Director of Books Beyond Bars Project (PT)

The Center for Appellate Litigation (CAL) seeks to hire a part-time Director of its Books Beyond Bars (BBB) program to work 24 hours per week. This is a bargaining unit position.

Position Overview

CAL is a non-profit public defense law firm dedicated to fighting injustice through exceptional advocacy and enduring compassion for every client. We represent low-income New Yorkers convicted of crimes in Manhattan and the Bronx in their criminal appeals and other post- conviction proceedings. We envision a post-conviction process grounded in our clients’ humanity and pursue dynamic approaches to serve our clients and challenge the status quo.

Since its founding in November 2016, CAL’s Books Beyond Bars program (BBB) has sent over ten thousand books and magazines to individuals locked in New York’s jails and prisons. Initially a program limited to CAL’s clients, BBB now also sends reading materials to any incarcerated individual who sends us a request, including clients served by other major public defense offices in New York, expanding the program’s reach to individuals convicted in criminal courts in all five boroughs.

We seek to fill this position immediately and no later than April 1, 2026.

Responsibilities:

• Managing all aspects of day-to-day operations of BBB, including reviewing and processing client requests, making and processing large book orders, mailing books to prisons, and tracking and reporting expenses to CAL management. Recruiting for, screening, and supervising BBB’s extensive volunteer program. Working closely with a large team of volunteers and fostering positive, productive environment that promotes quality control, eliminates backlog, and encourages long-term commitment from volunteers.
• Grant-writing, fundraising, and relationship building with potential sponsors and supporters with the objective of securing long-term, program-sustaining funding sources via grants, recurring financial contributions and other donations.
• Expanding BBB in a manner consistent with its mission and the needs of people incarcerated in New York’s jails and prisons.
• Monitoring BBB’s compliance with all prison directives and working with the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to ensure that reading materials are not improperly withheld from clients.
• Maintaining BBB’s on-site library of commonly requested books and resources.
• Broadening relationships with relevant stakeholders in the criminal legal community, including partnering with bookstores, publishers, and other programs that support and can advance BBB’s mission.
• Regularly updating BBB’s website and social media presence, and drafting BBB’s monthly newsletter.
• Reviewing and responding to inquiries from press and public about the program in appropriate ways that promotes mission of BBB, including providing information and quotes to the media, speaking to large groups about the program, and other public-facing community engagement.
• Collaborating with partners, including law firm partners, on special projects, including off-site projects that may occasionally require engagement outside normal business hours.

Qualifications

• Commitment to CAL’s mission statement and client-centered advocacy.
• Experience working with incarcerated populations, especially in the NY system,and a demonstrated empathyfor working on behalf of people who have been convicted of serious offenses and advocating on their behalf.
• At least 4 years of experience working in a supervisory capacity is preferred, especially in managing large teams of volunteers.
• Demonstrated experience seeking and obtaining external funding for non-profit projects, including experience in grant-writing, fundraising, running social media campaigns, and similar development skills.
• Experience managing a budget.
• Demonstrated proficiency with social media.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Ability to effectively manage large-scale projects with outside partners
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work both independently and in a group setting.
• Ability to independently exercise good judgment.

Salary

Starting salary will be at least $34.11 per hour for an applicant with five years’ experience and

$41.18 per hour for an applicant with 10 years’ experience. CAL offers comprehensive medical benefits, a retirement account, and generous vacation time, holidays, personal and sick days.

Location

The position is based at CAL’s New York office. The BBB Director can work remotely up to one- third of their time per week, for a maximum of eight (8) remote hours per week.

How to Apply

Applications should be submitted through the following link: https://bit.ly/2026BBBDirector. Applications MUST include a resume and cover letter. Please upload resume and cover letter as one document.

Equity and Inclusion

At CAL, we embrace and value our staff’s diversity, recognizing that our differences strengthen our community and advance our mission. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, orientations, experiences, and communities to apply. CAL is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, arrest or conviction record, caregiver status, citizenship status, color, credit history, creed, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, marital status, partnership status, pregnancy, race, religion, salary history, sexual and reproductive health decisions, sexual orientation, status as a covered veteran or active military service member, or status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking, and sex offenses in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

CAL offers comprehensive medical benefits, a retirement account, and generous vacation time, holidays, personal and sick days.