Overview of City of Philadelphia

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.  

What We Offer:

Impact - The work you do here matters to millions.

Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it?

Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.

Benefits - We care about your well being.

Agency Description

The Office of Policy and Strategic Initiatives for Criminal Justice and Public Safety strengthens the coordination of the Office of Violence Prevention, Office of Criminal Justice, Office of Reentry Partnerships, and Town Watch Integrated Services into a community-centric dynamic unit. The office is focused on uplifting solutions to reduce violence, enhance the bridge between neighborhoods and City government, as well as amplifies support for returning citizens and families impacted by the criminal justice system, developing and implementing reforms in an equitable fashion informed by the decades of systemic oppression, racism, and poverty.

Within the Office of Policy and Strategic Initiatives for Criminal Justice and Public Safety, the Office of Criminal Justice (OCJ) advances the Kenney administration’s goals of criminal justice reform by developing partnerships between City agencies, criminal justice partners, nonprofit organizations, and community members. 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.

The Project Manager will be tasked with executing Philadelphia’s efforts to reduce the representation of people experiencing mental illness, substance use disorder, or co-occurring disorders in the criminal justice system.

The primary ongoing responsibility is for management of projects and initiatives at the intersection of criminal justice and behavioral health. The project manager will oversee efforts related to enhancing the City’s efforts to create alternatives to incarceration for the seriously mentally ill. The Project Manager oversees the planning, implementation, and tracking of specific projects, as well as the development of a cohesive strategy. The Project Manager is also responsible for coordinating activities and ongoing collaborations, including communications with community-based organizations, City departments, and other stakeholders.

The Project Manager will collaborate closely with the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbilities Services  and will frequently work with the Police Department, Department of Prisons, the First Judicial District, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Defender Association, the Office of Homelessness Services as well as local, state, and federal elected officials.

Essential Functions

As in many municipalities, the jail system has become the de facto mental hospital in the region, and far too often relied upon to meet the needs of people experiencing a substance use disorder.  Nearly 40 % of the people incarcerated in Philadelphia’s local jails suffer from and are medicated for behavioral health disorders. Approximately 70% have some type of behavioral health diagnosis. These statistics are staggering.

To address the overrepresentation of people with behavioral health issues in the criminal justice system, the Office of Criminal Justice has a number of priority initiatives. Stepping Up is a data-driven, comprehensive, cross-agency effort to reduce the number individuals in jail with mental illness by 1) reducing the number of people booked into jail with mental illness, 2) reducing length of stay in jail, 3) increasing connections to treatment in the community and 4) reducing recidivism. 

The 911 Triage and Responder Strategy seeks to safely deflect individuals with behavioral health needs away from the justice system and into more appropriate behavioral health care or social services in the community. The Program working  to better identify and determine the appropriate response for people calling 911 related to a behavioral health crisis, implementing a pilot program that pairs specially trained law enforcement with behavioral health professionals and expanding the range alternative responder teams that can respond directly to 911 calls without law enforcement intervention. The first major effort for Philadelphia will be to divert 911 calls directly to the Philadelphia Crisis Line, and the dispatch of expanded Mobile Emergency Crisis Response Teams.

In Philadelphia, the project manager will assure the success of these and other priority initiatives by:

• Maintaining visible support of priority initiatives by critical elected officials, county program directors and community advocates and treatment agencies;
• Managing  project teams made up of justice system leaders including judges, prosecutors, the defense bar, community supervision staff, corrections and behavioral health professionals; Mental health service directors, community health care providers, health care financial experts, patients, families and advocacy groups;
• Developing benchmarks, performance metrics, and the ongoing tracking of progress;
• Conducting a comprehensive assessment of criminal justice decision points, using validated screening instruments;
• Establishing real-time sharing of treatment related data between project team components as needed;
• Supporting the implementation of new and innovative programs that incorporate evidence-based practices and a racial equity lens;
• Improving cross-system information sharing within the complex framework of current systems, practices, and legal constraints;
•  Creation and implementation of strategies addressing process and resource gaps to reduce the number of people with mental illness that are in jail, to reduce the length of stay of jailed mental health patients, to increase connections to treatment and treatment plan compliance and to reduce recidivism. 
• Writing grants and other funding proposals to secure resources for initiative components.
• Meet reporting requirement for acquired grants.
• Serve as a liaison with technical assistance providers and other counties participating in the Stepping Up Initiative.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Proven working experience as a project manager in the criminal justice or social services sector
• Excellent verbal, listening and written communication skills
• Proficient in data gathering and analysis;
• Able to collaborate with all levels of government and non-governmental agencies;
• Solid organizational skills including attention to detail and multi-tasking skills
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Internet tools and social media.
• Ability to work cooperatively and effectively with others to set goals, resolve problem, and make decisions.
• Prior experience working with criminal justice and behavioral health systems required
• Knowledge of Pennsylvania’s system preferred
• Familiarity with the rules of criminal procedure, HIPAA and CHRIA preferred

Completion of an advanced degree at an accredited college or university in law, criminal justice, social work, public health, public administration, or similar areas of study required.

Five years of related working experience in a large jurisdiction preferred.

SALARY:  $60,000- $70,000

Did you know?

• We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program qualified employer
• 25% tuition discount program for City employees (and sometimes spouses and dependents as well) in partnership with area colleges and universities
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available
• Successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

As a condition of employment with the City of Philadelphia, employees starting employment on or after September 1, 2021 must be vaccinated. 

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