Director of Death Penalty Abolition Program

General Description

Catholic Mobilizing Network is a national organization working to end the death penalty and promote restorative justice through education, advocacy, and prayer. The Director of Death Penalty Abolition Program oversees CMN’s programmatic efforts to end the death penalty and advocate for principles of restorative justice. This CMN staff position leads relationship building with national and state partners and Church leadership, especially state Catholic conferences, to identify and influence opportunities for collaboration in state and federal death penalty repeal campaigns and efforts to stop executions. 

This position is a full-time salaried position, based in Washington, DC and may require travel, approximately 6-8 times per year. The Director of Death Penalty Abolition Program is supervised by CMN’s Executive Director.

Responsibilities

State and Federal Campaigns

  • Identify opportunities for collaboration on state and federal campaigns to end the death penalty and oppose executions, and implement the development of partnered projects
  • Activate CMN’s parish, diocesan, and national initiatives, including social media campaigns, speaker tours, and presentations
  • Cultivate opportunities where CMN resources can be used at the parish, diocesan, and national levels and in other relevant settings to empower impact
  • Promote and proactively encourage Catholic voices — including bishops, Catholic lay organizations, and women religious — to leverage influence to end the death penalty
  • Build, maintain, and strengthen relationships with CMN’s national partners
  • Engage diverse Catholic constituencies, networks, and channels to collaborate with in order to increase impact toward death penalty abolition
  • Represent CMN in ongoing strategy meetings within the national abolition movement
  • Prioritize engaging with young adults in CMN’s ministry and mission to cultivate the “next generation” to end the death penalty
  • Pursue opportunities for strategic outreach between CMN supporters and members of Congress regarding federal abolition legislation

Public Education and Advocacy 

  • Provide strong direction and accurate talking points to inform Mercy in Action advocacy efforts and other state campaign updates for CMN supporters
  • Advise Communications Team to create action alerts related to executions and legislative efforts, one-pagers, and backgrounders
  • Monitor the status of all state and federal executions and related legislation and assess relevant action opportunities
  • Lead the logistical coordination of CMN’s presence at national conferences
  • Represent CMN at select conferences and collaborative webinars
  • Collaborate closely with CMN’s Religious Engagement Associate on local engagement with religious communities

Administrative

  • Enliven and invigorate death penalty-related projects and work alongside CMN Development Team to ensure funding through granting and donor relationships
  • Participate in weekly staff meetings, monthly State of the Heart gatherings, quarterly staff planning convenings and trainings
  • Establish markers for ongoing monitoring and evaluation in program area
  • Assist in identifying foundation support for death penalty portfolio 
  • Track, monitor, and document stakeholder relationships 

Position strongly encourages:

  • 5-10 years experience working with Church leadership, Catholic lay organizations, or faith-based advocacy 
  • 5-10 years experience in program management, campaign management, and/or grassroots organizing  
  • Commitment to the mission and guiding principles of Catholic Mobilizing Network, including a commitment to racial equity
  • Excellent project management skills, including the ability to juggle multiple priorities, meet deadlines, implement goals, and keep things moving while maintaining a high attention to accuracy and detail 
  • Facility with interfacing with Church hierarchy, activists, Church mid-management, community advocates, and persons directly impacted by the criminal legal system  
  • Highly organized and able to multitask
  • Comfortable working in a collaborative work environment and independently
  • Excellent written and interpersonal communication and stellar public speaking skills
  • Command of SalsaLabs, Google Suite, and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter is helpful
  • Familiarity with databases for engagement and constituency management

Salary and Benefits

The starting salary range is $55K-$65K, based on experience  

  • CMN provides excellent individual health insurance
  • Generous vacation policies
  • Employees have access to a 403B plan with employer match.  

Application Process

Deadline to apply is April 30, 2023. Interested applicants may send cover letter and resume to: apply@catholicsmobilizing.org

Catholic Mobilizing Network is an equal opportunity employer. CMN is committed to recruiting and retaining a just and representative work and volunteer force, we encourage people of color and individuals with disabilities to apply.