The Policing Project at New York University School of Law is seeking an experienced professional to join our team as our first Policy Director. The Policy Director will bring together and lead a number of our policy and social change initiatives. The ideal candidate will have interest in and experience with legislative advocacy campaigns; a passion for achieving public safety outcomes, racial justice, constitutional law, criminal procedure, and related issues; and experience with managing a team.

This position can be based out of the Policing Project’s New York City offices or can be full-time remote, with occasional travel to New York.

Background on the Policing Project

The Policing Project partners with communities and police to promote public safety through transparency, equity, and democratic engagement. We work across a broad range of issues—from use of force and racial profiling, to facial recognition and predictive policing. We do so in close collaboration with groups from across the ideological spectrum and with stakeholders that typically find themselves at odds, including policing agencies, community organizations, governments, and other non-profits. Our work takes us all over the country and is moving the needle in tangible ways.

We bring a new approach to this fraught area, one grounded in democratic values. In particular, our work focuses on ensuring accountability and democratic participation on the front end. Front-end accountability involves promoting public voice in setting transparent, ethical, and effective policing policies and practices before the police act. The goal is achieving public safety in a manner that is equitable, non-discriminatory, and respectful of public values.

We also are deeply involved in efforts to reimagine what public safety should look like. Too often government has turned to the police to address social problems, when armed officers are not the answer, but other social services—governmental and community-based—are. We have a national research and redesign effort underway, including deep engagement with impacted communities, to transform substantially what public safety means and how it is achieved.

You can learn more about our work—past and present—at www.PolicingProject.org and www.SafetyReimagined.org

Job Description & Responsibilities

The Policing Project has been working to advance policy change in policing across a variety of forums. We have developed a slate of model statutes and ordinances on key aspects of policing ranging from use of force and pretext stops, to the use of police technologies. We work with advocacy groups, legislators, and various other government officials at all levels of government to develop solutions tailored to their jurisdictions’ needs. We also develop policy guidance and advise on critical areas of policing—from defining and implementing sound, accountable, just, and effective policing, to evaluating emerging policing technologies.

We are looking for a Policy Director to oversee these multi-faceted efforts. The Policy Director’s primary responsibility will be to design and implement the Policing Project’s policy agenda, through advocacy and outreach campaigns, working and developing relationships with policymakers, coordinating with other criminal justice organizations, and supervising teams of legislative attorneys and policy staff. The Policy Director will also work with the teams to provide technical assistance to jurisdictions, including feedback on draft legislation, advice on implementation, and legislative testimony. In addition, the Policy Director will work with Policing Project teams and leadership to identify additional issue areas that would benefit from policy guidance, and help oversee the policy development and drafting process.

Desired Experience & Qualifications

We seek to hire someone with a deep passion for improving policing and public safety, ensuring that it is both protective of civil rights and racially-just, who has the experience and ability to manage projects and relationships independently. Given the cutting-edge and innovative nature of our work, and the fact that it often occurs around fraught social issues, we are looking for someone who is a problem solver with maturity and judgment.

In addition, we will consider the following qualifications, but do not expect any applicant to have all of them:

• A bachelor’s degree and at least 7 years of professional experience (advanced degree in law or public policy preferred but not required);

• Ability to build and maintain relationships with policymakers and their staff;

• Demonstrated knowledge of the legislative process at the federal, state, or local levels;

• Track record of successful advocacy;

• Strong familiarity and/or interest in constitutional law, criminal procedure, policing and public safety (or related fields), racial justice, and civil rights/civil liberties;

• Experience managing multi-member/multi-team projects;

• Strong interpersonal skills and a demonstrated willingness to maintain and develop professional relationships;

• Excellent judgment and the ability to keep many balls in the air without dropping them;

• Strong written communications skills;

• Collegial, collaborative and curious;

• Proactive, highly organized, and has reliable follow-through.

The Policing Project heartily encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds, and is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, citizenship status, color, disability, marital or parental status, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.

Application Instructions

To apply please email a cover letter and resume as one PDF to applications@policingproject.org. Indicate “Policy Director” in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, and you will be contacted if selected for an interview.

Salary is commensurate with experience. In compliance with NYC’s Pay Transparency Law, the salary is in the range of $160,000 - $180,000. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Compensation also includes excellent benefits, including medical, dental, and vision. After one year, employees are eligible for tuition remission at certain NYU schools and matching retirement contributions.

NYU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver status, childbirth, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, familial status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national origin, parental status, partnership status, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.

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