[Jobs] Vera Institute of Justice - Director of Research and Vice President

[Leora Lawton]

Vera Institute of Justice - Director of Research and Vice President
*Location:* New York, NY

http://vera.theresumator.com/apply/zlDVwO/Director-Of-Research-And-Vice-President.html

The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera), an independent, nonpartisan,
nonprofit center for justice research, policy and practice, seeks an
accomplished, high-energy individual with a passion for justice,
particularly its racial and ethnic dimensions, to lead its Research
Department. This is an opportunity to help steer a thriving and dynamic
organization with a national and international reputation and ambitious
plans for the future.

Reporting to President and Director Nicholas Turner, the Director of
Research is a member of Vera's five-person Executive Team and is
responsible for shaping Vera's research agenda, heightening its real world
impact, promoting and sustaining collaboration with Vera's program staff,
strengthening the research funding base, and providing leadership and
mentorship to a research staff of 30.

The ideal candidate will have a strong reputation and contacts in the
research community and beyond, a creative and collaborative intellect, and
a commitment to using research to drive change. The job calls for a strong
grasp of a wide variety of social science research methods, a vision for
the role of rigorous research in the reform of justice institutions, and
stellar communications skills. It requires the discipline to oversee
multiple projects simultaneously and the temperament, skills, and
inclination to work in effective collaboration with colleagues at Vera,
practitioners, government officials, and partner institutions.

Vera's annual budget - $35 million in FY2013 - is primarily supported by
grants and contracts with local, state, and federal governments. Its main
office is in New York City, with satellite offices in Washington DC, New
Orleans, and Los Angeles. Most of the research staff is located in New
York. The organization has a total of 181 employees, 157 full time and 24
part-time.

There is a very strong preference for residence in the New York City
office; however, location in Vera's Washington DC office will be considered.

 *Research at Vera*

Research has been central to Vera's work and has contributed to its
credibility, utility to government partners, and the impact of its
recommendations and guidance on many difficult issues confronted by justice
administrators and the vulnerable populations their decisions affect. Vera
has long relied on the use of cutting-edge research methods; its use of
such methods has been rigorous and practical, earning acceptance in both
the academic and policy-making worlds.

Vera emphasizes participatory, collaborative, and evidence driven policy
engagement with governments and other partners worldwide. Vera's access to
government data enables its researchers to help develop new programs; and
its capacity for measurement and evaluation allows staff to develop
targeted data-based findings and research-informed recommendations, leading
to critical policy shifts or deeper understanding.

Examples of Vera's most prominent research include the Court Employment
Project evaluation (1979), a study of juvenile detention (1999), and a
study of HIV-infected foster children who were enrolled in clinical trials
(2009). Evaluating the Court Employment Project (CEP), Vera conducted one
of the first randomized trials in a criminal justice setting. The study's
findings led CEP to change its focus from first-time offenders and
defendants charged with misdemeanors - individuals for whom, the study
showed, CEP's services made little difference - to defendants facing felony
charges. The juvenile detention study, which documented disproportionate
custody of children in foster care, was made possible by Vera's access to
unpublished, closely held government data. This study led to the
development of a Vera demonstration project, Project Confirm, which in turn
led to changes in New York Police Department and NYC foster-care
procedures. At the request of New York City's Administration for Children's
Services, Vera also conducted an independent review of the experiences of
foster children enrolled in clinical trials for conditions related to HIV
and AIDS beginning in the early 1980s. Vera's report, endorsed by an
independent advisory board, addressed long-standing concerns that elected
representatives and advocates had raised about the trials and recommended
guidelines for conducting research involving children in foster care.

Alumni of Vera's research department include executive directors of the
American Sociological Association, the New York Criminal Justice Agency,
the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The After-School
Corporation (TASC), the New York Criminal Justice Coordinator's Office; and
tenured faculty at many elite universities.

*The Ideal Candidate*

The ideal candidate will have substantive knowledge of a few subject areas
in which Vera conducts its work or related justice, equity, or human
services domains. This knowledge will be demonstrated by a record of
scholarship in peer-reviewed journals or field- or agency-based research in
relevant content areas. Equally important, candidates should embrace and
advance the role of research in the practical reform of justice
institutions. The ideal candidate will bring the following professional
experience and personal qualities to the role:

   - At least ten years of experience designing, carrying out, and being
   the principal investigator on research projects or overseeing and creating
   reports on research while in a government or other agency setting; a Ph.D.
   in a relevant field preferred.
   - A mission-orientation and commitment to advancing a more just, fair,
   and equitable society; a demonstrable commitment to racial justice;
   - Demonstrated fundraising acumen and networks; a record of success
   winning, managing, and fulfilling government and philanthropic research
   grants and contracts;
   - Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills; a sense of humor; the
   ease of being and flexibility necessary for working in a fast-paced and
   complex organization;
   - A commitment to sustaining a diverse, stimulating, and respectful
   workplace where priority is placed on continuous staff development;
   - The skill and aptitude to maintain a non-partisan and respectful
   collaboration with public officials, community groups, funders, and
   government partners.



*For More Information or To Apply*

All inquiries nominations and applications may be directed in confidence to
Mary E. King Executive Search, maryeking at comcast.net, 617 267 4376 (o), 617
780 2099 (c):

Applications should be submitted electronically and include a resume and
cover letter of one to two pages.

Additional information can be found at http://www.vera.org/

Vera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. To do our work
most effectively, Vera needs a staff with diversity in political beliefs,
country of origin, race, age, religion and religious orthodoxy, sexual
orientation, field of study, type of educational institution attended, and
experience with the justice system. We are proud to have assembled a staff
that collectively embodies all these differences.



-- 
Leora Lawton PhD
Executive Director
Berkeley Population Center
350K Barrows Hall
(of) 510-643-1270
(m) 510-928-7572
www.popcenter.berkeley.edu
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