Program Officer

About The Just Trust

The Just Trust is a new philanthropic institution that is 100% dedicated to powering criminal justice reform, state-by-state and across the nation. We’re a team of grantmakers, directly-impacted people, and allies, and we invest in visionary leaders, organizations, and campaigns—from underdogs to heavyweights, organizers to policy wonks, rural folks to city dwellers—all fighting for the safety and wellbeing of their communities.

Our Vision & Our Hiring Approach

Our vision is to transform the justice system into a just and compassionate engine of public safety for all—one where we hold each other to account, treat each other with dignity, and where the strength of our communities keeps people from entering the system in the first place.

We seek to do this by strategically investing (through grants and other direct support) in leaders’ and organizations’ sharpest efforts, across state and party lines, to change hearts, minds, and laws.

At The Just Trust—a fiscally sponsored project of New Venture Fund—we have a lot of work ahead of us, and we know that our collective success is dependent on building out a team that includes a diverse set of people. This especially includes those who have direct, lived experience with the criminal justice system—those with criminal convictions and formerly incarcerated people, family members of currently and formerly incarcerated people, crime survivors, and people who have worked within the system, including law enforcement, prosecutors, public defenders, and corrections. In addition, we want to build a team of individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, and political beliefs who can challenge each other's assumptions with fresh perspectives. To that end, we look for a diverse pool of applicants including those from historically marginalized groups—women, people with disabilities, people of color, people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or gender non-conforming, first and second-generation immigrants, veterans, and people from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

If this sounds like the place for you, keep on reading.

The Opportunity

With an initial commitment of $350 million (and counting) over the next five years, The Just Trust seeks to hire a Program Officer to join our growing Program Team. 

The ideal candidate is passionate about criminal justice reform with either lived experience and/or deep subject matter expertise. They are a strategic thinker and master project manager with either grantmaking or public policy experience. They will thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative work environment where they manage multiple projects simultaneously. They have a strong track record of building trusted, collaborative relationships with grantees or other movement stakeholders.

This person loves thinking outside the box. They also love bringing together diverse partners to help make advocacy efforts more effective. They are proactive but know how to react with precision. They are excited by the idea of supporting a small, hardworking team focused on big, big challenges. The ability to effectively execute multiple priorities to support a start-up organization with ambitious sustainability and growth goals is necessary. Equally important, this person will have a deep commitment to contributing to an internal organizational work culture where team members can be highly effective in their day-to-day work as well as thrive in a work environment where work-life balance is a value and priority. Core to this position is also a person who possesses a collaborative, partnership-driven spirit, is deeply committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and cares about the criminal justice reform issues that The Just Trust is committed to. This is a full-time, remote position with regular travel.

You Will:

Support The Just Trust as it enters its first full year of operations, working closely with the Program Team in advancing the State by State Campaign. Reporting to the Senior Program Officer, you will: 

Under the supervision of the Senior Program Officer, serve as a key grantmaker. Support the development of the State by State grant portfolio, including devising and implementing the investment strategy and securing approval from the Chief Program Officer, conducting grantee due diligence, owning grantee relationships, and reporting on impact. Project manage grants, both internally and through the fiscal sponsor’s grantmaking process. Build trusting relationships and champion collaboration with other leaders in the field. Identify opportunities for cross-grantee collaboration and convene grantees for shared learnings, strategy development, and infrastructure building. Develop partnerships with local, state, and regional philanthropic organizations to advance support for criminal justice infrastructure, particularly at the state level. Elevate grantees’ work and respond to grantee announcements in a timely, equitable, and supportive manner. Center justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in your personal and organizational leadership both internally and externally. Assist in preparing materials for the leadership team. Travel regularly (when it is safe to do so).

The person holding this position may also work part-time for a coordinated 501(c)(4) organization, The Just Trust for Action, under a resource-sharing agreement between the New Venture Fund and The Just Trust for Action. The responsibilities under that position will be overseen by The Just Trust for Action. 

You Have:

Direct experience with or extensive knowledge of the criminal justice system. A minimum of four years of experience in nonprofit, public policy, grassroots advocacy, or criminal justice work. Effective writing, editing, and verbal communication skills. Attention to detail and an ability to produce an efficient and high-quality work product. Project management experience. Meaningful experience with communities that are system impacted is preferred.   Demonstrated ability to develop partnerships with allies such as progressive and conservative advocates and leaders, faith leaders, crime survivor groups, and law enforcement/corrections organizations. Track record as a collaborative worker who excels in managing multiple projects, and is comfortable working in a fast-paced and non-traditional work environment. Experience using CRM software, Google Workspace, and Slack. Experience with a 501(c)(3) and/or 501(c)(4)  organizations is a plus A deep alignment and commitment to criminal justice reform and equity, diversity, and inclusion. Applicant can live anywhere in the USA but a preference is for the following states: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.

Salary and Benefits

The salary for this role is $110,000 - $130,000, depending on experience. In addition, New Venture Fund offers a generous and comprehensive benefits package that includes employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance, 6% employer match on 401k contributions, pre-tax transportation benefits, and paid holidays, vacation, sick, and volunteer time off.

New Venture Fund Careers

The Just Trust is a project of the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grantmaking programs. The New Venture Fund is committed to attracting, developing, and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding, and enables each of us to realize our potential. The New Venture Fund’s work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law in the locality and/or state in which you are working.

COVID-19 Policy 

To center the safety and well-being of its employees, New Venture Fund requires that any employee who is required to conduct in-person activities for their job must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 within four weeks of their start date.  This position may require candidates to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  Accommodations may be sought and approved in accordance with the law by contacting human resources at HR@newventurefund.org.