Careers Job Description
General Description
The Director of Development and Communications is a member of the Executive Team. Working closely with the Executive Director and Deputy Director for Programs, the Director of Development and Communications is responsible for the Institute's development, fundraising and communications strategies. The Director will supervisor two staff members: the Development and Communications Coordinator and an Associate.
We see an experienced social justice professional who is skilled at fundraising and lead the development of shared compelling narratives about our work and generate intersest and support from funders, elected officials and other stakeholders.
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE:
As a champion of institutional, structural, and personal transformation, the John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity (The Institute) opens doors and eliminates barriers to success for people who have been involved in the criminal legal system. The Institute is one of twelve research entities that collectively comprise the Research Consortium of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The Institute has a diverse portfolio of projects that focus on identifying what it takes for people to live successfully in the community after justice involvement and on increasing the effectiveness of the professionals and systems working with them. Recognizing the transformational power of education, the Institute focuses much of its work on increasing access to higher education for people with criminal histories. The Institute’s comprehensive and strategic approach includes direct service, research, and technical assistance.
To learn more please visit our website: https://justiceandopportunity.org/
Other Duties
Some responsiblities include, but not limited to:
- Consult with Institute leaders to identify funding needs to sustain existing programs and to expand our programs into new areas
- Generate resources for Institute activities through prospect research, cultivation, proposal writing, and managing relationships with funders and potential funders
- Create a consistent internal and external Institute narrative and brand identity appropriate to key stakeholder groups, including CUNY students, faculty and staff; higher education and social policy thought leaders; government officials and non-profit colleagues at the national, state and local levels; funders and the media
- Develop goals and a strategic plan for Institute communications including digital and online media efforts, including management of the Institute website and social media
- Develop materials to increase awareness of Institute services, priorities and accomplishments
- Build relationships with CUNY communications staff, the press and allies to amplify the messages and impact of Institute initiatives
- Ensure broad dissemination of Institute reports, toolkits, and work product to maximize impact on the field
- Establish Institute as a thought leader by identifying opportunities to participate in national and local conversations on equity, access to opportunity and other critical issues facing people who have been involved in the criminal legal system
- Train Institute staff and students to optimize their communications skills and ensure consistency of message and quality of presentation across platforms
- Collorborate with all staff on events to ensure registration and keynote speakers.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have some combination of non-profit, governmental and higher education experience in progressively responsible positions, and, specifically, have had responsibility for fundraising, communications, and managing relationships with important external partners. Knowledge of higher education issues and passion for criminal justice reform are highly desirable.
- Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, public administration, English or other relevant field
- Minimum five years of experience, including program and leadership experience, in non-profit, higher education, or philanthropic organizations
- Proven strategic thinking, project planning and management skills that combines thinking about big ideas with attention to details
- Strong communications and marketing skills, and ability to translate complex ideas into clear, concise and compelling narratives for various audiences
- Ability to engage effectively with broad range of stakeholders, building mutually beneficial relationships and strategic partnerships
- Demonstrated success in fundraising from governmental and philanthropic funders; experience with individual and corporate donors is desirable
- Strong writing and presentation skills
- Excellent inter-personal and communications skills
- Team player with a co-operative approach to colleagues
- Proven team leadership and project management skills
- Ability to balance a high volume of incoming requests from multiple constituencies across the organization
- Agility and endurance in managing within a large and complex organization
Candidates with lived experience are strongly encouraged to apply. Please send cover letter and resume.
At the Institute, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. The Institute believes that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.
RFCUNY Benefits
RFCUNY Employee Benefits and AccrualsAbout the Research Foundation
The Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY) was established as a not-for-profit educational corporation chartered by the State of New York in 1963. RFCUNY supports CUNY faculty and staff in identifying and obtaining external support (pre-award) from government and private sponsors and is responsible for the administration of all such funded programs (post-award).
RFCUNY stands between CUNY’s principal investigators (PIs) and the sponsors who support them and strives to fulfill its essential responsibilities to both groups. Working closely with individual PIs and Grants Officers on the campuses, RFCUNY oversees employment, accounting, audit, reporting, purchasing, and special responsibilities that include management of a planned giving program; liaison with governmental agencies and foundations; negotiation of agreements; facility construction and renovation; protection and commercialization of intellectual property; and compliance with applicable standards in research involving human subjects, animal care, environmental and radiological safety, and conflicts of interest.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Key Features
Institute for Justice and Opportunity
Full Time
$100,000.00 - $120,000.00
Jan 30, 2024 (Or Until Filled)