Operations and Program Assistant

Job title: Operations and Program Assistant 

Location: Washington DC; remote for now

Classification: Regular, full-time, non exempt

Due: Applications will be accepted until January 15, 2021; and reviewed as submitted

Overview of the position:

The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth is hiring! Founded in 2009, the CFSY works to ban juvenile life without parole in the United States, and create opportunities for those directly impacted by extreme sentencing to thrive and lead. The Operations and Program Assistant is a new position designed to provide key administrative support to the Operations, Development and Strategic Partnerships departments, and fulfill core responsibilities to ensure smooth and effective implementation of each department’s goals and objectives. 

The Operations and Program Assistant’s primary responsibilities include office support, meeting management and notetaking, data entry, event support, research and program coordination. While the CFSY’s physical office is currently closed this position will work remotely. When the physical office is open (timeline TBD), this position will be responsible for managing daily office-related operations. The Operations and Program Assistant reports to the Director of Strategic Partnerships, and is a member of three internal departments. 

Primary Responsibilities:

Development

• Data Management and Entry:
  • Manage and track engagement activities for new and ongoing fundraising; 
  • Manage mass imports: for all individual, major and private sector donations and related fundraising activities; 
  • Perform regular maintenance to ensure accurate and complete donor data;  
  • Work with the team to create and distribute weekly donation reports; 
• Conduct complex mail merges and mailings; 
• Assist with thank yous and acknowledgement of diverse donors;
• Provide soup-to-nuts technical support and coordination for virtual and in-person events;
• Conduct and distribute research on funding opportunities and potential donors;
• Provide light editing and copyediting for a range of externally facing materials. 

Strategic Partnerships

• Conduct research on corporations, individuals and other entities in support of department goals and objectives, and engagement opportunities; 
• Coordinate all logistics for specific Strategic Partnership programs: ensuring paperwork is complete; working with other departments to process payments; assist with scheduling and material development and distribution; 
• Attend department related meetings and take notes.

Human Resources 

• Work with the Operations team to ensure that all staff have the technology, office equipment and supplies needed to do their jobs;
• Manage staff social activities and CFSY staff/events calendar;
• Oversee timely and accurate completion and collection of timesheets and maintain accurate records of PTO. 

Finance

• Manage and complete a range of data entry and recordkeeping tasks in QuickBooks: pledges, deposits, and receipts with proper coding; 
• Manage some accounts and bills payable; income from multiple sources; pay bills.
• Work closely with the Finance & HR Manager to implement and maintain systems to ensure aligned documentation and accurate reporting;
• Manage staff reimbursements; petty cash; and debit card use;
• Liaise with vendors and independent contractors;
• Work with the Movement Building team to process stipends for network members.

Office Operations

• Manage staff meeting logistics: collect agenda items, create and circulate the agenda and video access information; take and distribute notes and action items; 
• Support a variety of department-specific and organization-wide events; 
• Timing TBD: Keep the physical office running smoothly: answer phones, manage mail, welcome visitors, ensure office machines work, ensure adequate kitchen and office supplies.
• Fulfill other tasks and responsibilities as needed to support a growing organization.

Qualifications:

• Minimum 3 years experience in office/program administration, preferably in nonprofit settings (volunteer, extracurricular, and/or professional);

• Demonstrated ability to engage and work effectively with a diverse group of partners and stakeholders;

• Demonstrated organizational and computer literacy and manipulating large data sets (Google Apps, Microsoft Office, CRM and fundraising software; video conferencing and webinar software; experience with QuickBooks or bookkeeping software preferred);

• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage and support complex projects and tasks, with multiple stakeholders, goals, timelines and deadlines;
• Extraordinarily organized, detail-oriented and able to multitask;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Values and Traits:

• Strong interest in criminal justice issues, particularly progressive reform to juvenile sentencing practices, racial discrimination in juvenile justice, and/or human rights in the United States;

• Belief that our society has failed the children impacted by life without parole and other extreme sentences and that we all have a responsibility to create avenues for their restoration and that of our entire community;
• Belief in the inherent dignity and humanity of all people regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, class, education level, zip code and more; and belief that each of us is more than the worst things we’ve done or experienced;
• Self-motivated and able to take initiative and implement own responsibilities within guidelines of department structure and workplan;
• Thrive in a fast paced environment while responsible for cross-department functions;
• Flexible and willing/able to adapt to the evolving nature of CFSY’s work;
• Constructive and optimistic; confronts problems with the expectation that a solution exists;
• Personable, and has a sense of humor; 
• Prioritizes self-care.

Location and Travel

The CFSY’s headquarters are in Washington, DC, with many staff working remotely throughout the country. The Operations and Program Assistant is based in Washington, DC, working remotely for the time being until the CFSY physical office reopens. In accordance with CFSY internal policies, all required home-office technology, equipment and supplies, and all business related travel will be paid for by the CFSY.

Physical Environment and Equipment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The work will ultimately be (post Covid) performed primarily in an office setting, with moderate background noise and requiring the ability to sit and/or stand at a workstation for extended periods of time;
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to: stand, sit, talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone;
• Specific vision abilities include close vision requirements due to computer work;
• Light to moderate lifting (no more than 25 pounds);
• Ability to travel occasionally, including in a plane, car and occasionally public transportation;
• Ability to effectively use a telephone, including mobile phone; computer (with Microsoft and Google applications); keyboard; and video conferencing.

Compensation, Benefits, and Culture:

The hourly wage for this position is $21.63 for an effective annual salary of $45,000. The CFSY offers a generous benefits package, including: four weeks of paid vacation (annually), accrued sick time; 100% employer‐paid premiums for an individual health insurance plan, life and disability insurance; an Employee Assistance Program; the option for an 8-week sabbatical after five consecutive years of employment; and a 403(b) retirement plan. 

We work in deep partnership with people in prison, those who have been released, and their family and social networks. All staff at the CFSY, regardless of position, engage in this connection and are regularly proximate to those directly impacted by the work we do.

How To Apply:

Email in a single PDF attachment a letter of interest and resume to opsjob@cfsy.org. Use “Operations Program Assistant” as the subject of your email and name your PDF attachment “LAST NAME_Operations Program Assistant.” Applications accepted until January 15, 2021 and reviewed as submitted. No phone calls.

The CFSY is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. People of color, individuals with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, and those with personal experience in the juvenile or criminal justice systems are strongly encouraged to apply.