Senior Community Policy Associate at National Center Youth Law

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NCYL is a national nonprofit that puts children — especially those pushed to society’s margins — at the center of every fight for justice. For more than 50 years, we have partnered with young people, families, and communities in efforts to dismantle racism, discrimination, and inequity wherever they appear. We recognize that harmful policies don’t affect children in isolation. Each young person’s well-being depends on their family’s stability, their community’s resources, and the opportunities they can access.

By working across all systems that shape young people’s lives in a rapidly evolving society, we advance solutions that are holistic, intersectional, and transformative.

The Youth Justice Team

The National Center for Youth Law's Youth Justice Team leads powerful, multi-faceted initiatives that include state and local advocacy to build equitable, trauma-informed, youth-centered youth justice systems that value community and prioritize young people's well-being. The Youth Justice Team’s transformative campaigns are driven by the voices and needs of young people directly impacted by the juvenile and criminal justice systems, and include policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, leadership development, and a range of strategies all aimed at reducing our reliance on the legal system and emphasize community-based, youth development opportunities and services for youth.

Position

The Senior Community Policy Associate will engage in grassroots organizing and community capacity building to advance programmatic objectives.

They will work with youth, families, communities, and system stakeholders in counties across California to advocate and implement reforms and shift policy and practice to transition to supportive, community-based services that improve outcomes for affected youth.

Essential Functions

Engage, organize, and support community stakeholders, system administrators, service providers, and elected officials to increase and improve local and community-based services, programs, resources, and opportunities for youth in assigned program areas.

Design, conduct, and facilitate capacity‑building activities and advocacy training workshops for youth, community organizations, system stakeholders, and a national audience that strengthen advocacy skills among community members and broaden awareness across local and national levels.

Plan, prepare, and facilitate listening sessions, focus groups, community meetings, public forums, and coalition gatherings with youth, families, community stakeholders, elected officials, public agencies, and system partners intended to gather input that informs program and policy improvements, drives community engagement, and supports advocacy efforts.

Develop and implement tools, reports, presentations, multimedia content, and resources for youth, advocates, and other stakeholders to engage in policy advocacy.

Identify and build partnerships with new types of community and system stakeholders and leaders, including youth and lived-experience experts.

Develop new ways for the team to amplify the power of and work with community-based organizations and leaders, coalition members, youth, lived-experience experts, government officials and system stakeholders.

Identify, prioritize, and help carry out advocacy opportunities in alignment with the team’s goals.

Qualifications

At least 5-7 years of experience in a combination of community organizing, policy advocacy, and youth services

Understanding of local politics, budgets, and governance in California

Understanding of California’s child-serving systems and bureaucracies, such as juvenile justice, education and child welfare

Understanding of transformative justice models and community accountability frameworks

Excellent public speaking skills and experience in planning and facilitating trainings

Organized, self-motivated, detail-oriented, and able to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment

Experience managing complex projects with a multitude of partners

Ability to consider differing perspectives and respond professionally to conflict or…