Regional Program Manager

Regional Program Manager

Organization: GRIP Training Institute

Location: San Francisco Bay Area (Berkeley, CA Headquarters) and Remote

Type: Full time, Exempt (40 hours a week)

About: https://grip-traininginstitute.org

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Regional Program Manager will play a key role in both the design and delivery of programs and initiatives within GRIP Training Institute. This role is primarily focused on the Bay Area/ Northern CA region and functions both to support the effective delivery of our existing program work in the prisons and to help GRIP innovate and scale to serve more students in a variety of ways. The responsibilities include the development, piloting and operationalizing of programs offered through the GRIP Training Institute and will also be responsible for managing GRIP’s initiatives to pilot new programs and offerings for expansion.

The Regional Program Manager reports to the Program Director. This position is a hybrid position based in the Bay Area with travel to GRIP offices, prison institutions and other locations throughout the state of California.

If you have a passion for justice, and seek to work with others who have a deep commitment to personal and social transformation, and desire to learn and advance your role, then come join our dynamic, diverse and growing team!

WHAT YOU’LL DO

The Regional Program Manager will be responsible for planning, executing and overseeing various aspects of programs to support our GRIP program as it exists currently, as well as the design, implementation and supervision of external projects and responsibilities. This role functions as the supervisor and point person for all programming at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, as well as administrative and people management for several other prison facilities in the Northern CA region including CTF (Soledad), CMF (Vacaville) and Mule Creek (Ione). The Regional Program Manager is the intermediary between facilitation teams at each site, and the Program Director, working alongside the rest of the Program Management team.

PRIMARY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

Program Planning and Delivery

• Plan, pilot, deliver and operationalize program delivery models. Operationalization includes documenting procedures, agreements, and performance metrics in place, and programs fully implemented successfully including data collection and reporting.
• Maintain ongoing communication with Area Prison Leads of relevant sites and staff of San Quentin, to ensure the program is functioning properly and provide support and guidance as needed to navigate obstacles.
• Supporting the development and implementation of ‘Alumni Group’ offerings throughout the Northern CA prisons.
• Oversee the administration and coordination required to deliver programs inside of various prison institutions. Including initial contact with CDCR leadership to initiate programs, the piloting and supervision of programs and the review and improvement of programs upon their completion.
• Address risks and issues related to delivering programs inside prison institutions, including working with prison community resources manager and leadership, and GRIP staff to monitor, track and manage.
• Managing and coordinating clearances and other logistics including travel and lodging for each site to ensure that all staff and guests are able to enter the site as needed for programs.
• Oversight of financial needs of the programs team including budget management, supervision and approval of reimbursements and timecards, and other fiscal duties as required.
• Lead the planning and administrative logistics of events including Graduation, Orientation and V/S visits for San Quentin Rehabilitation Center and support the Area Prison Leads of other sites as needed.

Strategic Relationships

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with the GRIP program team, and supervise day to day functions of GRIP program delivery.
• Build professional relationships with the prison leadership team, including community resources manager, warden, and other leaders that have influence on GRIP’s ability to enter and deliver programs inside the prison institution.
• Create partnerships with outside service providers that may be required to support any part of the GRIP program. This may include funders who support our program, printing services for tribe materials, victims/survivors partners, collaboration with outside organizations, etc.
• Develop and maintain relationships with CDCR officials, politicians, stakeholders, funders, board members and partner organizations in support of organizational projects
• Support and supervise visitors at SQRC as needed in relation to funders, policy makers and other guests.
• Partnership with other GRIP managers as needed to move initiatives forward for the organization.
• Support of advocacy and policy initiatives in collaboration with the Community Engagement Manager, Executive Director and outside partners.

GRIP Facilitation

• As a facilitator, you will prepare for in-class facilitation, discussions, and lesson plans for students/tribes, including preparing both inside (currently incarcerated) and outside (formerly incarcerated) facilitator team members on what they will cover before each class.
• Provide hands-on teaching and mentorship to students while also helping them internalize the GRIP curriculum in their own personal styles.
• Document student attendance and homework assignments to ensure students are on track to graduate; notify any students not on track in a timely manner, with opportunity to get on track.
• Support the onboarding of new GRIP staff by facilitating selected segments of the GRIP curriculum for their cultural assimilation.
• And other duties as needed to maintain the program through its completion

KEY PARTNERSHIPS

The Regional Program Manager will be required to partner with the GRIP Executive Director, Program Director, GRIP facilitators, prison coordinators, prison leadership and external partnered organizations to deliver a great set of programs to our GRIP students. This role is expected to work across all of the GRIP domains, including Operations, Programs and Fundraising.

WHO YOU ARE AND KEYS TO SUCCESS

• High level knowledge and experience with the carceral and parole system.
• 3+ years of successful program development and/or delivery experience, with strong organizational, planning and implementation track record.
• 3+ years of program management experience and/or managing multiple projects simultaneously to successful outcomes.
• Advanced interpersonal skills and 3+ years of staff supervision and management, with people from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and learning/work styles.
• Successful relationship management with prison institutions, or similar kinds of government bureaucracies.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Exceptional collaboration and facilitation skills to guide high performing, diverse teams.
• Fluency with productivity tools such as Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace (Google Docs, Sheets, Gmail, Google Calendar, Forms, Sites, Groups, Photos, etc.).
• Must possess a valid CA driver’s license and clean driving record, and auto liability insurance. Must have access to reliable transportation.
• Bilingual candidates encouraged but not required

Persons with lived experience of incarceration strongly encouraged to apply

ABOUT THE GRIP TRAINING INSTITUTE

GRIP’s perspective and the title of our coursebook is “Leaving Prison Before You Get Out.” ™ Together we learn that being free it’s not just about finding oneself on the other side of the prison gate; it’s not just a geographic fact. At the heart of being free is not where you are, but how you are. We believe that violence is learned and GRIP’s methodology facilitates unlearning violent behavior to replace it with an attitude of insight, compassion and service.

GRIP’s one-year intensive guides incarcerated people through deep personal transformation and accountability. Developed over 25 years in the California State prisons by founder Jacques Verduin, in collaboration with thousands of life-sentenced (with parole) incarcerated people.

GRIP provides its rehabilitation program to incarcerated people in 7 of our state prisons. Since 2012, GRIP graduated 1,512 students and 750 of those graduates were released from prison. In 2023, GRIP launched its first program at a women’s prison.

The GRIP Training Institute is an inclusive, equitable, respectful and accountable work environment. What we ask of our students inside, we ask of ourselves -- to practice the GRIP tools of emotional intelligence, mindfulness, do-no-harm and understanding the impact of our actions on others.

We are committed to breaking down systemic structures which contribute to deep inequities in our society and organization, and support members of our community in being racially, culturally literate and ultimately anti-bias change makers.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

GRIP Training Institute offers competitive benefits, including 100% health and dental insurance, paid holidays and extended holiday office closures, generous paid time off, 401k annual contributions, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) . GRIP Training Institute prioritizes the wellbeing of our staff and teams and promotes self care.

Salary range: $90,000 to $100,000, depending on experience and qualifications.

To apply, please send TO: brian@insight-out.org

• UPDATED RESUME
• TAILORED COVER LETTER
• THREE PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES

GRIP Training Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage diversity in the workplace regardless of race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or veteran status.