Policy Organizer

YEAH Philly is a Black-led youth justice organization working to build youth justice infrastructure that moves communities beyond punishment, probation, and incarceration. Through direct advocacy, legal representation, research, organizing, and policy change, we work alongside young people and communities to create approaches to safety and accountability that are more effective, equitable, and developmentally appropriate.

YEAH Philly also co-leads the Juvenile Probation Accountability Coalition (JPAC) in partnership with the Gault Center. JPAC is a national coalition working to transform juvenile probation and advance policies that reduce unnecessary supervision, eliminate harmful probation practices, increase transparency, and strengthen community-based alternatives.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

YEAH Philly is hiring a Policy Organizer to help turn our policy priorities into organized action. This is a hands-on organizing and advocacy position with a significant focus on the Juvenile Probation Accountability Coalition (JPAC) and YEAH Philly’s Philadelphia and Pennsylvania policy work.

The Policy Organizer will engage coalition members, build relationships with advocates and policymakers, mobilize partners around policy priorities, coordinate advocacy activities, organize meetings and events, and make sure campaigns have the consistent outreach and follow-through necessary to move forward. For JPAC-related work, the Policy Organizer will help implement priorities and campaign strategies established collaboratively by YEAH Philly and Gault Center leadership.

What You’ll Do

Organize JPAC’s National Coalition

• Support the day-to-day organizing activities of JPAC.
• Build relationships with youth justice organizations, advocates, attorneys, researchers, young people, directly impacted people, and other partners across the country.
• Recruit new organizations and individuals to participate in JPAC.
• Conduct regular outreach and maintain strong engagement with coalition members.
• Coordinate coalition meetings, working groups, campaign calls, webinars, and other activities.
• Mobilize members around established campaign and policy priorities.
• Follow up with coalition members on commitments, action items, and advocacy opportunities.
• Support JPAC’s youth membership and engagement efforts.
• Maintain accurate membership, outreach, engagement, and participation records.
• Help connect JPAC’s national priorities to organizing opportunities in individual states and jurisdictions.

Advance YEAH Philly’s Policy Priorities

• Support implementation of YEAH Philly’s Philadelphia and Pennsylvania policy agenda.
• Build relationships with community organizations, advocates, legislators, government officials, and other stakeholders.
• Mobilize partners around legislative, administrative, and advocacy opportunities.
• Coordinate meetings with legislators, legislative staff, government agencies, and other decision-makers.
• Organize legislative visits, advocacy days, hearings, briefings, and community meetings.
• Track commitments and ensure timely follow-up with policymakers and partners.

Turn Campaign Plans Into Action

• Implement organizing plans developed by YEAH Philly and JPAC leadership.
• Coordinate grassroots and grasstops outreach.
• Organize calls, emails, petitions, meetings, testimony, public comments, sign-on letters, and other advocacy actions.
• Recruit organizations and individuals to participate in campaigns.
• Maintain campaign calendars, outreach lists, and action trackers.
• Track participation, commitments, responses, and follow-up.
• Identify emerging opportunities and challenges and communicate them to leadership.
• Help keep campaigns moving between major advocacy moments.

Engage Young People & Directly Impacted Communities

• Recruit and engage young people and people directly impacted by juvenile probation and the youth justice system.
• Prepare young people for legislative meetings, testimony, public speaking, media opportunities, and coalition activities.
• Coordinate the logistics and support necessary for meaningful participation.
• Help make complicated policy issues accessible to young people and community members.
• Help ensure directly impacted people have meaningful opportunities to influence advocacy efforts.

Support Policy & Advocacy Communications

• Draft coalition emails, action alerts, outreach communications, meeting summaries, and campaign updates.
• Assist with testimony, fact sheets, legislative materials, sign-on letters, public comments, and other advocacy resources.
• Monitor relevant legislation, hearings, regulations, administrative actions, and policy developments.
• Maintain organized records of coalition members, policymakers, organizational partners, meetings, commitments, and campaign activities.

Who We’re Looking For

You may be a strong fit for this position if you:

• Have 2–3+ years of experience in community organizing, advocacy, coalition organizing, legislative advocacy, issue campaigns, political organizing, youth organizing, or a related area.
• Have experience getting people engaged and mobilized around an issue or campaign.
• Are a strong relationship builder.
• Are organized and have excellent follow-through.
• Can manage multiple relationships, deadlines, and activities without losing track of the details.
• Communicate clearly and can make complicated policy issues understandable.
• Are comfortable interacting with young people, community members, advocates, attorneys, organizational leaders, legislators, and government officials.
• Can work independently while implementing priorities established collaboratively by organizational and coalition leadership.
• Believe deeply in racial justice, youth justice, and reducing reliance on probation, incarceration, and punitive systems.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Emails are expected to respond to emails within 24 business hours.
• All other duties assigned

Those who identify racially or ethnically as Black or Brown and have been personally impacted by the criminal legal system or violence (directly or indirectly) are strongly encouraged to apply. Staff must approach youth communication with cultural humility, recognizing that urban dialect and vernacular are valid and legitimate forms of expression. Correcting, redirecting, or shaming a young person's natural way of speaking is not acceptable and is not aligned with YEAH's values. Candidates are expected to understand the power dynamics at play when adults police youth language, and to apply a trauma-informed lens that affirms rather than diminishes how young people express themselves. Youth are the experts of their own lives and that includes how they communicate. Harmful language, however, is never exempt, staff are expected to address and redirect it.

Full-time with benefits package. Employer pays 80% of PPO Health Insurance and 95% of dental and vision. All benefits start after 60 days, 100% paid life insurance. 160 hours of PTO for the first year (80 hours personal and 80 hours of set company days off), with paid company holidays off. Paid professional development and wellness perks.

English proficiency