Root Causes Project (RCP) Program Manager

  • Full-time

Company Description

With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and opportunities in more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia is the sixth largest city in the United States and one of the largest employers in Southeastern Pennsylvania. As an employer, the City of Philadelphia operates through the guiding principles of service, integrity, respect, accountability, collaboration, diversity and inclusion. Through these principles, we strive to effectively deliver services, to resolve the challenges facing our city, and to make Philadelphia a place where all of our residents have the opportunity to reach their potential. 

AGENCY DESCRIPTION

The Managing Director’s Office (MDO) is a cabinet-level office with oversight of the City’s operating departments. MDO works to ensure government efficiency and coordination across city government, and plays a major role in creating new policies and making sure they are enacted successfully.

Within the Managing Director’s Office, the Office of Criminal Justice (OCJ) facilitates partnerships between City agencies, criminal justice partners, nonprofit organizations, and community members in order to advance the Kenney administration’s goals around criminal justice reform. OCJ serves as the Mayor’s appointee to Philadelphia County’s Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB) and is the point of contact for various local, state, and federal justice partners.

Job Description

Salary: $60,000- $65,000

The OCJ is seeking an individual to coordinate the implementation of the Root Causes Project (RCP). The RCP is a grant-funded, collaborative effort between the Office of Criminal Justice and its many City and County criminal justice partner agencies. RCP will develop an asset-based framework to support the capacity across Philadelphia’s criminal justice system to make impactful referrals to reentry programs and other health and social services by facilitating the development of both shared and agency-specific referral toolkits. For example, these toolkits could include strengths-based needs assessments, resource lists, training materials, program development recommendations, and/or data and metrics guidance. By uplifting current, as well as creating or identifying new resources that enhance the capacity for impactful referrals and developing shared frameworks for desired outcomes, RCP will result in improved connections between individuals in the criminal justice system and resources and services they are interested in accessing, increased cross-system alignment, more targeted allocation of resources, and better data about referrals and recidivism.

The Program Manager will be responsible for managing the day to day work of the RCP Project, working closely with the OCJ Staff and other RCP partners such as the First Judicial District Court of Common Pleas (FJD-CP) (including the Adult Probation and Parole Department and Pretrial Services Department), Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, the Defender Association of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, and representatives of the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition. The Program Manager will work particularly closely with a Reentry Coordinator in the Court of Common Pleas. The RCP Program Manager will work under the supervision of the OCJ’s Director of the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition.

This position is only guaranteed for one year, with the possibility of a second year contingent on renewal funding.

Essential Functions: 

  • Ensure that RCP is continually informed and shaped by the knowledge and experiences of people who are court-involved, as well as their families and communities (by developing community engagement mechanisms and/or partnerships), throughout every phase of the project.
  • Develop communications materials (such as briefs and reports) to initially introduce, and later update, partners and other stakeholders about the Root Causes Project (RCP).
  • Conduct a detailed written process analysis of all policies and procedures related to needs identification, assessments, and referrals to reentry programs and other health and social services, within participating Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB) agencies including the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, the Defender Association of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, and the First Judicial District Court of Common Pleas (FJD-CP) (including the Adult Probation and Parole Department and Pretrial Services Department).
  • Use innovative practices (such as human-centered design) to identify opportunities to centralize, design, and implement a variety of resources, frameworks, or other tools that would enable criminal justice agencies to more efficiently and effectively link individuals in their system(s) to the necessary social services, resources, and reentry supports. Work closely with the Reentry Coalition during design development.
  • Work with CJAB agencies to develop individualized, agency-specific toolkits to help develop and/or track performance indicators related to reentry referrals, based on each agency’s needs and priorities.
  • Pilot 1-3 resources, frameworks, models, or specific tools that seem the most valuable, within or across agencies, to more effectively and/or efficiently connect people with services that address the root causes of criminal justice system involvement. Create a detailed implementation plan for either scaling or sustaining whichever piloted projects are most promising.
  • Serve as the liaison between agencies, organizations, and individuals involved in implementing RCP.
  • Monitor research findings and publications for best practices and lessons learned related to enhancing reentry referrals within criminal justice agencies; make recommendations to OCJ staff and partners regarding policy modifications when appropriate.
  • Manage budgets, contracts, and grant reporting related to RCP.

Qualifications

Required

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent. May substitute the Bachelor’s degree with relevant experience and ability to perform the essential duties of this job.
  • A minimum of 4 years of professional experience in criminal justice reform, public administration, public policy, public health, social work, or a related field.
  • A minimum of 1 year of project management experience.
  • Experience with strategic planning, process improvement, performance management, and/or program evaluation.
  • Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
  • Familiarity with program design.

Preferred

  • Bachelor’s degree in related field.
  • Knowledge of the criminal justice system and the reentry landscape in Philadelphia.
  • Experience with grant and/or budget management and reporting.
  • People who have been directly affected by the criminal justice system are encouraged to apply.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
  • Significant knowledge and understanding of the barriers and challenges people frequently face upon returning to the community after incarceration, especially related to accessing services and resources.
  • A strong commitment to removing barriers and otherwise reforming policies, practices, and organizational culture in response to the needs articulated by communities most negatively impacted by mass incarceration.
  • Ability to successfully engage and partner with stakeholder groups from different sectors, build credibility, influence and mobilize others, build consensus among groups or individuals with different perspectives and priorities, and work at multiple levels within an organization.
  • Ability to manage projects effectively, including coordinating multiple activities, and managing multi-stakeholder collaboration.
  • Very detail-oriented, with excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, and an interest in systems change and/or systems thinking.
  • Flexibility and adaptability.
  • Ability to gather, organize, edit, analyze and synthesize large amounts of information.
  • Comfortable and effective working both independently and on teams.
  • Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing.
  • Strong proficiency with computer-based communications and functions including word processing, email, internet browsing, and data entry, including the ability to effectively use applications like Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, Outlook, Gmail, and Dropbox. Experience with graphic design and/or visual communication tools like Adobe, InDesign, etc preferred but not required.  Willingness to learn new digital tools required.

Additional Information

This position requires long periods of time at a desk on a computer.

Successful candidate must be a City resident within six months of hire.

Complete applications for this position must include a resume and cover letter. Applications without the required documetns will not be considered.  

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to faqpchr@ phila.gov. For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx