LWOP Senior Project Organizer

Responsibilities

• Establish contact and develop relationships with external partners nationally, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governmental agencies, law firms, people currently or formerly sentenced to LWOP, among others;
• Research, create, and maintain electronic filing systems, typically Excel spreadsheets, that include tracking efforts to end LWOP being done by various organizations across the country; maintaining names and contact info of people who had LWOP but are now out, and updating potential media outreach lists; among other things;
• Liaise effectively with and take direction from the CRD Program Officer and other team members working on LWOP;
• Work with others to develop strategy for communications campaign on ending LWOP sentences;
• Plan, schedule, and implement trainings for people formerly sentenced to LWOP on public speaking, messaging, meeting with policymakers, using social media, and speaking with the media;
• Create communication channels between groups working to end LWOP nationally and people formerly sentenced to LWOP to ensure that LWOP survivors are a part of shaping reforms;
• Cookordinate meetings, roundtables, prison workshops, stakeholder meetings, and special events with visitors, NGOs, and government officials;
• Cookordinate with and serve as a liaison between the National LWOP Leadership Council and HRW and other partners, including identifying and reaching out to justice advocacy groups, universities, faith groups and others who could support ending LWOP;
• Support the Council in strategic planning and achieving its objectives, assisting the Council as it determines how it can have the biggest impact;
• Support the Council in its meetings and committee meetings, including assisting in setting virtual and other meetings, assisting in setting agendas, attending committee meetings, taking notes, sending reminders and materials for meetings, and following up with people who miss a meeting, assisting committees/Council members in staying on course toward identified goals;
• Occasional travel to and coordination during conferences, events, and prisons;
• Cookordinate with the Council in other administrative functions, for example, making flight, car, and hotel reservations;
• Cookordinate with the Council in supporting Council members in honing professional and other skills, including those who may need help with acquiring technical, social media, and other skills;
• Build and maintain the LWOP Speakers Bureau;
• Identify, reach out to, and develop ways to engage people being released from prison who once had the sentence of LWOP;
• Draft communications, including letters and emails;
• Represent HRW in various public events including on panels, conferences, meetings, etc.

Qualifications

• Education: A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent level of experience in work and/or leadership roles is preferred. Work and leadership experience gained while incarcerated is highly valued.
• Experience: Individuals who have personal experience with the justice system, were formerly incarcerated (especially people who had the sentence life without parole), family members of people who are incarcerated, and crime survivors are highly encouraged to apply.
• Related Skills and Knowledge: Optimism, a sense of humor, and excitement about joining a supportive, skilled, and diverse team; Ability to drive projects forward through strategic planning, coordination, and follow-through; Strong organizational skills with meticulous attention to detail; Self-motivation and the ability to take initiative, prioritize with minimal supervision, and work independently as well as function as a member of a team; Openness to supervision and re-direction, and willingness to embrace new ways of doing things; Excellent ability to work collaboratively and respectfully with others in multicultural teams, across organizational boundaries and with employees and external partners of all backgrounds; Effective critical thinking/analytical skills, creativity, and a proven drive for quality; Experience doing community organizing, event planning, and/or project management; Commitment to supporting people formerly sentenced to LWOP gain the professional and other skills necessary to become effective leaders working to end the sentence of LWOP; Experience working with people who have spent many years in prison and are now in a professional setting, and knowledge about how to strengthen their capacity; Proficiency in computer packages including MS Office and Google Workspace applications (particularly Excel) is highly desirable, or a strong drive to learn these programs and improve skills; Excellent oral and written communication skills in English are required; Fluency in other languages (particularly Spanish) is highly desirable; Strong interest in criminal justice reform and international human rights and a commitment to racial, social, and restorative justice; Ability to work well under pressure while juggling multiple tasks simultaneously; Ability to make sound decisions consistent with functions.