focused on the continuing success of the two newly established cultural sites - The Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Also, manage and support projects at the sites’ adjacent meeting spaces.
• Implement and support plans to promote and expand on the continuing success of the Museum and Memorial sites.   
• Support key initiatives to expand EJI's work in partnerships, storytelling and narrative during this critical time of growth for the organization.
• Lead efforts to support the evolving operational needs of the organization as it grows and expands. This could include, but is not limited to, establishing new systems and processes across the organization.
• Collaborate with colleagues to implement EJI's goals and objectives.
• Monitor progress and provide regular updates to the team.
• Other initiatives, as assigned.

This role will be a combination of high-level responsibilities while also executing and getting things done. At EJI, each staff member wears many hats, and each person is expected to contribute at every level of the organization.  We are looking for someone who can roll up their sleeves and not be afraid of doing the work.  A successful candidate will bring a great deal of skill but also humility as a member of the EJI team.  Serving the most vulnerable people in society requires an orientation of commitment to those we help. Great change can happen when we get proximate to the challenges that people face, and getting proximate requires the ability to step outside oneself and focus on others.  We look forward to meeting candidates that can strike this balance.

Skills and Work Experience Required:

• Project Management
• Operations
• Partnerships

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required
• 5+ years of project management or related experience
• Commitment to EJI’s mission to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, challenge racial and economic injustice, and protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
• Excellent presentation, communication, and writing skills
• Strong interpersonal skills to help navigate all types of working relationships with the ability to proactively support internal team members as well as professionally represent EJI with partners, vendors, and other collaborators.
• A self-starter who is organized, detail oriented, and confident.
• Flexible, mature, self-aware, and a team player.
• Excellent time-management skills and the ability to prioritize and complete work under pressure.
• High proficiency in Google Suite and Microsoft Suite.

Location

The role will be based in Montgomery, Alabama.