Policy Counsel or Senior Policy Counsel

About the role

The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth is hiring a (Senior) Policy Counsel! Founded in 2009, CFSY advocates to ban extreme sentences for children in the United States, ensure meaningful review opportunities for children in the criminal legal system, and create opportunities for those directly impacted by extreme sentencing to thrive and lead.

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;
• 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;
• Partner with Communications Department to develop strategic messaging around legislative trends, including coordinating on development of fact sheets, talking points, action alerts, and other advocacy tools and materials to assist in bolstering federal and state-level reform efforts;
• 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 and serve as subject matter expert;
• Support CFSY’s federal advocacy efforts;
• Participate in media interviews as requested;
• Routinely 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.

Requirements

• Candidates for the Policy Counsel role will bring:
• 3-5 years of demonstrated success in leading community-based efforts towards policy reform, exhibited by success in leading legislative reform efforts, administrative rule changes, and/or ballot initiatives;
• community organizing and coalition building across diverse ideological perspectives and communities, including visible success working with stakeholders throughout the political and ideological spectrum;
• ability to leverage strategic narrative work and genuine relationship building to inspire unlikely allies to support reform efforts;
• 2-4 years of experience in: managing staff, including day-to-day assistance with project prioritization, review, and implementation, and a welcoming and inclusive attitude;

• Candidates for the Senior Policy Counsel role will bring:
• 5+ years of demonstrated success in: community organizing and coalition building across diverse ideological perspectives and communities, including visible success working with stakeholders throughout the political and ideological spectrum;
• community organizing and coalition building across diverse ideological perspectives and communities;
• ability to leverage strategic narrative work and genuine relationship building to inspire unlikely allies to support reform efforts;
• 4+ years of experience in: managing staff, including day-to-day assistance with project prioritization, review, and implementation, and a welcoming and inclusive attitude;

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree (or equivalent);
• Prior experience drafting legislation, regulations, legislative testimony, and/or public comments to support legislative and/or administrative rule changes;
• Prior experience in: managing staff, including day-to-day assistance with project prioritization, review, and implementation, and a welcoming and inclusive attitude;

Skills

• Strong attention to detail;
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and listening skills;
• Experience with legal research platforms (e.g., Westlaw, LexisNexis);
• Experience with bill tracking software (e.g., FiscalNote, Quorum);
• Well-developed organizational skills;
• Maturity and reliability;
• 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 work collaboratively across interdisciplinary teams to unite towards a common goal;

Benefits

The annual salary for this position is commensurate with experience, with a range between $80,000 and $115,000. This position is regular, full-time, and exempt.

Pay

The annual salary for this position is commensurate with experience, with a range between $80,000 and $115,000.

Schedule

This position is regular, full-time, and exempt.

Benefits

To apply: Email a letter of interest, resume, a brief writing sample (3-5 pages), and three references (contact information only, recommendation letters are not necessary) in one PDF file to jobs@cfsy.org. Use “Policy Counsel-Last Name” as the subject of your email and as the file name for your PDF. For tax purposes, please list the address you will be working from on your resume. Only complete applications sending all application materials in one PDF file will be reviewed. We will offer interviews based on application strength, including demonstrated interest, skills, and work experience.

The CFSY is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. People of color, individuals with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and those with personal experience in the criminal legal system are strongly encouraged to apply. If you don’t meet every qualification listed but are excited about our mission and the work described, we encourage you to apply. CFSY is most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and you may be just the right person for this or other roles.