Director, Digital Advocacy and Engagement at Innocence Project

ABOUT THE INNOCENCE PROJECT

The Innocence Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. Our work is guided by science and grounded in anti-racism. Since our inception, the Innocence Project has used DNA and other scientific advancements to prove wrongful conviction. To date, we have helped to free or exonerate more than 250 people who, collectively, spent more than 3,600 years behind bars. Our efforts have led to the passage of more than 200 transformative state laws and federal reforms. Today, the Innocence Project continues to fight for freedom, drive structural change, and advance the innocence movement. To learn more, please visit www.innocenceproject.org.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Innocence Project recognizes the immense power of strategic communications to advance legal and policy initiatives to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions and achieve criminal legal system reform. Reporting to the Chief Communications Officer, the Director, Digital Advocacy and Engagement leads the Innocence Project’s Webby-, Shorty-, and Telly Award-winning digital communications team and is responsible for growing and mobilizing our more than 5 million supporter community. The role drives pivotal campaigns, multiplatform storytelling, and grassroots mobilization to move supporters from awareness to action and build pressure for systemic change.

The Innocence Projects’s digital platforms are key to amplifying the organization’s most consequential public moments — including exonerations, execution and clemency campaigns, policy wins and reforms, and rapid responses to breaking news. They are key to growing and elevating the Innocence Project’s brand and profile as a leader in criminal justice reform. In collaboration with the Director of Digital Fundraising, the Director, Digital Advocacy and Engagement is responsible for the organization’s digital channels (inbound, outbound, paid, and earned).

The Director, Digital Advocacy and Engagement reports to the Chief Communications Officer, directly supervises the Digital Engagement Specialist, Digital Coordinator, and consultant team, and partners closely with the Director of Digital Fundraising in the development department. They also have close working relationships with other members of the entire communications department, including the editorial, creative, marketing, and media teams, and with colleagues across our programmatic areas, including policy, legal, science & research, and social work.

We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas and we are not an e-verify employer.

The duties of this position require approximately 40 hours of work per week to be performed virtually/in-office. We currently have a hybrid in-office model, with all employees in the office three days per week and the remainder of the week remotely. Wednesday is our organization’s “anchor day” where all staff works in the office. The number of required in-office days is subject to change.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The Innocence Project seeks a digital campaigns leader with a strong track record in digital advocacy campaigns and/or political communications and is skilled in digital strategy, breaking news and rapid response. They are a big-picture strategic thinker who is also mindful of the details.

They are a collaborative, values-driven professional who can translate complex issues into compelling content and messaging - both editorially and visually - and who is committed to the Innocence Project’s mission. They have a natural curiosity about what’s new in digital advocacy, an appetite for experimentation, and a love of growing and mentoring their team members.

In addition, the ideal candidate models our IP Values of accountability, collaboration, empathy + compassion, equity, person-centeredness, quality focus, and self-awareness. All Innocence Project employees must embrace, respect and value the rich diversity of perspectives and lived experience of our staff. We recognize and appreciate that our work is better for having varied participants and thought partners. The ideal candidate is someone who thrives in this type of environment.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Lead digital strategy and content for the Innocence Project's highest-stakes communications campaigns including execution and clemency cases, state-based policy reforms, and rapid response to breaking developments.
• Ability to collaborate and partner with colleagues in the legal, social work, and policy teams as well as external partner organizations along with colleagues in the communications team. Commitment to centering the experiences of clients and those in the freed and exonerated community who are closest to the issues we are addressing.
• Translate complex legal and policy issues into accurate, compelling, and accessible public calls to action across the organization’s digital channels (in English and Spanish, where campaigns demand).
• Build grassroots power to convert supporters into advocates and mobilize them to act when it matters most through petitions, calls, emails to decision-makers and during rapid-response moments.
• Maintain and strengthen a rapid-response infrastructure (templates, escalation paths, and on-call team coverage) that allows the organization to mount campaigns with tight deadlines.
• Manage and develop the digital team including the Digital Engagement Specialist and Digital Coordinator, with clear goals, work plans, and a culture that prioritizes both excellent work and well-being. In partnership with the Director of Digital Fundraising, manage and oversee a team of consultants who are deeply engaged in the communications and digital fundraising teams’ day-to-day operations.
• Track and analyze digital communications data to surface what is working and where opportunities lie for setting the IP apart and breaking through the noise on digital platforms.
• Stay abreast of digital trends to ensure our strategies and content are primed for maximum impact. This includes attention to the look and feel of our content along with increasing our searchability and impact. It would also encompass strengthening discoverability across both search (SEO) and AI-generated responses (GEO)

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Master's degree plus 12 years experience or Bachelor's plus 14 years experience in digital advocacy, campaigns, or political communications, with a track record of impact and leading rapid-response efforts at scale
• Commitment to people-first leadership with experience leading diverse and collaborative teams, centering the people closest to the issues, and managing both in-house team members and external consultants with care
• Proficiency with generative AI tools for content and workflow, paired with a critical understanding of how AI, from facial recognition to AI-generated evidence, intersects with the criminal legal system.
• Fluency with the digital advocacy tools (Meta, YouTube, TikTok, Phone2Action/Quorum or similar tools, Salesforce NPSP, email and SMS platforms, paid media, analytics) and the collaboration stack (Slack, Notion, Monday)
• Alignment with Innocence Project’s values — equity-centered, collaborative, and committed to telling the stories of clients and impacted people with dignity and care
• Bilingual English/Spanish is strongly preferred
• Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.

LEADERSHIP AND TEAM DEVELOPMENT COMPETENCIES:

• Motivation and Inspiration: Fosters a positive, inclusive environment that energizes team members, encourages initiative, and supports a high-performing, engaged team
• Talent Development: Sets clear expectations that align with team priorities along with programmatic and institutional goals, holds regular 1:1s, completes annual performance reviews, provides ongoing feedback, encourages continuous professional development, and participates in the recruitment and robust onboarding of new team members as needed
• Empowerment and Communication: Delegates effectively, promotes accountability, maintains open, transparent communication both with team members and across departments, and removes barriers to support team member success
• Engagement and Resolution: Proactively addresses team challenges, resolves issues constructively when possible, and fosters a cohesive, collaborative, and effective work environment
• Values-Based Leadership: Leads by example, embodying and modeling the IP’s values of accountability, collaboration, equity, empathy and compassion, person-centeredness, quality focus, and self-awareness

KEY COMPETENCIES + VALUES

• Strong digital storytelling skills and an ability to provide context and/or edit wherever necessary
• Strong interpersonal, diplomacy, and communication (verbal & written) skills with the ability to interact effectively and sensitively with a wide variety of people of diverse professional and cultural backgrounds
• Strong organizational, planning, project management and strategy skills, along with attention to detail
• Flexible and collaborative work style with the ability to function effectively in a demanding environment and juggle multiple tasks under pressure and deadlines
• Ability to grasp legal and criminal justice issues and translate them into persuasive and easy-to-understand language
• Demonstrated initiative and reliability
• 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

Benefits

COMPENSATION, BENEFITS & PERKS

The salary for this position is highly competitive and the Innocence Project offers an excellent benefits package, including fully-paid individual health, dental and vision insurance, Flexible Spending Account, 401k plan with 6% company-match, paid disability and family care leave, adoption and fertility expense reimbursements, and company-paid transportation benefits.

WORKFORCE DIVERSITY AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

The Innocence Project considers the diversity of its workforce to be vital to our organization’s success in meeting its mission. We strongly encourage applicants from all cultures, races, educational backgrounds, life experiences, socio-economic classes, sexual orientations, age, gender, and physical abilities to apply. Individuals with personal connections to the criminal legal system are strongly encouraged to apply.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, it is our policy not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, familial status, marital status, predisposing genetic characteristics, actual or perceived domestic violence victim status, unemployment status, caregiver status, or any other category protected by law.

Upon submission of your application you will be requested to complete an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) survey. This survey is part of our commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. The information you provide is voluntary and confidential. Completing the survey helps us track our progress in creating a fair and equitable environment. This data is used for reporting purposes only. Please note, the identities presented in the survey reflect federal language required by law. The Innocence Project acknowledges that not all identities are included and any reference to gender explicitly refers to biological sex. We recognize these terms are limited and we strive to humanize our internal practices. Your completion of the survey is greatly appreciated.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To apply, please click 'Apply for this Job' below. Upload a resume titled with your name in this format (last name_first name_resume). In the space provided, add a cover letter expressing your interest in the role and the organization’s work. Only applications with cover letters will be considered complete applications. Information submitted through this secure site is kept confidential.

*At the Innocence Project, we believe in recognizing talent and passion beyond formal educational qualifications. We are committed to considering a broad array of candidates with a range of professional and lived experiences and backgrounds. We know that transferable skills can be gained through a variety of ways that could enable a candidate to be successful in a role, not just formal education. For this position, if you have at least 18 years of experience in this or a related field, we encourage you to apply regardless of your educational background. So, whether you’re returning to work after a gap in employment, looking to transition to a new career path, or taking the next step in your professional life, we encourage you to apply if you have additional experience in lieu of the posted educational requirements.

SALARY RANGE

$151,725 - 192,000 Salary commensurate with experience.