Associate Director, Information Technology and Security, Acacia Center for Justice (Remote)

Who we are:

The Vera Institute of Justice, founded in 1961, is a non-profit criminal justice organization that strives to build just government institutions and safe communities free from the scourge of racism, white supremacy, profit, and inequity that is pervasive in this country’s legal systems. Vera is an “inside” lane organization that drives change at scale with ambitious public sector leaders who share our commitment to building anti-racist, reparative systems that deliver justice.  Vera is committed to securing equal justice, ending mass incarceration, and strengthening families and communities.

About Acacia Center for Justice:

The Acacia Center for Justice is a new non-profit created through a collaboration between the Vera Institute of Justice (“Vera”) and the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (“CAIR”) Coalition. The CAIR Coalition is a non-profit organization in the focused on providing legal assistance to adult and child immigrants detained by the government in the Capital Region. CAIR adheres to the fundamental belief that all people – no matter their story – deserve to be free, safe, supported, and have access to a just legal system. 

The objective of the Acacia Center for Justice (“Acacia”) is to expand on Vera’s work over the past twenty years in providing legal support and representation to immigrants facing deportation through the development, coordination and management of national networks of legal services providers serving immigrants across the country. Acacia’s goals are two-fold: to support immigrant legal services and defense networks to provide exceptional legal services to immigrants and to advocate for the expansion of these programs and the infrastructure critical to guaranteeing immigrants access to justice, fairness and freedom. Acacia will focus the collective power of both Vera and CAIR on delivering accountable, independent, zealous and person-centered legal services and representation to protect the rights of all immigrants at risk of deportation.

Please note: This career opportunity will begin as a position with the Vera Institute of Justice that will transition to Acacia Center for Justice on or before July 1, 2022.

Who you are:

The Associate Director of ITS will serve an essential function in establishing and implementing foundational IT and security policies and procedures from the early stages of organizational development. The Associate Director of ITS will be a hands-on position, contribution to the strategy development of technology system implementation to support a fully remote staff and ensure the stability, and integrity, and sustainability of Acacia’s infrastructure and services. They will partner closely with internal teams, maintaining fluency in institute initiatives and strategic aims to ensure that the necessary technology-based solutions are established and that appropriate resources are in place. They will serve as the central point of contact for external technology vendors, including a Managed Services Provider. The Associate Director of ITS provides direction that ensures that Acacia’s race equity and inclusion priorities are a core aspect of all work, including in hiring and staffing, and external and internal communications.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Endpoint management

• Serve as primary point of contact for all technology-related vendors, providing direction in day-to-day support, including with a Managed Service Provider ;
• Coordinate on-boarding of new staff, including acquisition of endpoint software and hardware needs as well as development and administration of training and documentation resources ;
• Coordinate off-boarding of exiting staff, including revoking all hardware and software system access and maintaining documentation of access management processes ;
• Evaluating and implementing security protocols of the network, data and storage in coordination with legal, research, finance, and programs teams ;
• Develop and maintain policies and procedures regarding system back-up, restore protocol, and disaster recovery ;
• Track and maintain licensing and accounts for all cloud-based services ;
• Vendor procurement and contract review in coordination with end user/s ;
• Maintain current knowledge of hardware and software to assist with the planning and procurement of new or upgraded solutions ;
• Has accountability for necessary record retention to ensure contract compliance ;
• Oversees the management and support of the company’s smartphone and mobile device portfolio.

Strategic project management

• Project management of technology system implementation and development in partnership with key internal and external stakeholders ;
• Establishes operating policies and provides consultative support  to internal staff and external vendors to solve technology migration, management, and integration challenges ;
• Vendor procurement and contract review in coordination with end user/s.

Team leadership, mentorship, and development

• Participate in planning and development of the Information Technology and Security (ITS) team, including identifying needs (people, process and technology solutions) ;
• Supervise, support, and mentor ITS team members across roles and levels including DevOps and technology and personnel security roles ;
• Strategize and build opportunities for professional growth, development, and skill building among supervisees ;
• Lead recruitment and hiring for the ITS team.

What qualifications do you need?

Required:

• Prior supervision experience
• Demonstrated proficiency with LAN, WAN design and implementation (network engineering) and network administration required;
• Strong hands-on technical knowledge of PC operating systems, networking software & hardware, cabling & protocols (DHCP, DNS, FTP, TCP/IP, VOIP, etc.);
• Experience in web conferencing, network switch configuration, wireless networks, email, smartphone & firewall administration;
• Experience with scripting, virtualization and PC imaging;
• Experience implementing cybersecurity controls and tools, with preference for experience with federal contracting standards such as NIST and FISMA standards;
• Experience supporting a data science technology stack (including GitHub, the AWS data product ecosystem, secure data transmission protocols, etc.)
• Ability to work in a dynamic fast-paced environment, managing and navigating cross-functional priorities and complex requirements.

Preferred:

• Advanced degree in information technology, computer science, or a related field + 9-12 years of experience in information security or risk management.  In lieu of a degree, applicable work or life experience may be considered.
• Certifications in one or more of the following: VMWARE, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, or MCP
• Working knowledge of the AWS data product ecosystem (e.g., S3, EC2, ECS, Athena, Redshift, Glue, Airflow, etc.) or similar cloud-based products to support users of an end-to-end data science stack 
• Prior experience in an IT consulting capacity that required fast-paced landscape assessment and recommendation development
• Prior experience with direct supervision

Additional eligibility requirements:

• In accordance with federal contracts, a National Crime Information Center (NCIC) check is required for this position. While this is not a current hiring requirement, this position may require Electronic Questionnaire for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) security clearance in the future (for additional information: https://www.dcsa.mil/is/eqip/).

List of Required Software Applications:

• Experience managing Office 365 and enterprise products (for example, SharePoint, OneDrive and Exchange)
• VOIP
• Veeam
• SAAS integrations and management
• Remote Management Monitoring (RMM) Tools

Compensation and Benefits

The compensation range for this position is $134,000 - $140,000. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to experience and performance. The salary range listed is just one component of Vera Institute’s total compensation package for employees. As an employer of choice in our field, supporting Vera staff—both personally and professionally—is a priority. To do this, we invest in the well-being of our staff through other rewards including merit pay, generous paid time off, a comprehensive health insurance plan, student loan repayment benefits, professional development training opportunities and up to $2,000 annual for education costs and fees relevant to Vera work, employer-funded retirement plan, and flexible time and remote work schedules. To learn more about Vera’s benefits offerings, click here.

Applications may also be faxed to:

ATTN: People Resources / Associate Director, Information Technology and Security
Vera Institute of Justice
34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Fax: (212) 941-9407
Please use only one method (online, mail or fax) of submission.
No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

As a federal contractor, and in order to ensure a healthy and safe work environment, Vera Institute of Justice is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccine before their start date. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement.

Vera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.  All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status. 

Vera works to advance justice, particularly racial justice, in an increasingly multicultural country and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission. 

For more information about Vera, please visit www.vera.org