Job Description

We are seeking a sharp and committed organizer, advocate, and strategic thinker to join our Violence Reduction Initiative team as our next Strategist in Baton Rouge, LA. EJUSA has been working to develop alternative responses to violence including community-based violence intervention, trauma response systems, healing, trauma-informed policing, and more. This person should have excellent communication, advocacy, policy, coalition-building, and communications skills and will lead the organizing and coalition-building efforts and drive systems change work in Baton Rouge, with the potential to engage in related work in other statewide work in LA, MS, AL, and GA as needed. This is a terrific opportunity to be a part of a dynamic and hard-working team at a leading grassroots advocacy organization. 

The Strategist reports to the Director of Advocacy and works closely with the Violence Reduction Initiative Program Director.

RESPONSIBILITIES

ORGANIZING: Work with our team to recruit, train, and mobilize grassroots community members to redefine safety and justice, enhance healing, and advance systems change, including:  

• Engage community stakeholders who have been survivors and witnesses of violence to raise awareness about trauma and mobilize action among Baton Rouge residents, city officials, law enforcement, and other stakeholders.
• Build relationships with domestic violence survivors, family members of homicide victims, community members, and law enforcement who have experienced trauma
• Support community members to engage in city or state-level advocacy opportunities that increase support for alternative responses to violence and community-centered safety. 
• Work alongside and support other health, mental health, criminal justice, youth-serving agencies to increase community interest in trauma-informed systems.

ADVOCACY: Work as part of the Advocacy team to ensure legislative strategies, systems change, and other policy advocacy efforts regarding several trauma informed responses to violence are successful, including: 

• Set up meetings with key stakeholders to advance policies, practices, and procedures to bolster Baton Rouge’s trauma-response and violence prevention systems.
• Work with police departments and community partners to understand trauma and create new relationships, practices, and policies to reduce police harm.
• Mobilize Baton Rouge stakeholders in support of policy campaigns as needed, including recruiting witnesses to testify at hearings, contact their lawmakers, and/or speak out in the media. 
• Coordinate with EJUSA’s Communications Department to leverage media, online channels, and other communications to further our work in Baton Rouge.

COALITION AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING: Serve as a representative for EJUSA in the field and a key voice in multiple movements (such as the criminal justice reform, violence prevention, transformative justice, and police reform movements) to shape strategy, ensure the effectiveness of coalitions and advocacy to promote trauma informed responses to violence, and increase knowledge of racial and historical trauma in local communities. 

TRAINING AND FACILITATION: Act as a thought partner, facilitator, and trainer to community groups and other coalitions working to build trauma-informed responses to violence in Baton Rouge, including: 

• Work closely with EUSA’s training team to implement our one-of-a-kind training, From Trauma to Trust: Police/Community Collaborative Training, in Baton Rouge, and potentially as the program expands to additional cities where the training would complement or spark systems change efforts. 
• Support and facilitate community spaces to advance dialog and collaboration, such as the Baton Rouge Public Safety Round Table.

DATA AND RESEARCH: Stay on top of key developments in the field, specifically around violence prevention and trauma informed policing strategies; assess, collect and catalog examples of this work in action in NJ to build a databank of policies, practices, and proofs of concept that EJUSA staff can point to in advocacy and communications.

Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2-3 years of relevant experience, preferably in a social justice, racial justice and/or organizing environment
• Direct experience and comfort working with communities of color and/or organizations that represent people of color 
• Experience and comfort working with and building trust with people directly impacted by violence and mass incarceration; sensitivity to working with people who have experienced trauma
• Strong commitment to bringing healing to survivors and impacted communities
• Comfort or interest in working with actors inside the justice system, such as law enforcement
• Excellent interpersonal communication, networking, and social skills; ability and excitement to connect authentically and build relationships with diverse groups of people, including those with whom you don’t agree 
• Experience with facilitation and conducting workshops
• Knowledge in violence reduction/intervention, criminal justice reform, and/or police reform
• Knowledge of and commitment to racial justice and racial equity.
• Strong public speaker, ability to inspire action among diverse stakeholders
• Strategic thinker; flexible and tenacious; creative and entrepreneurial; positive and optimistic when tackling challenges; high energy and goal directed
• Ability to plan effectively, meet all deadlines, and coordinate the involvement of others
• Comfort working with a Mac or willingness to learn
• Ability and willingness to travel (note: during the time of COVID-19, EJUSA staff are not expected to travel)
• Passion and commitment to the mission and values of EJUSA

Additional Information

LOCATION: Remote position based in or near Baton Rouge, LA 

REPORTS TO: Director of Advocacy

DEADLINE: Open until filled

COMPENSATION: $70,000 - $73,000 commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits including employer-paid medical, vision, and dental care, retirement plan, 20 days paid vacation, 12 paid sick days, 12 paid holidays, 5 paid personal days, long-term disability insurance, and professional development allowance.

EJUSA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage a diverse pool of candidates to apply, including those impacted by the issues we work on. We consider all applicants on the basis of their ability to perform the job, without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, physical appearance, age, mental or physical disability, credit history, veteran status, uniform service member status, justice system involvement, victims of domestic violence, stalking, or other crimes, political affiliation, or any other legally protected class. EJUSA does not tolerate discrimination or harassment against any of the above listed classes.

TO APPLY: Please submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter