Justice Equity Fellow

The Justice Equity Fellowship Program is a 12-month research and technical assistance-oriented fellowship dedicated to supporting individuals who have faced education and workforce exclusion upon their release from incarceration. The goals of the Justice Equity Fellowship program are to provide and advance employment opportunities in research and technical assistance positions specifically for individuals directly impacted, formerly or currently, by the criminal legal system, and to advance AIR’s organizational learning and development to create a more inclusive workforce.

AIR is currently seeking part-time Fellows to join the Justice Equity Fellowship Program, which is expected to start in March 2024 and end in February 2025. This is a paid, benefit-eligible part-time fellowship. Fellows are expected to commit to working at least 20 hours per week with an option to work up to 32 hours per week, to be set at the time of hiring.

The Justice Equity Fellowship Program is focused on advancing justice and public health within AIR’s Youth, Family, & Community Development Program Area within AIR’s Human Services Division .   AIR’s work to advance justice and public health is committed to transformative change that dismantles structural disparities. Our work spans prevention to intervention and reentry—and embeds community-based, restorative, developmentally appropriate, and culturally responsive approaches.

In support of this work, Fellows will work across relevant content areas including: 

• Violence prevention and intervention (e.g., community violence, child abuse and neglect)
• Root causes of violence and crime
• Reimagining systems of public safety and justice
• Community restoration
• Racial and ethnic disparities in the justice and child welfare systems
• Social determinants of health
• Restorative justice

Candidates hired for the position may work remotely within the United States (U.S.) or from one of our U.S. office locations. This does not include U.S. territories. 

About AIR:

Established in 1946, with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to solve some of the most urgent challenges in the U.S. and around the world. We advance evidence in the areas of education, health, the workforce, human services, and international development to create a better, more equitable world.

AIR’s commitment to diversity goes beyond legal compliance to its full integration in our strategy, operations, and work environment. At AIR, we define diversity broadly, considering everyone’s unique life and community experiences. We believe that embracing diverse perspectives, abilities/disabilities, racial/ethnic and cultural backgrounds, styles, ages, genders, gender identities and expressions, education backgrounds, and life stories drives innovation and employee engagement. Learn more about AIR's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategy and hear from our staff by clicking here .

Fellows will have an opportunity to:

• Contribute to research and/or technical assistance projects including assisting in qualitative and/or quantitative data collection and supporting participant recruitment; supporting capacity building and strategic planning for clients
• Participate in fellowship-specific activities, including co-designing a participatory action research (PAR) project with other Justice Equity Fellows
• Network with AIR staff through organized and informal relationship-building activities (e.g., communities of practice, division and program area all-hands meetings, conferences, )
• Prepare documents, portions of reports, briefs, charts, and graphs that describe and interpret findings of analyses
• Collaborate with clients, staff, and other stakeholders
• Support business development activities (e.g., proposals and grants)

Education, Knowledge, and Experience:

• Master's degree
• Demonstrated interest in pursuing career opportunities in the behavioral and social sciences field
• Research or technical assistance experience in justice-related work

Skills:

• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to work with individuals at all levels and from diverse backgrounds
• Ability to lead and collaborate on small and medium-sized projects, organize project completion steps, and collaborate with others to complete projects/assignments
• Strong solution-focused orientation in overcoming challenges
• Comfortable working independently and as a member of a team
• Great attention to detail and strong work ethic
• Ability to identify, review, consolidate, and translate resource and practice into practical strategies or tools 
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to collaborate efficiently in a virtual work environment

Disclosures:

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. on a full-time basis. Employment-based visa sponsorship (including H-1B sponsorship) is not available for this position. Depending on project work, qualified candidates may need to meet certain residency requirements.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability.

AIR adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo reference and background checks.

This position offers an anticipated hourly rate of $32.00. Offers are made based on internal equity within the institution and external equity with competitive markets. Please note this is the hourly rate is for candidates that are based in the United States.

AIR maintains a drug-free work environment .

Fraudulent Job Scams Warning & Disclaimer:

AIR is aware of individuals falsely presenting themselves as AIR representatives. Fraudulent job scams seek to extract sensitive information or money from victims. To protect yourself, please be aware that AIR recruitment will only email you from an “@air.org” domain. Please take extra caution while examining the email address, for example jdoe@air.org is correct and jdoe@aircareers.org is not a legitimate AIR email address. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a communication you have received, please reach out to [email protected] .

If you see a job scam, or lose money to one, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov . You can also report it to your state attorney general . Find out more about how to avoid scams at ftc.gov/scams .