Extension Associate - CJEI

This position is located in Ithaca, NY, within the ILR School on the campus of Cornell University. The School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University has an immediate opening for a Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative Education Associate – Extension Associate in the Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative within the Labor and Employment Law Program (LEL) in the Extension/Outreach Division.

The Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative (CJEI) within the Labor and Employment Law Program located in New York City improves employment opportunities for people with criminal records by designing and delivering legal employment training to close information gaps, implementing best practices and integrating justice‑impacted individuals into the workforce. Our research and practice‑based efforts provide criminal records and employment‑law training to job seekers who have been involved in the criminal legal system.

We train employers in the best practices and their legal obligations in hiring the justice impacted, engage in research to understand the barriers to employment faced by the justice impacted including reentry practices, and influence policy makers and legislators on criminal justice reform.

The CJEI Education Associate will be part of the Labor and Employment Law Program. The person in this position is responsible for teaching and curriculum development in the Initiative, including topics ranging from best practices in hiring people impacted by mass incarceration, employment rights of justice‑involved people, equal employment rights, drug testing, labor relations and human resource best practices to hire and retain justice involved employees.

The person in this position will collaborate with colleagues, partners, and stakeholders to develop and deliver programs and services. They also will evaluate and monitor the quality, impact, and outcomes of education, training, technical assistance, and consulting of the program to ensure that it meets stated programmatic goals. The position will also engage in legal research activities and grant writing.

• Design and deliver labor and employment law education and training—both in‑person and online—tailored to the rights and responsibilities of justice impacted job seekers and employers
• Develop programming on employment rights, drug testing, compliance with antidiscrimination laws, Correction Law 23A, and best practices in hiring justice involved individuals.
• Work with a wide range of external partners including SUNY/CUNY campuses, nonprofit and community organizations, unions, reentry services, and state/city agencies to identify needs and co‑create programming.
• Prepare materials including toolkits, manuals, reports, presentations, and stakeholder guidance documents.
• Maintain expertise in employment law and regulation at state and federal levels with emphasis on the hiring of justice involved individuals.
• Evaluate and monitor effectiveness of curriculum and training resources.
• Engage in criminal justice legal research activities and grant writing.

Extension Associate is an academic, full‑time, non‑tenure track, term position with an initial appointment through June 30, 2026. The position may be re‑appointed based on recommendations by the appropriate Director and Senior Associate Dean for Outreach and Sponsored Research, as well as successful performance, available funding and work.

Learn more about the ILR School and LEL here:

• Master’s degree or other advanced degree.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience in criminal justice or related workforce programming.
• Demonstrated research and writing skills (e.g., training materials, policy briefs, grant reports).
• 1–3 years of experience delivering…