We're Hiring: Senior Advocacy & Campaigns Strategist - New York

POSITION SUMMARY

The Fines & Fees Justice Center (FFJC) is seeking a Senior Advocacy & Campaigns Strategist – NY who will be part of FFJC’s advocacy team, which includes both staff working in FFJC’s focus states, as well as members of the national advocacy team. This position will be principally responsible for building, strengthening, and maintaining fines and fees reforms in New York State, while building key relationships and providing strategic and technical assistance to partners working to advance fines and fees advocacy across the state. The Strategist will also help build bipartisan coalitions, identify new state and local partners and respond to requests for assistance from advocates, activists, justice system stakeholders and legislators with strategic and technical assistance in the State of New York.

The position requires travel throughout New York to meet with stakeholders, participate in legislative meetings and coalition meetings, and conduct community campaigns and educational events. It also requires periodic national travel to organization-wide convenings and national events, including FFJC’s two (bi-annual) multi-day team retreats each year, as well as some national conferences.

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Nearly every interaction a person has with the justice system, regardless of guilt or innocence, comes with a bill. But for those without the means to immediately pay up or fight back, one missed payment opens the door to dire, lifelong consequences.

The Fines and Fees Justice Center was founded to end the immoral practice of governments’ using fines and fees to profit off the most vulnerable. We empower state and local efforts to end fees in the justice system and ensure that fines are fair and equitably imposed.

FFJC has achieved over 20 legislative victories and directly aided even more, authored two dozen original research and policy reports, and partnered with more than 300 organizations to advance the national fines and fees reform movement.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Reporting to the National Advocacy and Campaigns Director the Senior Advocacy & Campaigns Strategist – NY (“Strategist”) will:

Campaigns

Maintain and continue to advance the mission of the national End Justice Fees campaign in New York through leadership of New York’s No Price on Justice campaign.
Build coalitions and design a campaign effort to advance the mission of the national Free to Drive campaign, focused on ending debt based driver’s license suspensions, in New York state, with a specific focus on achieving “failure to appear” reform.
Develop and execute campaign strategies to achieve long-term, sustainable success on fine and fee issues.
Work with state and local legislators and justice system stakeholders to develop and support new, impactful policy ideas, including developing and maintaining strategic campaigns to support legislation and draft legislation to implement reforms.

Stakeholder Relationships and Community Base-building

Build and maintain relationships with criminal justice reform coalitions across the political spectrum along with other organizations, particularly community-based organizations, and organizations interested in fines and fees reform across New York;
Build and maintain relationships with state and local legislators; justice-system stakeholders, including prosecutors, public defenders, court clerks, law enforcement, and judges; impacted communities; the faith community; the business community; and media in New York.
Organize and conduct community awareness and education events.
Represent FFJC at and/or lead stakeholder meetings and events statewide to educate and mobilize communities to support fines and fees reform, including coalition meetings, community forums or town halls, presentations, and panel discussions.
Working with the Communications team, develop a communications and media strategy to advance state-level reform efforts, including but not limited to:
- Traditional media and digital advocacy, including social media and electronic action alerts;
- Outreach materials, including talking points, fact sheets, fliers, and information packets;
- Serving as a media spokesperson.

Legislation and Direct Legislative Engagement

Monitor and prepare for state and local legislative committee hearings, including preparing testimony.
Make presentations to the state legislature and local governments.
Manage, develop, and coordinate NY-specific research and policy analysis, including producing high-quality policy and legal documents (e.g., white papers and policy briefs) to support campaign efforts.
Organize, mobilize, and support local community leaders and directly impacted people in advocating for fines and fees reform, including through regional days of action and Albany-focused events;
Work in partnership with broader FFJC staff and external partners on legislative, regulatory, local and communications campaign strategy.

This role is full time and remote within the state of New York and must be able to work Monday-Friday 12-4 pm Eastern Time, as well as in line with the necessary times to be fully engaged in and responsive to NY’s legislative sessions. The 12-4pm block is the hours during which all staff must be available; the other working hours within the day are flexible according to one’s time zone and the needs of one’s team and the approval of the direct supervisor.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

Candidates must meet the following minimum qualifications:

At least 8 years of professional experience, including at least 3 years in New York State legislative advocacy, working on political or issue campaigns, advocacy with a focus on criminal justice reform, economic, social, or racial justice;
Experience with direct legislative advocacy, including drafting, analyzing, and commenting on legislation, with demonstrated experience of delivering impactful testimony and policy analysis in/for the NY state legislature;
Knowledge of New York politics, courts, and local governments;
Hold relationships with members of the NY State Legislature;
Experience building and working state-wide coalitions;
Excellent research and analytical skills;
Demonstrated ability to think strategically about criminal legal reform;
Excellent writing skills, with the ability to write persuasively for a variety of different audiences including but not limited to legislators, community-based organizations and impacted individuals;
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a growing non-profit environment;
Excellent project management skills;
Ability to work with diverse communities across race, socioeconomic status, religion, gender expression, sexual orientation, education levels, etc.;
Ability to successfully work in a remote environment;
Commitment to develop as a leader in response to feedback and mentoring.

Attributes

Organized, diligent, proactive, and attention to detail;
Solution oriented and strategic thinker;
Passion for criminal legal system reform;
Flexible and adaptable;
Excellent time management skills;
Sense of humor;
Willingness to travel and work nights and weekends as needed.

Nice to Have:

Speaks Spanish
Personal lived or living experience being impacted by the criminal legal system;

Though not required for the position, a candidate who can demonstrate the following may have a stronger application:

An advanced degree in public policy or public finance;
Previous experience working with marginalized communities or with movements for social change.

FFJC encourages and welcomes those who have personal experience with the impacts of the criminal legal system, or the social systems connected to poverty or debt relief, to apply for this role.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

FFJC’s compensation philosophy consists of a 5-band salary structure. The Senior Strategist – NY is a band 2 position.  The starting salary for the position is between $85,000 – $92,500 based on the qualifications of the candidate at the time of hire. FFJC offers excellent benefits including:

401(k) option with up to 6% employer contribution;
Extremely generous employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families;
Pre-tax transportation, dependent care, and flexible spending account benefits;
Substantial paid time off, including all federal holidays, the day after Thanksgiving, 4 floating holidays, 120 hours of vacation time, 96 hours of sick leave, and 24 hours of volunteer leave annually. FFJC also closes its office during the week of July 4^thfor all employees;
Employees are eligible for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave after 1 year of employment;
Employees who work 4 consecutive years at FFJC receive an additional week of paid vacation annually.
Employees who work 6 consecutive years at FFJC receive an 8-week paid sabbatical in their sixth year.

TO APPLY

Interested candidates should send a resume and cover letter combined in a single PDF file, named “LAST NAME, FIRST NAME_NY Campaign Strategist,” to jobs@finesandfeesjusticecenter.org with “NY Campaign Strategist” as the email subject.

Applications close on 2/13/25.

The Fines & Fees Justice Center is an equal opportunity employer and will consider applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established under law. FFJC is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, FFJC will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations.

More information about the Fines & Fees Justice Center can be found at www.finesandfeesjusticecenter.org.

FFJC is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, FFJC will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations.