Director of Policy and Advocacy

Director of Policy and Advocacy

Priority application deadline is Friday, March 14th, 2025 at 5pm PST

About UnCommon Law

UnCommon Law fights to ensure that all people incarcerated for violent crime have access to healing, justice, and effective legal representation.

Through our unique, trauma-informed model of advocacy, we provide the space currently missing in the system for healing, accountability, and safe pathways home from prison. In developing new self-narratives, the people we serve are able to more effectively disrupt violence inside and outside prison and become leaders who change negative societal narratives about those incarcerated for violent crime. Our groundbreaking approach is changing policy and outcomes, driven by the voices and experiences of system-impacted communities.

About the Role

The Director of Policy and Advocacy (DPA) reports to the Deputy Director, supervises the Policy team, and provides strategic leadership in the development and implementation of the organization’s advocacy agenda and campaigns to ensure that our policy goals are achieved. The DPA engages with all other UnCommon Law teams to ensure consistency and integration between the various program departments with respect to research, communications, community engagement, and policy campaigns. The DPA directs - in collaboration with the Director of Legal Services – the policy-related work of the Litigation and Policy Attorney, and coordinates with the Communications Manager in executing strategic communications to support UnCommon Law’s advocacy efforts. 

The DPA is a thoughtful, creative, strategic, collaborative, compassionate, and dynamic leader and manager with a track record of supporting a talented and diverse team with the goal of inclusion, innovation, and sustainable growth. The DPA should have demonstrated success in leading impactful campaigns utilizing a range of creative, multidisciplinary strategies, which might include a combination of research, strategic communications, media outreach, grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and lobbying to educate and mobilize support for an issue. The DPA utilizes their background in community organizing and executing grassroots campaigns to ensure that UnCommon Law’s advocacy strategies empower and directly engage those most directly impacted by the policies we seek to change, and to engage national partners pursuing parole reform in other U.S. states. 

This exempt position reports directly to the Executive Director and offers an annual salary range of $138,250 to $154,050. The Director of Policy and Advocacy is a hybrid position with in-office requirements at our Oakland office; however, we will still consider remote candidates. 

Key Duties and Responsibilities

General

• In close collaboration with the Executive Director and Deputy Director, set the collective vision, culture, goals and strategic direction for the policy and advocacy team. Specifically, build upon our existing policy framework to develop and implement a robust policy strategy for the next three years, including legislative and budget advocacy, regulatory advocacy, educational campaigns, and grassroots organizing.
• Lead high-impact policy research initiatives, including providing data-driven strategic guidance on legislative proposals and delivering actionable stakeholder recommendations through reports and presentations.
• Sets the strategic vision and direction for the organization’s policy and advocacy efforts, crafting long-term plans to influence public policy, align initiatives with organizational goals, adapt to emerging trends, and promote innovative advocacy approaches, while ensuring continuous education on policy developments across the organization.
• Manage policy-related contract agreements with consultants, event speakers, and professional development providers.
• Oversee public education efforts, including events inside prisons and in the community, on the parole consideration process and the impacts of policy decisions on incarcerated people and those connected to them.
• Develop and execute a communications and media strategy (in collaboration with other team members) to advance advocacy goals, serving as a spokesperson as needed.
• Cultivate partnerships with incarcerated people, formerly incarcerated people, community-based organizations, and others to establish firm grassroots in the community of people most directly impacted by incarceration and their advocates and allies.
  

Team Leadership

• Provide direct supervision, mentorship, and professional development opportunities for Policy Team members, fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented team culture.
• Co-create and implement strategic goals, priorities, work plans and accountability to advance the Policy team’s impact, including evaluating their success toward achieving team and individual objectives.
• Develop and strengthen internal processes to improve coordination and overall impact within the Policy team.
• Collaborate with UnCommon Law’s legal, development, communications, operations, and new leadership teams to ensure the clear and timely sharing of information (regarding advocacy strategy, goals, challenges, timelines, updates, etc.) throughout the organization.
• Provide training and guidance for UnCommon Law’s staff to build up our capacity and competency to engage in community organizing and to develop and execute grassroots campaigns. 
  

Policy and Advocacy

• CA State Advocacy:
  • As a member of our policy team, provide leadership and strategic guidance in the recently formed California Alliance for Parole Reform (CAPR).
  • Oversee the development and implementation of a strategic plan to educate state lawmakers on the parole consideration process and its impact on incarcerated people and their loved ones.
  • Oversee the development of legislative language, legislative tracking, and the drafting of position letters and administrative rulemaking comments.
    
• National Policy Advocacy:
  • Create a plan to establish UnCommon Law as a national leader in discretionary parole policy reform.
  • Cultivate relationships and partnerships with advocates in other states, build a network of national parole advocates (which could include a formal coalition and/or national convenings), and develop communication and advocacy strategies to elevate parole issues as a national priority for criminal justice reform.
  • Develop resources based on our learnings in California that can help other states and jurisdictions move policies and conversations aimed at creating meaningful pathways out of prison for those incarcerated for serious crimes.
  • Develop and implement high-impact government relations by leveraging influential relationships with policymakers, leading key legislative and regulatory initiatives, and ensuring alignment with organizational goals to shape long-term public policy.
    

Organization-Wide

• Participate in regular staff meetings.
• Participate in in-person team building activities and retreats as appropriate.
• Assist in cross-team collaborative opportunities as needed.
  

Experience

• 5 years of public policy experience at either federal, state, or local level, preferably for progressive organizations and/or related to decarceration, criminal justice, or issues of racial equity. This should include direct experience analyzing and interpreting legislative and regulatory language.
• Experience developing media strategy and utilizing a range of communications tactics such as Op-Eds, reports, and digital media campaigns to further advocacy goals
• Extensive experience in team leadership and management, with a proven track record of building team capacity within an organization.
• Experience in a senior leadership role responsible for creating and implementing innovative, high-impact advocacy campaigns.
• Demonstrated success in leading impactful campaigns utilizing a range of creative, multidisciplinary strategies, including research, strategic communications, media outreach, grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and lobbying.
• Demonstrated ability to make accurate and clear assessments about policy and, with foresight, make determinations, produce insightful ideas, and lead a team toward impactful next steps.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with and influence diverse stakeholders, including policymakers, community members, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people and their loved ones, and other advocacy groups or organizations.
• Demonstrated track record of effective community organizing, coalition-building, and ability to work collaboratively with grassroots partners.
• Experience incorporating (or, at least an understanding of the need to incorporate) the perspectives of multiple communities, including directly impacted communities, in the consideration of impacts and outcomes of a decision-making process.
• A combination of education, training, and experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position.
• Adept at computer programs including Microsoft Word, Excel, and the Google Suite. (Either proficiency or a commitment to achieve proficiency upon hire.)
  

Abilities and Attributes

• Excellent advocacy, consensus-building, and coalition-building skills.
• Demonstrated understanding of policy change processes and strong analytical skills regarding the political and legal landscape in criminal justice reform.
• A self-motivated, collaborative teammate who can also thrive in independent projects.
• A well-developed interpersonal skill set that includes active listening, humility, empathy, patience, relationship building, and conflict resolution.
• A willing and compassionate learner and teacher among staff.
• A strategic mindset, with a demonstrated ability to think imaginatively and to plan and execute against a strategy taking into account emergent opportunities.
• Strong leadership and management skills.
• The ability to produce consistent, quality work in a fast-paced environment.
• Communication Skills:
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills, meeting facilitation skills, and ability to reach out to and meet with diverse audiences, specifically racially and socially diverse communities;
  • Flexibility, attention to detail, and the ability to successfully manage crises and rapid change are essential to this position;
  • Excellent analytical skills with the ability to understand and explain complex topics and issues to people impacted.
• Team leadership:
  • Experience effectively supervising and developing staff;
  • Experience in facilitating meetings, workshops, and/or popular education training to deepen participants' understanding of policy analysis and goals;
  • Ability to manage several projects simultaneously and to adjust to frequently changing demands.
•  Commitment to Equity, Inclusion, and Trauma-Informed Practices:
  • A rigorous understanding of, and commitment to uprooting institutional and structural racism and bias, white dominant culture and structures of power, and their impact on marginalized communities is preferred;
  • Commitment to social change and justice through building the capacity and power of socioeconomically and racially marginalized communities, low-income people to transform their change their communities' realities and to participate directly in changing the public policies that impact them;
  • Commitment to UnCommon Law’s vision of healing and freedom for all incarcerated people, especially people serving life sentences.
    

Benefits and Support
Currently, UnCommon Law offers 100% Paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance for employees and covers 75% for dependents. To support our team’s mental well-being, we also provide a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) of $200/month in reimbursable funds for therapeutic expenses. We have a flexible time off policy and close for two weeks from late December to early January each year. We offer a generous family leave policy, flexible hours, FSA and Retirement plans, regular training and clinical support access, and generous sick leave. In addition to the formal benefits, we are committed to building and maintaining a sustainable, joyful, and equitable culture where each team member can thrive. You’ll see this in the acknowledgments in weekly staff meetings, in-office lunches, and community gatherings.

COVID Protocol

UnCommon Law currently requires COVID vaccination (we consider exceptions for religious or medical purposes), testing before entering into facilities as needed, and masking in institutions and shared office settings is optional. A complete list of UCL’s COVID protocols can be provided upon request.

Application Instructions
Please submit a resume and a cover letter describing your interest and relevant experience for the role, along with contact information for two professional, academic or other relevant references to our hiring portal (https://uncommonlaw.bamboohr.com/jobs/). Applicants who submit cover letters that are not tailored to the position or the organization will not be considered.

Please note that all correspondence in the hiring process will be through the BambooHR portal. Following the submission of your application, you should receive an automatic response (via email) thanking you for your application. If you do not receive this, please check your spam folder.

UCL is committed to providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients. UCL does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, or prior contact with the criminal justice system. We strongly encourage applications from people impacted by incarceration as well as from traditionally underrepresented communities.

Salary : $138,250 - $154,050