Senior Policy Associate

The Center for Family Representation Inc. (CFR) is an award-winning, innovative law and policy organization that serves primarily Black and Brown families and youth in Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx with an interdisciplinary legal defense model that serves more than 2400 clients every year. CFR was originally founded in 2002 to dramatically change the trajectory of indigent parents being prosecuted by the City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). Our goal is to defend and protect our clients’ rights, reduce the harm of family separation and prevent or minimize the time any child spends in the foster system. CFR provides interdisciplinary family defense with a model that was unique at our founding and that is now being replicated nationally: we assign every client an attorney and a social work staff member, and teams have the support of parent advocates, who are parents with direct personal experience of being investigated and prosecuted by ACS. CFR’s Early Defense Practice represents parents during a child protective investigation (to avoid court involvement where possible). Our SCR practice assists parents in clearing their names from state maltreatment records.

As an agency committed to securing justice for families, we built the Youth Defense practice (YDP) to defend youth at risk of family separation through incarceration. YDP uses the same interdisciplinary model to represent youth being prosecuted in Queens and Manhattan in Supreme Court Youth Parts, during Probation Adjustment and in Delinquency proceedings in Family Court. CFR’s Home for Good program provides legal and social work services to clients in immigration, civil legal services and criminal defense matters, to afford clients an efficient and well-coordinated one-stop solution to a range of issues that threaten family stability.

Recognized as experts in our fields, we annually train over 500 practitioners in the city, state and around the country on strategies to promote family preservation and interdisciplinary representation, and we provide community based “Know Your Rights” presentations to parents youth and service providers. We advocate at the city, state and national level for policies that reduce the harm of family separation, and promote parent engagement and justice for youth and families.

The Senior Policy Associate will help lead CFR’s interdisciplinary policy team, working to advance anti-racist policies that seek to eliminate or reduce the harms of the family policing, adult and youth incarceration, immigration, and housing systems. This person will help establish and drive CFR’s strategic policy agenda in consultation with the Supervisor for Government Affairs and CFR’s Executive Director. They will be responsible for the overall coordination, direction and daily work on a range of CFR’s policy initiatives and projects. 

This person will be supervised by the Executive Director but also work closely with the Supervisor for Government Affairs as well as with a wide variety of supervisors, senior staff and directors on policy projects, including communications related to CFR’s policy priorities. 

This person will directly supervise CFR’s policy team in their collective work, coordinate the activities of CFR’s External Engagement team (EET) and other ad hoc policy projects that involve staff at all levels, and participate in coalitions of advocates and impacted communities.  

Location: This position is seated in Manhattan. However, the Senior Policy Associate should expect to have a presence in Queens, The Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island as needed. In alignment with CFR’s telecommuting policy, this role is remote or in-person as needed. 

Specific Responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

Policy:

• Develop CFR’s strategic policy agenda in consultation with the policy team and the ED, Supervisor for Government Affairs, and coordinate work to accomplish CFR’s policy goals and priorities.
• Supervise CFR’s interdisciplinary policy team (create agendas, organize materials, delegate projects and meet as needed individually with policy team members; develop routines for sharing information and decision making within the policy team). Individual supervision of policy team members on their projects will often involve co-supervision with the person’s practice supervisor/senior staff.
• In collaboration with the Supervisor of Government and Community Affairs, Identify key lobbying targets ranging from elected officials to agency staff, varying by legislative proposal
• Notify Supervisor of Government Affairs of all lobbying activities to ensure compliance with all lobbying regulations
• Facilitate monthly (and as needed) meetings with the policy team, that include the ED and other needed directors, and larger group staff meetings on specific policy topics, including EET meetings as appropriate to discuss policy activity, new legislation, policy statements, etc. Coordinate EET and any staff involvement with policy.
• Identify and monitor any legislation that impacts any of CFR’s practice areas: family defense, criminal, housing, public benefits, youth defense, and immigration at both the city and state level. Act as primary point of contact for legislative staff of City and State officials, and legislative and policy staff in sister agencies.
• Participate in Legislative coalitions (i.e. PLAN), and coordinate participation of other policy team members; act as a liaison for staff who sit on other policy related coalitions (i.e. Advocates ACS Housing Workgroup) to ensure that the work of those groups is supported by and integrated with CFR’s policy work.
• Working closely with the Supervisor for Government and Community Affairs, supervise and/or draft CFR writing on legislation (drafting memos in support or opposition, legislative language, testimony on legislation, etc.). Involve interested staff when available and appropriate. Depending on the issue, i.e. CP Miranda, this work will involve the Executive Director and Director of Development and Communications and/or work with reporters and media outlets.
• Identify and/or highlight policy activities that should be posted on CFR’s website and/or the subject of wider communications (i.e. e-blast).
• Manage hiring and supervision of policy interns in collaboration with the Attorney in Charge of Legal Support and Human Resources 
• Work closely with the Supervisor of Government and Community Affairs  to maintain alignment between CFR’s policy work and government relations work. 
• Participate in the DEIB Supervisor/Senior Staff workgroup, to ensure that where appropriate, DEIB priorities are incorporated into policy priorities and vice versa. 
• Coordinate and assist in planning for the Fordham Family Defense Hosted Externship Program
• Serve as back-up to Supervisor of Government Affairs 
• Attorneys and Social Workers may be asked supervise Family Defense/Article 10 work and/or intake as needed

Communications and Social Media: Working closely with the Communications Director and Supervisor of Government and Community Affairs, and other relevant internal and external stakeholders to frame policy-related content for CFR’s social media channels, policy updates in CFR’s Justice in Action Newsletter, and Policy & Advocacy webpages on the CFR website.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Minimum 4 years of advocacy experience on policy issues pertinent to CFR’s clients and its practice  
• A Bachelor's degree in political science, sociology, social work, or another field relevant to CFR’s work
• A demonstrated commitment to working with impacted communities to achieve change. 
• Specific experience with legislation and/or coalition membership 
• Experience in parent defense and Article 10 proceedings, CVO cases, and/or other administrative hearing support (SCR, HRA, DOE)
• Deep understanding of the state and local legislative process is required 
• An aptitude for productive problem-solving
• A desire to contribute to the stewardship of CFR 
• The ability to positively and productively contribute to the work culture at CFR in working with staff at all levels. 
• Strong written and oral advocacy
• Be well organized and have the ability to work efficiently and effectively, managing numerous projects and being simultaneously attentive to multiple deadlines. 

Preferred

• A JD or MSW 
• Prior supervisory experience 
• Experience in Youth or Criminal Defense or one of CFR other practice areas (either in direct practice or policy related) 
• Understanding of the state and local budgeting process
• For attorneys and social workers, the ability to supervise family defense/Article 10 intake and provide back up supervision support

CFR strives to create an inclusive and antiracist environment for all of its staff, and candidates from all backgrounds, including those who have been directly impacted by the systems in which CFR works, are encouraged to apply; CFR is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Annualized Salary:

JD Candidates:  $104,000 (L4) - $127,500 (L14)

LMSW Candidates: $91,400 (L4) - $111,600 (L14)

Travel:  Senior Policy Associate is a cross borough position. They may be asked to provide temporary support to any borough in which CFR operates if the organizational need arises. Travel to conferences and after hour work events may also be required. The Senior Policy Associate should expect to travel to Fordham Law School as needed for purposes of managing CFR’s involvement in the Hosted Family Defense Externship.

Salary : $94,000 - $127,500