Senior Community Policy Associate, Youth Justice Team (California)
The Position
National Center for Youth Law
NCYL is a national nonprofit that puts children — especially those pushed to society’s margins — at the center of every fight for justice. For more than 50 years, we have partnered with young people, families, and communities in efforts to dismantle racism, discrimination, and inequity wherever they appear. We recognize that harmful policies don’t affect children in isolation. Each young person’s well-being depends on their family’s stability, their community’s resources, and the opportunities they can access. By working across all systems that shape young people’s lives in a rapidly evolving society, we advance solutions that are holistic, intersectional, and transformative.
The Youth Justice Team
The National Center for Youth Law's Youth Justice Team leads powerful, multi-faceted initiatives that include state and local advocacy to build equitable, trauma-informed, youth-centered youth justice systems that value community and prioritize young people's well-being. The Youth Justice Team’s transformative campaigns are driven by the voices and needs of young people directly impacted by the juvenile and criminal justice systems, and include policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, leadership development, and a range of strategies all aimed at reducing our reliance on the legal system and emphasize community-based, youth development opportunities and services for youth.
Position
The Senior Community Policy Associate will engage in grassroots organizing and community capacity building to advance programmatic objectives. They will work with youth, families, communities, and system stakeholders in counties across California to advocate and implement reforms and shift policy and practice to transition to supportive, community-based services that improve outcomes for affected youth.
Essential Functions
Engage, organize, and support community stakeholders, system administrators, service providers, and elected officials to increase and improve local and community-based services, programs, resources, and opportunities for youth in assigned program areas.
Design, conduct, and facilitate capacity‑building activities and advocacy training workshops for youth, community organizations, system stakeholders, and a national audience that strengthen advocacy skills among community members and broaden awareness across local and national levels.
Plan, prepare, and facilitate listening sessions, focus groups, community meetings, public forums, and coalition gatherings with youth, families, community stakeholders, elected officials, public agencies, and system partners intended to gather input that informs program and policy improvements, drives community engagement, and supports advocacy efforts.
Develop and implement tools, reports, presentations, multimedia content, and resources for youth, advocates, and other stakeholders to engage in policy advocacy.
Identify and build partnerships with new types of community and system stakeholders and leaders, including youth and lived-experience experts.
Develop new ways for the team to amplify the power of and work with community-based organizations and leaders, coalition members, youth, lived-experience experts, government officials and system stakeholders.
Identify, prioritize, and help carry out advocacy opportunities in alignment with the team’s goals.
Qualifications
At least 5-7 years of experience in a combination of community organizing, policy advocacy, and youth services
Understanding of local politics, budgets, and governance in California
Understanding of California’s child-serving systems and bureaucracies, such as juvenile justice, education and child welfare
Understanding of transformative justice models and community accountability frameworks
Excellent public speaking skills and experience in planning and facilitating trainings
Organized, self-motivated, detail-oriented, and able to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment
Experience managing complex projects with a multitude of partners
Ability to consider differing perspectives and respond professionally to conflict or disagreement
Ability to connect with diverse community stakeholders and work with people from various ethnic, cultural, and systems-impacted backgrounds
Ability to effectively distill and present complex information in a concise, understandable way to diverse audiences.
Access to a reliable form of transportation
Excellent computer technical skills, including using Microsoft suite, SharePoint, and Canva
Bilingual (Spanish) highly desired
Physical Requirements
Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer. This position requires the ability to work remotely and travel throughout California.
Salary, Benefits and Location
This is a full-time, non-exempt position with a competitive salary range of $77,000.00-$94,000.00 annually. Once an offer is made, the salary is not open to negotiation. A geographic salary differential may be applied if the candidate resides somewhere other than Oakland, CA, or Los Angeles, CA, metro areas. This means that the salary would be reduced if the candidate resides in an area where the cost of labor is less than that of the San Francisco Bay Area.
NCYL provides a robust benefits package including health, dental, vision, life, generous vacation and sick benefits, flexible spending account, commuter benefits, employer contribution to a retirement plan and short-term and long-term disability insurance.
Candidate must currently be living in or willing to move to California by their start date and be willing to drive/commute often throughout the state.
All positions at NCYL are at-will and paid for by grants and donations, thus employment with NCYL will be contingent upon continued receipt of funding. Nothing in the statement changes the at-will employment relationship.
How to Apply
Please submit a cover letter and resume at the link below. Please, no emails or calls.
Applicants who meet the above criteria with lived experience in any of our practice areas are strongly encouraged to apply.
It is the policy of NCYL to provide equal employment opportunities to all Applicants (including Employees) regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, reproductive health decision-making, breastfeeding, national origin, age, abilities/disabilities, neurotypicality, socioeconomic status, veteran status, marital status, prior convictions, or any other protected classifications under federal, state, or local law.
Meet The Team
The National Center for Youth Law's Youth Justice Team leads powerful, multi-faceted initiatives that include state and local advocacy to build equitable, trauma-informed, youth-centered youth justice systems that value community and prioritize young people's well-being. The Team’s transformative campaigns are driven by the voices and needs of young people directly impacted by the juvenile and criminal justice systems, and include policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, leadership development, and a range of strategies all aimed at reducing our reliance on the legal system and emphasize community-based, youth development opportunities and services for youth.
