Jobs.
Interested in a career with RBIJ? See below for current job openings.
Policy & Advocacy Senior Counsel
Apply by Monday, July 7, 2025
Job Title: Policy & Advocacy Senior Counsel
Reports to: Policy & Advocacy Director
Basis: Full-time, regular, exempt
Salary: $89,500 - $103,500 (Band 3)
Location: Washington, DC, Hybrid
About the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice
The Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) is a ground-breaking and growing criminal justice reform organization.
RBIJ supports organizers, advocates, and campaigners in the criminal justice reform space in the United States – and increasingly in the United Kingdom – by bringing businesses to the table. Our work is designed to champion fairness, equality, and effectiveness in systems of punishment; to end mass incarceration and the collateral consequences of a criminal record; and to stop extreme sentencing. We do this by combining a network of issue experts and community-based organizations with the social capital, influence, and operational capacity of businesses and their leaders. Our work falls into three broad categories:
Reforming Justice Systems. We help businesses use their voice, platforms, and leverage to move critical criminal justice reform initiatives at both the state and federal level through both public and private advocacy. Since our founding, RBIJ has worked in 20 states across nearly a dozen policy reform areas, including Clean Slate, bail reform, expanding access to occupational licenses, ending Juvenile Life Without Parole (JLWOP) sentencing, death penalty abolition, and more.
Restoring Communities. We work with businesses to ensure systemic change is translated into real-life impact for justice-involved individuals. We believe that businesses are essential stakeholders in the implementation phase of criminal justice reform and that companies’ internal policies and practices must match their advocacy. We work with companies to address their supply chains, investments, and recruitment practices so they can be effective partners in rebuilding and restoring communities that inequitable systems of justice have disproportionately impacted.
Reframing Narratives. We build and entrench the narrative that fair and equal systems of justice are good for business. Our communications help engage businesses, promote awareness of us and our programs, drive narratives that employers and investors care about justice issues and justice-involved individuals, and provide invaluable support to campaign partners on the ground. RBIJ’s work has been featured in CNN, Forbes, Vice, The Financial Times, Bloomberg, The Guardian, The Independent, The Hill, and state publications across the country.
About the Role
RBIJ is looking for a dynamic and highly entrepreneurial candidate who is excited by the prospect of taking on a role in a growing organization, and who is enthusiastic about shaping the direction of the organization moving forward.
The Policy & Advocacy Senior Counsel will lead on a number of RBIJ’s various campaigns in collaboration with national, federal, state and city partners; develop appropriate engagement strategies that work to reduce mass incarceration, end extreme punishment, and provide opportunities for people who have experience in the justice system; and provide guidance across campaign strategies to ensure alignment of goals and priorities.
The Policy & Advocacy Senior Counsel will help develop a broad portfolio of work to address re-entry, barriers to opportunities caused by criminal records and the carceral system, the criminalization of poverty, human rights, and opportunities for people affected by the justice system. This work will include relationship building, strategic guidance, research, writing, and policy development. The Senior Counsel will provide legal analysis on proposed legal and policy reforms.
The Senior Counsel will also help develop and lead an amicus curiae practice with law firm partners on cases of national interest tied to criminal justice reform and/or fair chance hiring.
Responsibilities
Lead a number of RBIJ’s criminal justice reform campaigns at the city, state, national, and federal levels and track progress across a variety of deliverables.
Support the development of legislative and outreach strategies for advancing change across a broad portfolio of criminal justice issues, ranging from ending extreme sentencing (like abolishing the death penalty and Juvenile Life Without Parole) to advancing justice for the workforce (like passing Clean Slate laws, bail reform, driver’s license revocation reform, and expanding access to occupational licensing).
Manage relationships with diverse groups of businesses and external partner organizations, such as identifying potential partners across campaigns, curating and expanding RBIJ’s business network, and facilitating meetings across stakeholder groups to advance RBIJ’s strategic goals.
Represent RBIJ at meetings and briefings with the federal executive and legislative branches.
Provide legal analysis of proposed legislative, regulatory, or executive action on issue areas related to RBIJ’s priorities.
Oversee the development of an amicus curiae practice in partnership with law firm partners on cases of national interest tied to criminal justice reform and/or fair chance hiring.
Support RBIJ's Policy & Advocacy Director on grant reporting and writing, including tracking deliverables across all active campaigns, providing progress reports, and serving as the point of contact for funders as assigned.
Provide strategic support as needed to RBIJ Policy & Advocacy team and ensure alignment of goals and priorities across campaigns. This might include supervising law student interns.
Devise communications and media strategies in partnership with the RBIJ Communications team that include press releases, op-eds, talking points, and the strategic use of social media to advance policy priorities.
Produce educational materials for business audiences such as one-pagers, business toolkits, and multimedia content related to criminal justice reform, and work closely with the Communications team on newsletters and additional content as needed.
Assist, and at times lead, in organizing convenings at the state, national and international levels to raise awareness about the inequalities within the U.S. criminal justice system and solutions for expanding opportunity for individuals involved in the criminal justice system.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications and Requirements
Advanced law degree (JD or LLM) from an accredited law school with membership in good standing in any jurisdiction in the United States.
3-5 years of experience in policy implementation or advancing policy reform at the federal-level inside and/or outside government.
Expertise in criminal justice, civil rights, and/or poverty law through direct legal representation or working in the criminal justice reform space is a plus.
Exceptional analytical skills, strengths in swiftly assimilating information, synthesizing and collating it, and identifying key points.
Exceptional project management skills with very strong attention to detail.
Ability to manage quick-turnaround deliverables as well as long-term strategy implementation, reporting, and metrics tracking.
Experience running, managing, or otherwise taking a leadership role in strategic advocacy campaigns.
Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work well in a team.
Ability to build and manage relationships with a bipartisan coalition of organizations.
Outstanding writing and editing skills.
Entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to think creatively and be a self-starter.
Ability to absorb key policy issues and debates quickly and thoroughly.
Experience working with people involved in, or affected by, the criminal justice system is preferred; expertise on the effects of the criminal justice system, including lived experiences, is advantageous but not essential.
Commitment to RBIJ mission and goals (available on our website here) is essential.
The following qualifications are desirable:
Experience working with people involved in or affected by the criminal justice system is preferred.
Expertise on the effects of the criminal justice system, including lived experiences, is advantageous but not essential. We encourage candidates who meet the majority of qualifications to apply.
We especially encourage formerly incarcerated or justice-involved individuals and those with family members impacted by the justice system to apply.
How to apply
To apply please submit a cover letter detailing your interest in RBIJ, its work, and the position with a copy of your resume (combined into one pdf) to: applications@rbij.org no later than July 7, 2025.
Candidates who perform well in preliminary interviews may be asked to submit a writing sample and/or respond to a prompt.
Compensation, benefits, and location
Compensation for this role will be commensurate with experience but is expected to be in the range of $89,500 - $103,500 annually.
We are seeking candidates to work in a hybrid setting (combination of working from home and with colleagues in a shared office) in Washington, DC. Applicants must have the right to work in their intended working location.
RBIJ is a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy. This position is offered a full benefits package, including: 100% medical coverage for the employee and 90% medical coverage for dependents; 100% coverage for vision, dental, life/AD&D, long-term disability. NEO also offers a 401K retirement savings plan, Healthcare Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), Medical FSA, Dependent Care FSA, commuter benefits, Employee Assistance Program, other supplemental benefits, and paid time off.
RBIJ and NEO Philanthropy are equal opportunity employers and candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. We especially encourage formerly incarcerated individuals and those with family members impacted by the justice system to apply.
We respect and value a positive work-life balance and, we strive to offer employees the opportunity for growth and self-fulfillment while working with us.
Academic Intern, Policy & Advocacy
Apply by Friday, July 18, 2025
Job Title: Academic Intern (unpaid)
Reports to: Policy & Advocacy Director
Eligibility: Must be in an enrolled academic program and be able to receive academic credit
Duration: Rolling start date aligned with Fall/Summer/Spring semesters
About the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice
The Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) is a ground-breaking and growing criminal justice reform organization.
RBIJ supports organizers, advocates, and campaigners in the criminal justice reform space by bringing the voices of businesses, financial sector actors, and trade representatives to the table. Our work is designed to champion fairness, equality, and effectiveness in systems of punishment; to end mass incarceration and the collateral consequences of a criminal record; and to stop extreme sentencing. We do this by combining a network of issue experts and community-based organizations with the social capital, influence, and internal capacity of businesses and their leaders. Our work falls into three broad categories:
Reforming Justice Systems. We help businesses use their voice, platforms, and leverage to move critical criminal justice reform initiatives at both the state and federal level through both public and private advocacy. Since our founding, RBIJ has worked in 20 states across nearly a dozen policy reform areas, including Clean Slate, bail reform, expanding access to occupational licenses, ending Juvenile Life Without Parole (JLWOP) sentencing, death penalty abolition, and more.
Restoring Communities. We work with businesses to ensure systemic change is translated into real-life impact for justice-involved individuals. We believe that businesses are essential stakeholders in the implementation phase of criminal justice reform and that companies’ internal policies and practices must match their advocacy. We work with companies to address their supply chains, investments, and recruitment practices so they can be effective partners in rebuilding and restoring communities that inequitable systems of justice have disproportionately impacted.
Reframing Narratives. We build and entrench the narrative that fair and equal systems of justice are good for business. Our communications help engage businesses, promote awareness of us and our programs, drive narratives that employers and investors care about justice issues and justice-involved individuals, and provide invaluable support to campaign partners on the ground. RBIJ’s work has been featured in CNN, Forbes, Vice, The Financial Times, Bloomberg, The Guardian, The Independent, The Hill, and state publications across the country.
About the Role
RBIJ is seeking student interns to gain field experience and to work alongside RBIJ's international team in a hybrid work environment. The interns will support the organization's engagement with the business community in advancement of the activities described above. The ideal candidates are dynamic and entrepreneurial, seeking opportunities to develop their interests and experience in criminal justice reform or corporate social responsibility. The interns will have opportunities to develop their skills in campaign planning and execution, legislative research, and day-to-day operations of a policy and advocacy organization.
Responsibilities
Policy & Advocacy team interns will gain valuable experience through the following supervised duties:
Assist in the planning and execution of ongoing justice reform campaign efforts through extensive mapping of businesses, trade associations, and their leaders in each state in which we work.
Conduct research and prepare internal memoranda about the general political, economic, and criminal justice reform landscape in identified states, notably those that are new to RBIJ.
Monitor federal and state legislation on priority criminal justice reform issue areas in identified priority states and/or on issues across the country.
Track and prepare internal memoranda on executive orders that impact the business community and/or the U.S. criminal justice reform landscape.
As needed, help identify and conduct research on criminal justice reform issues that are new to RBIJ.
Support the day-to-day operations of their team to track progress across a variety of deliverables.
On occasion and under the direction of the relevant team, assist in organizing in-person and virtual convenings (such as conferences, roundtables, and webinars).
Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications and Requirements
Must be able to satisfy school credit during the internship.
Currently enrolled in an accredited college or university degree program. RBIJ will verify enrollment prior to start date.
Demonstrated interest in criminal justice reform and/or increasing economic inclusion.
Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work well in a team.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage competing deadlines and quick-turnaround deliverables.
Entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to think creatively, be a self-starter.
Ability to work on a distributed team in a remote environment.
Commitment to RBIJ mission and goals (available on our website here) is essential.
How to apply
To apply please submit (1) a one-page cover letter detailing your interest in RBIJ, its work, and the position, and (2) your resume (combined into one pdf) to: applications@rbij.org no later than the date at the top of this announcement.
Candidates who perform well in preliminary interviews may be asked to submit a writing sample and/or respond to a prompt to assess their critical thinking and communications abilities.
Work location and other details
RBIJ is seeking an intern who will gain school credits for this role. RBIJ will work with the candidate and school/program to make appropriate arrangements and meet established requirements. This is an unpaid internship, with no benefits, and with no promise of employment following the conclusion of the internship.
RBIJ is an international organization with a hybrid work environment. We are flexible with the location of the post-holder, although applicants based in New York, NY and Washington, DC will have the opportunity to work alongside other members of the team. Applicants must be actively enrolled in an accredited college or university degree program for the full duration of the internship (proof of enrollment required).
RBIJ is a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy.
RBIJ and NEO Philanthropy are an equal opportunity employer and candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. We especially encourage justice-involved individuals and those with family members impacted by the justice system to apply.
We respect and value a positive work-life balance and we strive to offer opportunities for growth and self-fulfillment while working with us.