A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

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, Office of the Victim Advocate 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.

The Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) implements strategies and initiatives to prevent, reduce, and end violence in Philadelphia. OVP is particularly focused on addressing gun violence.

The Office of Criminal Justice (OCJ) advances the Kenney Administration's goals of public safety and community well-being through collaborative and data-driven initiatives in Philadelphia’s criminal and juvenile justice systems.

The Office of the Victim Advocate (OVA) was opened in February 2022 to provide coordination, strategic planning, and service provision oversight for victims, co-victims and survivors of crime, with a special emphasis on gun violence and homicide.

Town Watch Integrated Services (TWIS) is a volunteer focused safety effort. Residents of the community who wish to volunteer for their community will receive assistance from Town Watch Integrated Services.

The Office of Reentry Partnerships (ORP) was formed in August 2019 and charged with elevating and organizing citywide reentry efforts and supporting the Kenney administration’s goals for violence prevention, criminal justice reform, and community reinvestment. ORP’s mission is to empower returning citizens, partner organizations, and the public to interrupt cycles of recidivism and build thriving communities.

As Philadelphia’s hub for reentry referrals, resources, and training, the goals of the Office of Reentry Partnerships are to: 1) Set a clear vision and direction for a measurable citywide approach to improving reentry outcomes; 2) Drive and sustain an unprecedented level of coordination between the local government, other government partners, service providers, education and training programs, employers, and community members; and 3) ensure that City reentry initiatives are research- and data-driven.

The Reentry Trainer & Economic Opportunity Coordinator will support ORP’s efforts to increase access to, and impact of, economic and career pathway opportunities for currently & formerly incarcerated Philadelphians. Career pathway opportunities include all education, training, employment, workforce development, and other economic opportunity-related services, programs, and initiatives. Through research, analysis, project management, partnership development, and other activities, Re-entry Trainer & Economic Opportunity Coordinator will build ORP’s capacity to meaningfully advance a policy agenda, sustain cross-agency partnerships, and develop and scale solutions to often-identified barriers.

Essential Functions

• Work closely with ORP staff to develop a deep understanding of the barriers to career pathways, and associated solutions, for returning citizens.
• Develop curriculum, workshops and initiatives for both currently impacted and formerly impacted persons.
• Work with participants in all PA jails and prisons
• Familiarity with and ability to teach cognitive behavioral concepts (CBT) and Trauma informed concepts
• Support research activities, data analysis, and policy analysis related to reentry and employment, workforce development, education, and career pathways and otherwise, to advance ORP's mandates of creating a city-wide reentry agenda, developing a data-driven system, and/or improving the quality of reentry services.
• Ongoing partnership development to build capacity to measurably improve reentry outcomes by increasing the coordination, quality, and availability of career pathway -building services, resources, and opportunities for people with criminal justice system involvement:

• Internally among ORP staff, including client-facing staff involved in Philadelphia Department of Prisons Post-Release Outreach, Reentry Referrals, Connecting Individuals to Sponsored Services, etc.
• For Neighborhood Resource Centers as they implemented, and for partner agencies, criminal justice system stakeholders

• Develop and establish a train the trainer model to be implemented at ORP, NRC and other partner organizations.
• Enhance the services available through the Neighborhood Resource Centers by developing and strengthening partnerships among City agencies, and community-based service providers who specialize in supporting people with criminal justice system involvement and offer services related to employment, education, and/or career pathways.
• Provide direct ongoing support to the Fair Chance Hiring Initiative, as necessary and mutually agreed upon by ORP and the Commerce Department.
• Program design related to reentry and career pathways, as applicable.
• Other activities as they arise to support ORP efforts to increase returning citizens’ access to more individualized and higher quality services to address employment, education, economic mobility, and/or career pathways.
• Represent ORP on appropriate boards, committees, and collaborative structures under the direction of the Executive Director.
• Perform any additional duties as described by the Office of Reentry Partnerships related to the goals and activities of the Office.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Commitment to the ORP Values – Personal commitment to equity and inclusion, and specifically ORP’s mission to empower returning citizens, partner organizations, and the public to interrupt cycles of harm and build thriving communities. Commitment to authentic and ongoing partnership with people, families, and communities most directly impacted by reentry
• Familiarity with Philadelphia – Deep knowledge of Philadelphia including dynamics of wide array of different communities and neighborhood; familiarity with the stakeholders involved in Philadelphia criminal justice system
• Skilled at Community Engagement – Proven track records of effectively engaging community members to achieve specific objectives, familiarity with best practices related to community engagement. Ability to engage authentically with a wide range of stakeholders and various racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic communities
• Excellent Collaborator and Facilitator – Ability to work cooperatively and effectively with others to set goals, resolve problems, and make decisions; able to collaborate with diverse types of stakeholders including government. Experience effectively facilitating groups and meetings with a wide range of stakeholders
• Effective Communication – Outstanding oral, written, and visual communications skills for various audiences, including digital and traditional communications
• Advances Administrative Skills and Digital Literacy – Fluency with Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, and other computer-based communications, functions, and platforms, and ability to learn new software systems
• Attention to Details and Organization – including strong organization skills, careful about details, thorough in completing tasks, able to meet deadlines, and persistent in pursuit of goals
• Strong Analysis and Reasoning – including comfort with basic spreadsheets, data collection and simple analysis, and the ability to gather, organize, edit, analyze and synthesize information
• Project management – Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and manage multiple activities in a fast- paced environment, including managing peoples’ involvement in complex projects
• Critical and Strategic Thinking – Ability to use sound and accurate judgment and think creatively to resolve complex problems and the ability to multi-task under tight deadlines
• Flexibility – Self-starter with flexibility to work both independently and as part of a team, and an eagerness to contribute to the success of the Office of Reentry Partnerships, even when tasks may fall outside of core responsibilities

Work-Life

Working hours are generally 37.5 hours per week which also includes work within the state prisons, city jails and federal detention centers. 

Our team is currently hybrid with both virtual and in-office days, however the position can opt to come in the office each day if desired.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
• A minimum of years of directly relevant experience
• A minimum of 2 years working with prisons impacted by mass incarceration

Preferred:

• Prior experience working within a criminal justice system

People who have been directly affected by the criminal justice system are encouraged to apply.

TO APPLY: Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume.

Salary Range: $55,000 - $60,000 

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

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that  are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully 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 [email protected].

For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx