Who we are:
The Vera Institute of Justice, founded in 1961, is a nonprofit criminal justice organization that strives to build just government institutions and safe communities free from the scourge of racism, white supremacy, profit, and inequity that is pervasive in this country’s legal systems. We are an “inside” lane organization that drives change at scale with ambitious public sector leaders who share our commitment to building anti-racist, reparative systems that deliver justice. We leverage our access to government to transform these systems and work collaboratively with stakeholders across many movements—including advocacy, grassroots, and grasstop organizations. Our role is to pilot solutions that are transformative and achievable, harness the power of evidence to drive effective policy and practice, and use advocacy and communications to change narratives and norms.
Vera has a staff of 300 people and offices in New York City, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity in the workplace. We expect our staff to embody respect, independence, collaboration, commitment, anti-racism, and equity—both in our outward-facing work and the internal culture of our workplace. We value a range of experiences in people’s educational backgrounds and encourage people who have been directly impacted by the criminal justice system to apply.
Who you are:
Vera generates ideas to transform justice systems and takes them to national scale. Following the completion of our strategic plan, we are expanding and formalizing our infrastructure for this multistage ideation and scaling process—which we call the Impact Pipeline. This staged process helps Vera staff generate ideas with potential for national impact (Stage 1), pilot those ideas (Stage 2), scale more broadly (Stage 3), and achieve national impact (Stage 4).
The Summer Impact Pipeline General Intern provides capacity support to the Impact Strategy (IS) team and the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team. This position will focus on creating a detailed internal Impact Pipeline toolkit, with the main contribution being towards understanding and organizing Stage 2, 3, and 4 processes.
The learning goals of this internship include fostering skills in and an understanding of project management, strategic planning, and program development & evaluation tools, practices, and activities.
The Summer Impact Pipeline General Intern will work under the supervision of the MEL Senior Associate and in close collaboration with the IS & MEL Coordinator, IS & MEL Associates, IS & MEL Directors, as well as the Summer Innovation Intern.
What you'll do:
Creation and development of an internal Impact Pipeline toolkit
- Collaborate with the Innovation Intern in mapping out all tools, templates, and timelines within the lifespan of work with initiative/project teams
- Source, compile, and tailor (when necessary) resources related to IS and MEL
- Support the creation of a toolkit that will standardize and organize tools used by IS and MEL into a library of resources
Gain a foundational understanding of theories of change and monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks
- Become familiar with commonly referenced documents (produced both in and out of Vera) that shape the work of the IS and MEL teams.
- Identify and tailor introductory resources for Verans interested in learning more about IS & MEL tools and work
- Summarize and organize resources into easily accessible formats to be used by the Impact Pipeline team
Assist with ad hoc projects as they relate to Impact Strategy and MEL
- Create/add to a menu of professional development resources for project leads
- Provide desk research to build on work for teams transitioning to Stage 2
- Support learning culture efforts for the MEL team, including the establishment of a knowledge pool
Other ad hoc duties as needed
What qualifications are we looking for?
Required:
- Enrolled in an undergraduate program OR equivalent work experience
Preferred:
- Interest in the strategic planning and/or the evaluation of initiative programs
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities you'll bring:
- A demonstrated commitment to racial equity and social justice,;
- The ability to work both independently and with others efficiently and effectively; and
- Strong writing and communications skills.;
Technical knowledge we need you to be prepared to use:
- Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or similar software – PowerPoint
Location:
Please note this role will report to our Brooklyn, NY office. Vera interns and employees adhere to a hybrid schedule and are in-office on an alternating schedule. Full-time positions generally amount to 10 days per month. Part-time positions generally amount to 5 days per month.
Schedule:
The intern should be available to work up to 35 hours per week during the summer. The dates will be between June 5th and August 11th, with some flexibility to accommodate personal and academic schedules.
Compensation:
The compensation range for internships is $16.00 - $25.00 per hour. Actual compensation will vary depending on factors including but not limited to experience and performance. Applicants may choose to receive academic credit. For those who need to earn academic credit, Vera will gladly assist in working with the school or program to make arrangements and meet requirements.
How to apply:
Please submit cover letter and resume. In your cover letter, please explain why you are passionate about criminal justice reform and what you hope to gain from this internship.
Applications may also be faxed to:
ATTN: People Resources / Intern, Impact Pipeline
Vera Institute of Justice
34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Fax: (212) 941-9407
Please use only one method (online, mail or fax) of submission.
No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.
As a federal contractor, and in order to ensure a healthy and safe work environment, Vera Institute of Justice is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccine before their start date. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement.
Vera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status.
Vera works to advance justice, particularly racial justice, in an increasingly multicultural country and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission.
For more information about Vera, please visit www.vera.org
