Program Manager – Justice

Program Manager – Justice

Competitive salary + excellent benefits

Baltimore

Do you want to leverage powerful tools like strategic grantmaking and local engagement to create safe, just, and liberated communities? We’re seeking a Program Manager based in Baltimore who will explore the relationship between issues of justice and other intersecting social, political, environmental, health-related, and economic factors, building upon existing and forging new and creative partnerships at the local, national, and global levels that reflect an intersectional analysis. Specifically, the Program Manager will develop and implement a strategy that addresses the intersections of racial, gender, and economic justice while working to: reimagine models for community safety using a restorative lens and approach; reduce police contact with historically marginalized communities; reduce incarceration; and end criminalization, including the collateral economic consequences of justice involvement.

The Open Society Foundations works to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people. We are active in more than 120 countries, making us the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights.

As Open Society Foundations’ only US field office, OSI-Baltimore works to disrupt the long-standing legacy of structural racism in Baltimore by supporting powerful social change movements led by, and centering the needs, interests, and voices of historically marginalized communities and communities of color. Our vision is the creation of a racially just and liberated Baltimore in which all residents have access to the supports and resources needed to actualize their highest potential, and race no longer serves as the single most powerful predictor of one’s life outcomes, including health, wealth, and well-being. https://www.osibaltimore.org; – https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/who-we-are/programs

As a Program Manager at OSI-Baltimore focused on Justice, you will:

• Develop a comprehensive long-term strategy that employs multiple tools designed to advance reform efforts that advocate for and deploy an equitable distribution of public and private capital among movements, and initiatives that respond to and center the voices of Baltimore’s most disproportionately impacted communities with the goal of creating a safe, just and liberated community.
• Assume day-to-day responsibility to design, manage and implement grant making portfolios, formal and informal coalitions, time-bound campaigns, advocacy initiatives, communications strategies, and specific projects that further the program’s goals, including establishing and monitoring goals, identifying new grantees, supporting existing grantees with technical assistance, coordinating effectively with other contributors to the efforts, and overseeing related administrative and logistical aspects of ongoing projects.
• Cultivate, maintain, and meaningfully engage internal and external partnerships and collaborations comprising representatives of local impacted communities, and other key stakeholder groups to incorporate diverse perspectives with the goal of co-creating a vision and actionable plan that centers a racial equity and intersectional lens, and applies a community participatory approach to portfolio design and decision-making.
• Design and implement monitoring, evaluation, and learning strategies to assess impact of local innovations, campaigns, and initiatives, including integration with and applicability to OSUS priorities, and opportunities to share learnings and best practices for the purposes of replication and/or scalability nationally or internationally.
• Work in close collaboration with other internal colleagues to manage and support cross-cutting initiatives that leverage local contributions, thought partnership, and resources and that support the overall strategy of OSI-Baltimore and, as needed and assigned, manage and support initiatives, short-term campaigns, and projects that further the goals of OSUS, particularly the efforts of the Leadership and Innovation team.

What we are looking for:

• Seven to ten years of non-profit or philanthropic experience or other equivalent meaningful professional and/or lived experience
• Extensive knowledge of and existing connections with justice reform, community transformation and structural reform efforts, and community-led movement in Baltimore City and Maryland
• Experience developing and implementing strategic and sustained advocacy efforts and coordinated and multi-faceted campaigns designed to shape laws, public policies, practices, and attitudes
• Commitment and proven ability to engage in an inclusive, transparent, forward-thinking, and democratic approach to philanthropic practice, forging meaningful collaborations and relationships with diverse stakeholders at the local, national, and global levels that aid in brokering local access to critical resources, information, and networks
• Demonstrated awareness of and contributions to efforts to repair the harms of policies, practices, cultures, patterns of disinvestment, and ways of being rooted in racism, patriarchy, white supremacy, and other interlocking systems of oppression
• Demonstrated ability to resolve complex problems and assesses different strategies to enhance program processes and systems for consideration
• Aid in fostering a healthy, inclusive, and thriving workplace culture and environment by: listening and working with humility; working in ways that are respectful to all people; and supporting space and voice for all diverse perspectives in our workplace
• Commitment to continuous learning and growth in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism, and social justice.

Desirable (but not required):

• Experience as a grant maker and demonstrated ability to use this tool to support the development of a field and drive toward a strategic goal
• Demonstrated experience in budget and financial management
• Interest in and knowledge of non-profit organizational development

What we offer:

• Ample opportunities to learn and grow, from annual professional development allowances to onsite trainings and brown bag lunches with visiting experts
• Top-notch benefits and perks designed for your well-being and a healthy work-life balance. With some variability according to location, this includes generous time off, flexible work arrangements, employer-paid health insurance, generous retirement savings plan, progressive paid parental leave, reproductive and family planning support, sabbatical opportunities, and much more
• A commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace that enables everyone to bring their full self to work and make a positive impact on the world.

Open Society requires all US employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 unless an employee requires a reasonable accommodation for medical reasons or for a sincerely held religious belief. If you may require an accommodation, please apply for any roles that interest you and if hired, you will receive information on how to request a reasonable accommodation related to Open Society’s vaccination requirement.

Closing date: 18 August 2022.

We aim to build an inclusive workforce that is reflective of the populations we support, and actively seek applications from those who are marginalized and underrepresented. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and colleagues with disabilities.