Director of Justice, Peace and Integrity

Job Title: Director of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Office  

Job Status: Full-Time / Exempt / Salaried

Apply: https://www.scls.org/employees/

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Resume and Cover Letter Required:

Applicants must submit a cover letter along with their resume. The cover letter should speak to your qualifications and leadership experience and convey your alignment with the mission and values of Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth.

About Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth:    

Established in 1858 in Kansas, the Sisters of Charity Leavenworth (SCL) live their mission in the spirit of their founders, St. Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac, and Mother Xavier Ross. The Sisters, as Gospel-centered women, share a tradition of responding to the needs of the time, ministering to the vulnerable and marginalized, and caring for the fragile Earth. They share their mission in partnership and collaboration with those committed to working for peace and justice.

Position Summary: 

The Director of the Office of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) provides visionary and strategic leadership for the congregation’s justice ministry, grounded in shared decision-making, synodality, and the congregation’s mission and charism. Serving as the primary long-term strategist, the Director guides justice priorities and advocacy efforts, ensuring the ministry’s prophetic voice remains responsive to emerging justice concerns.

As a peer leader within the organization’s director-level leadership, they collaborate with fellow directors to integrate justice priorities into organizational strategy, planning, and decision-making, advancing justice as a shared institutional commitment. The Director cultivates strong relationships across congregational networks and the broader justice community, monitors national and global justice trends, and supports the development of long-range plans and governance frameworks that strengthen and sustain the JPIC ministry.

As the office’s administrator and supervisor, the Director fosters a collaborative, reflective, and accountable work culture; provides leadership and mentorship for the team; and ensures the effective integration of mission, advocacy, operations, and organizational relationships. The Director also serves as a public representative, amplifying the congregation’s collective voice for justice.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Mission, Vision, and Strategic Leadership

• Provides visionary leadership for the JPIC ministry, ensuring the work remains rooted in the SCL mission, charism, and prophetic voice.
• Leads long-term strategic planning for JPIC, discerning priorities, campaigns, and areas of focus in collaboration with the JPIC team, Sisters, and Associates.
• Facilitates consensus-based and synodal decision-making processes, ensuring strategies are co-created and grounded in the principles of integral ecology.
• Monitors national and global justice trends, legislation, and emerging opportunities to inform long-term planning and congregational positioning.
• Aligns departmental priorities, workflows, and campaigns with the congregation’s mission, strategy, and operational framework; clarifies and coordinates team roles, projects, and responsibilities to maintain alignment and shared outcomes.
• Co-creates advocacy priorities and strategies with the JPIC team for guiding organizing, policy direction, and program execution.
• Aligns congregational engagement with the Laudato Si’ Action Platform to JPIC priorities, working across the organization to plan, strengthen coordination, and remove barriers to implementing programs that integrate care for “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”
• Engages in direct advocacy when appropriate, including public witness, legislative outreach, and partnership efforts as part of the JPIC team.
• Operates effectively in mission-driven environments and actively builds sector fluency to inform strategy, partnerships, and operational decisions.

External Engagement, Partnerships, and Public Voice

• Cultivates and sustains trust-based relationships across congregational networks, partner organizations, Federation JPIC offices, UN NGO partners, and key internal departments to amplify collective impact, advance shared mission, and strengthen coordinated advocacy efforts.
• Serves as or designates an appropriate public representative to the public or media on justice issues.
• Ensures regular collaboration with internal partners, particularly with the Communications office and the congregation's leadership team.
• Offers presentations, workshops, prayer, and reflection opportunities on Catholic Social Teaching and areas of critical concern to the SCL Community.
• Develops articles, op-eds, and other thought-leadership materials that advance public understanding of justice issues, frame opportunities for policy action, and deepen engagement with the congregation’s prophetic mission.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Leads, develops, and empowers JPIC staff, creating clear expectations while encouraging initiative, creativity, and professional ownership within defined strategic priorities.
• Serves as the supervisor of the JPIC team, with responsibility for hiring, performance management, coaching, and professional development.
• Ensures the JPIC team is equipped, supported, and accountable for implementing advocacy, organizing, and community-based initiatives aligned with departmental priorities, providing strategic guidance and direct support as appropriate.

Operational and Administrative Responsibilities

• Apply federal and state lobbying regulations, election law, and 501(c)(3) compliance requirements to JPIC activities; engages in ongoing learning to deepen expertise and provides or arranges annual guidance/training for relevant staff and leadership.
• Establishes and oversees the structures, resources, and coordination necessary for effective implementation of JPIC initiatives, ensuring aligned planning, accountability, risk management, and follow-through across the departmental portfolio.
• Collaborates with the JPIC team to ensure all public communications produced by the office are appropriate and reflect the congregation’s mission and prophetic commitments.
• Collaborates with the JPIC team to prepare, submit, manage, and monitor the annual departmental budget.
• Transfers records annually to the Archives Department (e.g., advocacy letters, statements, Interest Group reports).
• Maintains office presence at the SCL Community administrative site.
• Performs additional duties as assigned.

Organizational Leadership, Culture, and Compliance

• Partners with support departments, including Human Resources, Information Technology, and other operational teams, to support workforce needs, systems functionality, policy implementation, and quality improvement efforts impacting staff.
• Models respectful, professional communication at all times; fosters open, constructive dialogue; addresses concerns through appropriate channels; and actively supports a culture of psychological safety, trust, and accountability.
• Demonstrates responsible stewardship of people, resources, and systems through ethical leadership, confidentiality, and sound decision-making. Models support and reinforce adherence to the organization’s Employee Handbook, professional standards, policies, and the Code of Conduct.

Essential Attributes and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred, with coursework in Political Science, Sociology, Theology, or a related field.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in justice ministry, policy advocacy, community organizing, or related mission-driven work.
• Ability to manage a flexible schedule and willingness to travel in-state and out-of-state (approximately 10%-20% per year).
• Knowledge of Catholic Social Teaching and willingness to learn and engage deeply with the congregation’s charism.
• Experience in mission-driven environments such as social work, nonprofit, faith-based, or advocacy settings is a plus.
• Demonstrated passion for justice and the ability to analyze, articulate, and advance a justice agenda grounded in Gospel values.
• Capacity to motivate and engage diverse individuals and communities through dialogue, reflection, and shared discernment in service of justice and systemic change.
• Openness to varied perspectives and cultures, with demonstrated sensitivity to language and its impact across race, gender, and culture.
• Professional Competencies: Excellent planning, project management, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong self-motivation, judgment, and decision-making ability.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Facility with technology and tools that support collaboration and advocacy.
• Ability to present effectively to diverse audiences.

Physical Requirement: 

• Ability to communicate effectively with Sisters, Associates, and coworkers through face-to-face interaction, phone, and other technological means.
• Ability to attend meetings at various locations across the campus.
• Willingness to engage in occasional travel (10%-20% per year), which may involve extended periods of sitting in airplanes or vehicles.
• Ability to perform sedentary work, including prolonged periods of sitting, computer use, and keyboard; must be able to lift, carry, push, or pull items weighing up to 20 pounds.
• Ability to move throughout the office and perform tasks such as filing and retrieving documents; occasional bending, stooping, grasping, twisting, sitting, lifting, walking, reaching, and filing are required when handling office materials.
• Manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination required to operate a computer and standard office equipment.
• Ability to maintain sustained visual attention and concentration for reading, data entry, and other screen-based tasks.

Work Environment:

• Works in a clean, well-lighted, heated, and ventilated office.