Program Associate

Job Posting: Program Associate

Starting Date: As soon as possible

Justice Catalyst (“JC”) is looking for a Program Associate to join our team! This is a brand-new role, and an exciting opportunity to bring your unique background and skills to help build out the organizational structures and processes that enable JC to support cutting-edge social justice projects.

Our Organization:

A nonprofit organization founded in 2016, Justice Catalyst is an engine to support innovation in the legal system, helping to build a network of organizations and leaders with the tools and vision to address the greatest problems and injustices facing our society. To spark change, Justice Catalyst brings together funders, advocates, and legal practitioners to develop new approaches to tackling social and economic injustice, and launch innovative, justice-seeking projects at new and existing organizations.

Justice Catalyst incubates and supports new projects and organizations, in-house and externally, including:

• Justice Catalyst Law, a human and civil rights organization with a dynamic team of litigators and investigators who develop cutting-edge, interdisciplinary impact cases and legal strategies that advance economic and social justice.
• The Access Fund, which seeks to promote a just and equitable legal system by facilitating access to courts and vindication of legal rights through grants, recoverable grants, and impact investing to support public interest litigation
• The Justice Catalyst Fellowship, which supports early-stage projects staffed by new attorneys at public interest organizations, including nonprofits, government agencies, unions, and firms conducting litigation in the public interest.
• Organizations at the cutting edge of: Immigrant rights enforcement and movement lawyering; Local government enforcement and affirmative litigation; Accountability for private actors in the prison industry; Fair Housing Act enforcement and tenants’ rights; Police accountability and the rights of victims of police malfeasance; Student debt and prevention of abuse by loan providers; Workers rights enforcement and advocacy; Prisoners’ rights; Climate accountability; and Public health.

The Program Associate will work directly with the Co-Executive Directors and the Operations Director to facilitate all aspects of Justice Catalyst’s work, including 1) support for legal nonprofits and public interest litigation through a mixture of grants, investments, and philanthropic advising, 2) administering a fellowship program for new attorneys working on public interest projects. You can learn about our fellows and the organizations they work at here: https://justicecatalyst.org/fellows/https://justicecatalyst.org/fellows/

We are a small and highly collaborative team with a startup mentality and a commitment to new perspectives and ideas. We stand together in our shared commitment to using our talents and energy to making a more just and equitable world today. We have an experimental mindset and encourage unconventional thinking and risk-taking. We value employee relationships, growth, and well-being, and strive to create an equitable, inclusive organization.

Justice Catalyst is tax-exempt as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

We believe that a variety of perspectives and backgrounds enriches and maximizes our work. We aim to assemble an applicant pool that is reflective of the world in which we live — one that is diverse in race, color, age, religion, ancestry, national origin, ethnicity, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic background, professional background, mental and physical abilities, and other traits that make us who we are. In addition, the right person for this role will be committed to listening to and learning from people with different life experiences and expertise.

Justice Catalyst is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to any status or activity protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We strongly encourage anyone who is interested in this opportunity to apply.

The Role:

Manager: Co-Executive Director of Justice Catalyst

Location: Our current team is based in New York, NY and Charlottesville, VA, but this position may be performed remotely, with agreement to align core work hours with Eastern Time. Occasional travel may be required.

Schedule: Full-time, exempt. (We are open to considering part time applicants too: please indicate in your personal statement if you seek a part-time position)

Core Responsibilities

In close collaboration with the Co-Executive Director and Director of Operations, the Program Associate will have a dynamic and critical role working on key organizational operations, creating new administrative frameworks and helping improve existing ones, assisting with general project management, and contributing substantively to supporting and growing JC’s fellowship and legal nonprofit support programs. Core responsibilities will include:

Fellowship

• Coordinate the fellowship process from A to Z, including creating application forms, tracking applicants, coordinating the selection committee, communicating with current and prospective fellows, managing the fellowships inbox and responding to inquiries, assisting with placement at host organizations, collecting reports, tracking renewals, and coordinating programming for current fellows

Document/File Management

• General document organization and file management for the fellowships and other JC programs
• Create and manage spreadsheets and other systems to track and coordinate JC’s programmatic work
• Assist with fiscal administration

Grant/Investment Partner Management

• Track incoming requests from prospective partner organizations, oversee document compliance, execute document signatures, oversee timelines and ensure timely follow up
• Solicit, track and file reports and updates from partner organizations

Project Management/Scheduling

• Manage JC’s program calendar and help ensure key deadlines are met
• Run the fellowships email inbox and other email inboxes
• Schedule and coordinate internal and external calls

Website/Technology

• Draft, update and manage organizational websites and social media
• Oversee all computer software, applications, passwords and technology, and assist with technology troubleshooting

Events

• Help plan and coordinate events, conferences and other programming

Other

• Other duties as assigned

Core Skills

• Exceptional organizational skills and ability to follow up, execute assignments, and meet deadlines with strong self-direction
• Extremely detail-oriented
• Ability to navigate and troubleshoot information technology systems
• Highly motivated and takes initiative

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree plus minimum 1 year full-time experience in an administrative or operations role or high school diploma/GED plus minimum 3 years full-time experience in an administrative or operations role
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and ability to navigate computers, websites, software and other information technology with ease, and ability to do basic troubleshooting

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with drafting professional emails, web posts and other digital communications
• Excellent writing and editing skills
• Strong interest in social and economic justice 

To Apply

You must apply through our website. Applications submitted through Idealist will not be considered. Please submit a resume and brief personal statement to the Program Associate position on our website at: https://justicecatalyst.org/about/featured-openings/program-associate/

Your personal statement should include:

1. A description of how you have demonstrated exceptional organizational skills in a professional setting

2. How you might add diversity, of any kind, to the JCL team. (Please note that this part is optional)