The Problem: The U.S. incarcerates more people than any other nation, disproportionately impacting Black and Brown communities. This system destroys lives, fractures families, and hinders economic mobility. Current "solutions" often focus on strengthening punitive aspects like police and prisons. But what if we empowered the people fighting for justice from within?
Our Solution: Partners for Justice (PFJ) transforms public defense by investing in public defenders, the crucial front line against mass incarceration. PFJ equips them to address the root causes of legal system involvement, secure better outcomes, and connect clients with restorative services. Since 2018, PFJ has grown rapidly, supporting public defender agencies nationwide with collaborative defense teams.
The Opportunity: The Director of Strategic Growth will work at the intersection of relationship management, resource development, and systems change. They will partner directly with chief public defenders and public defense leadership teams who are ready to expand their practice and build collaborative defense in their jurisdictions, owning the full resource development lifecycle from proposal development through contract negotiation and signing.
What You'll Do:
● Grant Seeking: Research and identify state, federal, and county funding opportunities — including public and philanthropic grants, unique public resource streams, and budgetary appropriations — relevant to public defense expansion.
● Grantwriting: Develop compelling funding applications, including letters of inquiry, pitch materials, full grant proposals, budget narratives, and supporting documentation for government and philanthropic funding sources.
● Partner Engagement: Work with chief public defenders and public defense system leadership to shape proposals, map resource needs, jointly seek funding, and impart best practices for the development of collaborative or holistic defense initiatives.
● Jurisdiction-Specific Network Building: Build and manage relationships with government program officers, agency contacts, and philanthropic funders to strengthen PFJ's positioning and pipeline.
● Landscape Mapping: Monitor the public funding landscape for new opportunities, policy shifts, and eligibility changes affecting our defender partners.
● Contract Finalization: Lead contract review and management with public agencies on PFJ's behalf, representing organizational interests while maintaining strong partner relationships.
● Work on a Collaborative Team: Coordinate directly with PFJ’s Executive Directors on identifying project and partnership opportunities, and then move those projects forward with internal development, operations and finance colleagues to ensure proposals and contracts are structured for sustainable program delivery.
● Shape Our Understanding of the Field: Contribute to PFJ's organizational learning by sharing insights from the funding landscape, partner needs, and contracting experience with senior leadership.
Required Skills and Experience:
● 7-10 years of experience in a development, business development, government affairs, or grants management role — ideally spanning both public and philanthropic funding; a JD, MSW or other relevant graduate degree preferred.
● Demonstrated success securing government funding (federal, state, or county grants, contracts, or appropriations) — including full-cycle proposal development and contract management.
● Experience working with or within public sector agencies, justice-adjacent systems, or social service ecosystems is strongly preferred.
● Familiarity with criminal justice, public defense, or civil rights is a plus.
● Exceptional written communication skills — you can write a persuasive government RFP response and a compelling foundation proposal with equal skill.
● Relationship builder: you earn trust quickly with senior stakeholders (including public officials and foundation officers) and sustain it over time.
● Strategic thinker who can map a funding landscape, identify the highest-leverage opportunities, and develop a sequenced plan to pursue them.
● Comfort with complexity and ambiguity — this role requires navigating bureaucratic systems, multi-stakeholder dynamics, and long development timelines simultaneously.
● Strong project management instincts: you own processes end-to-end and don't let things fall through the cracks.
The Perks:
● Full-time, remote, salaried position with a competitive salary range of $90,000 to $110,000 per year, depending on experience.
● Comprehensive benefits package including medical, vision, dental, 401k, and flexible work arrangements.
● PFJ prioritizes well-being: Unlimited sick leave, flexible vacation, 12 holidays, and a year-end rest period.
Ready to join the movement?
To Apply: Please submit your cover letter and resume through this online application form.
Equal Employment Opportunity Policy & Fair Chance Hiring
PFJ provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
Furthermore, qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the fair chance ordinances of the jurisdictions we work within, including but not limited to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act.