Manager / Organizer

Overview

We are hiring a Prison Monitoring Manager for Eastern Pennsylvania to help lead our crucial work keeping people in prison safe, healthy, and treated with dignity. From Scranton to Philadelphia, this person will make a difference in countless lives and work for systemic change.

On any given day, 62,000 Pennsylvanians are incarcerated in state and county prisons. Incarceration in Pennsylvania increased 300 percent since 1980 while the crime rate has gone down. Lack of access to health care, degradation, and isolation are some of the issues people in prison face. For 240 years, the Pennsylvania Prison Society has led the nation in calling for a more just and humane criminal justice system.

Every month, more than 500 incarcerated people and their families ask the Prison Society for help with issues they face inside prison. Written into Pennsylvania law, Prison Society staff and volunteers respond to these complaints by going into correctional facilities, meeting with incarcerated people, assisting with the issues they are facing, and providing real-time information on prison conditions.

This is where you come in!

In this role, you will support and develop our regional network of more than 75 volunteers responding to the concerns of incarcerated people in eastern Pennsylvania. You will strengthen our existing relationships and build new ones with community groups and public officials. You will serve as the main point of contact for the prisons in your region. You will be supported by an amazing team of colleagues who are committed to your success.

What You’ll Be Doing 

• Manage and help administer a large (75) regional volunteer network. You will support, train, and recruit highly motivated volunteers who conduct prison monitoring visits. You will support volunteers and make sure that the vital work gets done.
• Evaluate regional monitoring capacity and develop a strategy, in collaboration with the Prison Monitoring Director for optimal prison coverage and outreach.
• Develop strategic relationships with allied organizations and grassroots groups, including social service providers, faith communities, and advocates, to increase regional presence, share information, and to make and receive referrals for assistance.
• Become an expert on prison conditions in your region. You will get yourself up to speed on what is happening in the 25 correctional facilities in your region and have your finger on the pulse of local dynamics.
• Serve as the face of the Prison Society. You will act as a critical resource for public officials, volunteers, and Prison Society staff on conditions and Prison Society activities.
• Manage reporting and workflow between the main office, regional chapters, and volunteers including volunteer assignments and compilation of performance metrics.

Your Core Competencies

• You must have at least two years of full-time volunteer management or organizing experience (community, issue, or electoral). You are experienced in organizing both individuals and teams.
• You are an excellent communicator. You have excellent written and verbal communication skills and you are clear and concise. You have the ability to share progress in an efficient and timely manner, articulate what is happening on the ground, and not be afraid to seek out support proactively.
• Your warm and professional demeanor works for everyone. You adjust your communication style to appeal to disparate stakeholders including people in prison, public officials, volunteers from diverse backgrounds, and everyone in between. You have experience working with vulnerable populations.
• You masterfully juggle multiple tasks. You will face a lot of problems with multiple ways to resolve. You prioritize and reprioritize, exhibiting excellent time management and strategic problem-solving skills to ensure nothing is lost.
• You inspire and lead others. You can galvanize volunteers with a mission that calls them to act while keeping everyone on track to achieve shared goals. You are sensitive to the skills and wants of a diverse, dedicated volunteer base without being paralyzed by the need to include or please everyone.
• You are a consummate team player. You’re known for getting along with everyone  regardless of their personality or stature and leverage their expertise to advance your work. You must be comfortable with a balance of close collaboration, and independent execution.
• You have a high level of computer fluency. You are very comfortable with applications including Microsoft Office and Google Workspaces.

What You Need to Know

Answers to your questions – We have answered many of your candidate questions in our Frequently Asked Questions HERE.  Please be sure to read this before you apply.
Location – This is a hybrid in-the-field/office/work-from-home position.  You will work out a schedule with the Prison Monitoring Director to include at least one day a week in our Philadelphia office as well as a few days a week in the field – visiting prisons, meeting with volunteers and community partners. When not in the office or in the field you are welcome to work remotely.
Hours – This position works 40 hours per week, primarily during regular business hours (9am-5pm), but the nature of a field based program will require occasional evening and weekend hours.
Manager – You will report to Noah Barth, Prison Monitoring Director of the Prison Society.
Start date – As soon as possible
Salary & benefits –  $56,000-$62,000. Medical, vision and dental insurance coverage provided.
Flexible time off – We encourage a healthy work-life balance and do not cap the number of days off our employees can take. In addition, we observe 11 paid holidays.

At the Prison Society, we don’t just accept difference—we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our staff, our mission, and our community. The Society is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Individuals directly impacted by the criminal justice system are encouraged to apply.

If the above speaks to you, we’re excited to learn more about you!

APPLY HERE

https://www.prisonsociety.org/careers