Policy Counsel

Job title: Policy Counsel

Location: Remote or hybrid, Washington, DC

Classification: Regular, full-time, exempt

Organization: Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY)

Due: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. All applications submitted by the priority deadline of June 23 will receive full consideration.

Position Available: Late summer 2025

Overview of the position:

The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth is hiring a Policy Counsel! Founded in 2009, CFSY advocates to ban life without parole for children in the United States, and create opportunities for those directly impacted by extreme sentencing to thrive and lead. The Policy Counsel is integral to the work of the Legal Policy Department, leading state-based campaigns to ensure pathways to freedom for children who interact with the legal system. This position will be supervised by the National Legal and Policy Director.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead the organization’s state-based legislative and administrative agency advocacy to ban extreme sentences for children, including:
  • Coordinate both internal CFSY team and external partners toward clearly defined reform goals, including leading coalition calls, establishing agendas and goals, and ensuring forward progress during campaigns;
  • Research and evaluate opportunities for reform, including creative ways to leverage existing laws and policies;
  • Draft legislation and legislative amendments;
  • Evaluate existing and proposed administrative regulations;
  • Draft proposed regulations and comments;
  • Develop relationships with government actors, including legislators, prosecutors, parole board members, governors’ offices, agencies, etc.;
  • Create coalitions by building relationships with strategic allies towards reform, including formerly incarcerated youth, family members of incarcerated individuals, prosecutors’ associations, defense community, faith community, business leaders, victims’ advocates, etc., with special attention to elevating directly impacted leadership;
  • Testify at committee hearings and coordinate testimony of other supporters;
  • Engage in negotiations with prosecutors, legislators, and opponents; and
  • Ensure compliance with local lobbying laws.
• Maintain subject matter expertise and serve as internal and external expert on judicial, legislative, and regulatory trends in extreme sentencing of youth;
• Provide technical assistance to local partners leading campaigns to ban extreme sentences and improve quality of life for formerly life-sentenced children;
• Track legislation occurring nationally to end extreme sentencing for children and improve quality of life for formerly life-sentenced children;
• Support CFSY’s federal advocacy efforts;
• Regularly update and consult with other staff members, including facilitating transition to implementation work as appropriate;
• Participate in recruitment, hiring, and supervision of team members, including fellows and interns;
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree (or equivalent) very strongly preferred (although a Ph.D or master’s degree in law, public policy, or related field may be considered);
• Commitment to criminal and youth justice issues, particularly reform to harsh youth sentencing practices in the United States, racial discrimination in the youth justice system, and/or human rights in the United States;
• Experience with legal research platforms (e.g., Westlaw, LexisNexis);
• Experience with bill tracking software (e.g., FiscalNote, Quorum);
• Prior experience drafting legislation, regulations, legislative testimony, and/or public comments to support administrative rule changes;
• Demonstrated success in community organizing and coalition building, especially across diverse ideological perspectives and communities;
• Demonstrated success in leading community-based efforts towards policy reform;
• Exceptional communications skills, including the ability to clearly explain law, research, data, and policy to different audiences verbally and in writing, both for use internally and in communicating with external partners and stakeholders;
• Ability to leverage strategic narrative work and genuine relationship building to inspire unlikely allies to support reform efforts;
• Strong attention to detail, including the ability to recognize nuances in situations like bill drafting, communication and negotiations with stakeholders;
• Demonstrated ability to think creatively and explore new and innovative solutions to problems;
• Strong written and spoken communication skills, including the ability to translate technical information into everyday language accessible to a wide variety of audiences;
• Demonstrated successful participation in organizations and/or movements that are led by the people most directly impacted by the issue being for advocated for;
• Experience in managing staff, including day-to-day assistance with project prioritization, review, and implementation, and a welcoming and inclusive attitude;
• Ability to work collaboratively across interdisciplinary teams to unite towards a common goal;
• Well-developed organizational skills;
• Maturity and reliability; and
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and listening skills.

Values and Traits:

• Strong interest in criminal legal reform, particularly ending harsh youth sentencing practices, racial discrimination, and human rights abuses in the United States;
• Belief that our society has failed the children impacted by life without parole and other extreme sentences, and that we all have a responsibility to create avenues for their restoration and that of our entire community;
• Belief in the inherent good, dignity, and humanity of all people regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, class, education level, zip code and more; and belief that every one of us is more than the worst things we’ve done or experienced;
• A willingness to learn;
• Flexible and willing and able to adapt to the evolving nature of CFSY’s work;
• Constructive and optimistic; confronts problems with the expectation that a solution exists; and
• Prioritizes self-care.

Location and Travel

The CFSY’s headquarters are in Washington, DC, with many staff working remotely throughout the country. Candidates from the metro-DC region are strongly encouraged, but all qualified candidates will be seriously considered. The Policy Counsel can work remotely, and is expected to travel regularly (up to 2-3 times a month during legislative sessions). Staff are expected to participate in in-person, all-staff gatherings approximately 3-4 times per year, which are frequently hosted in Washington, DC, but may require travel to other locations. In accordance with CFSY internal policies, all required home-office technology, equipment and supplies, and all business related travel is paid for by the CFSY.

Physical Environment and Equipment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to: stand, sit, talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone;
• Specific vision abilities include close vision requirements due to computer work;
• Ability to effectively use a telephone, including mobile phone; computer (with Microsoft and Google applications); keyboard; and video conferencing;
• Ability to travel to a variety of locations in the continental United States via plane, train, and/or car.