Data Visualization Associate, Vera Insights (Advocacy Department)
This position is based in our New York office, which is in Industry City, Brooklyn. The Data Visualization Associate will report to the Director of Vera Insights.
Who we are
The Vera Institute of Justice, founded in 1961, is a nonprofit criminal justice organization that strives to build just government institutions and safe communities free from the scourge of racism, white supremacy, profit, and inequity that is pervasive in this country’s legal systems. We are an “inside” lane organization that drives change at scale with ambitious public sector leaders who share our commitment to building anti-racist, reparative systems that deliver justice. We leverage our access to government to transform these systems and work collaboratively with stakeholders across many movements—including advocacy, grasstops, and grassroots organizations. Our role is to pilot solutions that are transformative and achievable, harness the power of evidence to drive effective policy and practice, and use advocacy and communications to change narratives and norms.
Vera has a staff of almost 300 people and offices in New York City, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity in the workplace. We expect our staff to embody respect, independence, collaboration, commitment, anti-racism, and equity—both in our outward-facing work and the internal culture of our workplace. We value a range of experiences in people’s educational backgrounds and encourage people who have been directly impacted by the criminal justice system to apply. If you want to learn more about life at Vera click here
Advocacy at Vera
Vera’s advocacy department is responsible for coordinating the vision, strategy, and staff development across Vera’s initiatives to pass legislation, change policy, and create change at scale. We work to ensure that the goals of our advocacy campaigns align with the people and communities most impacted by criminal justice and immigration policies, and we collaborate with movement and advocacy partners to produce the right knowledge and ideas needed to change policies and legislation at the right time.
Vera Insights
Vera Insights is a new work unit that will serve a centralized, rapid response data analysis and visualization function for ad hoc requests and special projects. The team will build a stable of data-driven advocacy resources for the organization and enhance the visibility and use of Vera data inside and outside the organization.
The Data Visualization Associate will serve a key role on this team because one of the unit’s mandates is to further advance data visualization at Vera, building off of projects such as What Policing Costs, COVID-19 and Criminal Justice City and State Spotlights, Incarceration Trends, and NYC Jail Viz. In addition to producing original data visualization, the Data Visualization Associate will be responsible for developing a style guide for data visualization—in partnership with the Communications Department—and templates and sample syntax—in partnership with the Research Department—that will be used organization-wide.
Who you are
You are passionate about social and racial justice, motivated to drive change, and unafraid to challenge the status quo. You are enthusiastic, collaborative, curious, and kind. You have an artistic mind to conceptualize, design, and develop interactive data visualizations as well strong technical knowledge to implement these visualizations using the very latest technologies. You have experience with current web standards-based HTML, CSS and interactive tools such D3, or other JavaScript-based libraries. You are creative, adaptable, collaborative, and able to support multiple efforts simultaneously. You believe in the value of doing “inside” lane work in partnership with advocates, organizers, and people who are formerly incarcerated and directly impacted by the system.
In this role, you will:
What qualifications do you need?
How to apply
Please submit a cover letter,resume and portfolio.. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Online submission in PDF format (through Vera’s career page) is preferred. No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.
ATTN: Human Resources / Data Visualization, Advocacy Department
Vera Institute of Justice
34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Fax: (212) 941-9407
Please use only one method (online, mail or fax) of submission.
No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.
Vera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status. Vera works to advance justice, particularly racial justice, in an increasingly multicultural country and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission.
For more information about Vera, please visit www.vera.org
