Chief Program Officer, Exoneration Strategy & Support

Innocence Project•New York, NY

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Chief Program Officer, Exoneration Strategy & Support is responsible for the oversight, management, and supervision of several key program areas at the Innocence Project. These include Post-conviction Litigation, which provides pro-bono legal representation to approximately 200 innocent individuals; Special Litigation, handling high-profile and complex cases such as those involving death sentences; Social Work, offering trauma-informed support to formerly incarcerated clients transitioning back into the community; and Intake & Case Evaluation, which reviews thousands of annual requests for representation to identify legally viable cases of innocence. This role serves as a primary thought partner to the teams led, ensuring they remain aligned, focused, motivated, and high-performing. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Chief Program Officer contributes to the organization's overall direction, strategy, and health, including managing departmental staff, contributing to strategic planning and resource allocation, reporting progress to the Board and staff, and modeling inclusive workplace values. The position reports to the Executive Director and collaborates closely with other members of the Senior Leadership Team to advance the organization's vision and goals. The Innocence Project emphasizes values of accountability, collaboration, empathy, compassion, equity, person-centeredness, quality focus, and self-awareness, and values the diversity of perspectives and lived experiences among its staff. This role requires approximately 40 hours per week and operates under a hybrid in-office model, with three days per week in the office, including an organization-wide "anchor day" on Wednesdays.

Requirements

15+ years of professional experience, including at least 5 years managing teams involving complex coordination.
Juris Doctor (JD) degree required.
Current member, in good standing, of the New York bar or eligibility for admission to the New York bar via motion within 6 months of the start date.
Broad background in criminal justice, including familiarity with the Innocence Project’s program areas.
Experience with and/or demonstrated understanding of social work, record collection, and other litigation support processes.
A demonstrated commitment to criminal, racial, and social justice and to the Innocence Project’s goals, mission, and values.
Demonstrated success working effectively with external partners including donors, pro-bono law firms, and government officials.
Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.
A management style that is open and consultative with a focus on team building and creating a culture of belonging and inclusion.
Capacity to deeply engage in equity work internally with staff and externally.
Ability to listen, communicate effectively, coach, shepherd, and support people to achieve shared goals.
Ability to manage multiple competing demands and resources and make decisions in a fast-paced environment.
Effective internal and external communications skills and the ability to engage and appropriately mobilize and utilize the skills and experiences across departments.
Excellent research and writing skills.
Superior attention to detail.
Outstanding judgment and problem-solving abilities.
Flexibility, grace, and a sense of humor.
Enthusiasm for the work of the Innocence Project and for social justice, including a demonstrated commitment to public interest.
Shared commitment to the IP’s values of accountability, collaboration, empathy + compassion, equity, person-centeredness, quality focus, and self-awareness.

Nice To Haves

Individuals with personal connections to the criminal legal system are strongly encouraged to apply.
If you have at least 22 years of experience in this or a related field, we encourage you to apply regardless of your educational background.

Responsibilities

Oversight, management, and supervision of Post-conviction Litigation, Special Litigation, Social Work, and Intake & Case Evaluation program areas.
Serve as a primary thought partner to the teams led, ensuring alignment, focus, motivation, and high performance.
Contribute to the overall direction, strategy, and health of the organization as a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
Effectively manage department staff to encourage alignment, motivation, and high performance.
Contribute to organization-wide strategic planning, decision making, and resource allocation.
Achieve departmental objectives and regularly report on progress and outcomes to the Board, senior leadership, and staff.
Model the Innocence Project’s values of an inclusive and respectful workplace and encourage the same from staff.
Implement the Innocence Project’s strategic vision and plan for its substantive program departments in partnership with the Executive Director and Senior Leadership Team.
Serve as a spokesperson for the Innocence Project, articulating positions on a broad range of issues to the public and diverse stakeholder constituencies.
Collaborate closely with the Chief Program Officer, Policy, Research, and Prevention to ensure insights from exoneration cases inform policy, research, and strategic litigation.
Support collaboration, communication, and alignment between strategic litigation, post-conviction litigation, and special litigation dockets.
Cultivate, build, and maintain strategic relationships to advance the Innocence Project’s mission, engage on shared priorities, and exchange knowledge and information.
Maintain deep expertise in Exoneration Programs, providing strategic thought-partnership and guidance to Program Directors.
Collaborate with Directors of Post-conviction Litigation and Special Litigation to identify relevant legal issues, amicus brief opportunities, and trends in wrongful conviction litigation.
Collaborate with the Director of Intake to monitor the efficiency of intake processes and track relevant developments across the Network.
Partner with the Director of Social Work on social science research and emerging trends in support for wrongly convicted individuals.
Ensure regular collaboration with Directors of Post-conviction Litigation and Special Litigation for consistency and integration of litigation goals.
Plan and manage budgets with Directors of Post-conviction Litigation, Intake, Special Litigation, and Social Work.
Cultivate, coordinate, and maintain pro bono legal relationships and resources.
Foster formal and informal cross-Program collaboration, identifying opportunities for integration, communication, and cooperation.
Set goals, monitor progress, evaluate outcomes, solve problems, and evaluate resource allocation in partnership with Directors.
Effectively manage and coach Directors in supervising high-performing program staff.
Develop and manage processes to enhance clarity, efficiency, efficacy, and morale within teams.
Delegate effectively, promote accountability, maintain open and transparent communication, and remove barriers to team success.
Proactively address individual and team challenges, resolve issues constructively, and foster a cohesive, collaborative, and effective work environment.
Lead by example, embodying and modeling the IP’s values.