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Vera Institute of Justice

Advances evidence-based justice reform and policy

Senior HR Generalist - People, Place & Culture

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
$125k - $130k
Senior
Bachelor's
Brooklyn, NY, USA
HybridHybrid schedule; in-office on an alternating schedule, generally 10 days per month.
People & HRHR Generalist & Employee Relations

About the job

Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree and 5+ years of relevant human resources experience are required; applicable work or life experience may be considered in lieu of the degree.
  • Demonstrated hands-on experience across multiple human resources functions, such as benefits, human resources information systems, recruitment, or compliance.
  • Direct experience handling employee relations matters, including intake, documentation, and workplace investigations from start to finish.
  • Working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment law, including Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the National Labor Relations Act.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite or similar tools and comfort working within a human resources information system or applicant tracking system.
  • Sound judgment and discretion to handle confidential and sensitive matters with integrity and impartiality.
  • Strong written and verbal communication, including clear, objective investigation and case documentation.
  • Ability to multitask, prioritize, and manage multiple activities in a fast-paced environment.
  • Solutions-oriented problem-solving ability and effectiveness working with people inside and outside the organization.
Responsibilities
  • Serve as a first point of contact for employee relations concerns by conducting intake, triage, documentation, and initial assessment of complaints, grievances, workplace conflicts, and other employee concerns.
  • Support and, where appropriate, lead workplace investigations, including fact gathering, interviewing parties, maintaining chain-of-custody documentation, preparing investigation summaries, and coordinating with the Managing Director and Legal.
  • Administer day-to-day aspects of the collective bargaining agreement, including tracking grievances and timelines, maintaining seniority and job-classification records, coordinating labor-management meeting logistics, and supporting implementation of negotiated provisions.
  • Advise managers on performance management, coaching, corrective action, conflict resolution, and consistent application of workplace policies and the collective bargaining agreement.
  • Coordinate accommodation and leave-related employee relations matters with the appropriate People, Place & Culture team member and Legal, as needed.
  • Partner with Legal and the Race, Equity, and Inclusion team on anti-harassment, anti-discrimination, retaliation, and other sensitive workplace matters, ensuring consistent and equitable policy application.
  • Provide day-to-day human resources operational support across employee lifecycle processes, including employee records, status changes, reporting, and data integrity.
  • Partner with the Compensation & Benefits function to support benefits administration, including employee questions, enrollments, qualifying life events, vendor coordination, and routine benefits processes.
  • Provide operational support for leave administration, including Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, state and local leave, disability, and other applicable programs, coordinating with employees, managers, carriers, and vendors as appropriate.
  • Serve as additional team capacity and backup for core benefits and leave processes to support continuity of service.
  • Respond to employee questions regarding policies, pay, benefits, paid time off, and human resources procedures, escalating complex compensation, benefits, or total rewards matters to the appropriate team member.
  • Maintain accurate human resources information system and personnel records and support routine audits and reporting.
  • Identify opportunities to streamline and improve recurring human resources processes and escalate operational gaps or trends to the Managing Director.
  • Support day-to-day administration of employee benefits programs, including routine questions, enrollments, qualifying life events, benefit changes, and related transactions.
  • Maintain accurate benefits and leave records and support required documentation, tracking, reporting, and employee communications.
  • Coordinate with benefits vendors and internal partners to resolve routine employee issues and ensure timely service; escalate matters involving benefits strategy, plan design, compensation, or broader total rewards decisions to the appropriate functional lead.
  • Conduct routine audits of personnel files, I-9 forms, and required trainings to ensure federal, state, and local compliance.
  • Track and support mandatory training completion, such as anti-harassment and code of conduct training, and maintain accurate compliance records.
  • Contribute to human resources projects, including engagement surveys, policy rollouts, human resources information system improvements, and total-rewards cycles, as assigned.
  • Generate metrics and dashboards on employee and labor relations case volume, hiring, and turnover to inform decision-making.
Desired Qualifications
  • SHRM-CP, PHR, or another human-resources-related certification.
  • Direct experience administering a collective bargaining agreement and supporting labor relations alongside legal counsel.
  • Experience in a unionized and/or nonprofit or mission-driven environment.
  • Commitment to Vera's mission to end the overcriminalization and mass incarceration of people of color, immigrants, and people experiencing poverty.

About the company

V

Vera Institute of Justice

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The Vera Institute of Justice partners with other organizations to tackle injustices in the criminal justice system, focusing on mass incarceration, racial disparities, trust in law enforcement, and the unmet needs of vulnerable people harmed by crime and violence. It works by joining with public agencies, nonprofits, and communities to design, test, and scale justice reforms, using research, policy analysis, and program design, then supporting implementation and evaluation in real-world settings. What sets it apart is its emphasis on cross‑sector collaboration and evidence‑based reform, combining rigorous research with coalition-building and hands‑on implementation support to pursue systemic change. Its goal is to create a fairer, more effective justice system by reducing incarceration and disparities, restoring public trust in law enforcement, and meeting the needs of those harmed by crime and violence.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Grant

Total Funding

$250K

Headquarters

New York City, New York

Founded

1961

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • June 2026 New Orleans dashboard deepens Vera’s public-health violence-prevention footprint.
  • March 2026 leadership handoff to Insha Rahman brings advocacy and partnerships expertise.
  • April 2026 data launches give journalists and policymakers reusable tools, strengthening Vera’s influence.

What critics are saying

  • DOJ cut roughly $820 million in April 2025; Vera lost $5 million.
  • Nick Turner exits in May 2026, and Insha Rahman inherits a funding-crisis organization.
  • A hostile federal administration can starve Vera’s grants again, breaking programs within months.

What makes Vera Institute of Justice unique

  • Vera’s ICE Detention Trends dashboard tracks 1,490 facilities through March 2026.
  • Its April 2026 Incarceration and Inequality Data Explorer links incarceration with economic mobility.
  • Vera has national policy reach, with offices in Brooklyn, Washington, New Orleans, and Los Angeles.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Unlimited Paid Time Off
  • Student Loan Assistance
  • Professional Development Budget
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • Flexible Work Hours

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

-2%

1 year growth

-2%

2 year growth

0%
WPA Online
Aug 5th, 2026
Liz Swavola on advocacy, policy change, and shifting the narrative around the incarceration of women.

Liz Swavola on advocacy, policy change, and shifting the narrative around the incarceration of women. Liz Swavola serves as Chief Impact Officer at the Women's Prison Association, leading the Impact Department, which leverages storytelling, data, research, and advocacy to shift public opinion, influence criminal legal system practices and policies, and advance community-based support as an alternative to incarceration. With her team, Liz ensures that WPA's data, resources, communications, and advocacy are cohesive and align with the organization's impact goals and mission to make incarceration of women obsolete. For nearly 20 years, Liz has partnered with communities and coalitions across the country to drive transformative systems change and advance racial and gender justice. Most recently, as the Director of Public Safety Innovations at the Center for Policing Equity (CPE), Liz collaborated with Black and Brown communities, advocates, and government actors to redesign public safety. Before that, Liz was the Director of the Jail Decarceration Initiative at the Vera Institute of Justice, leading a team of researchers and policy experts to end mass incarceration at the municipal and county level. Below, Liz shares what drew her to WPA and her vision for the organization's future. What inspired you to join WPA, and what excites you most about leading the organization into its next chapter? Years ago, I visited WPA after co-authoring a report about the incarceration of women. I was immediately struck by the supportive community WPA had built around women returning home from incarceration, centering dignity and agency, and knew I wanted to be part of that community. Now is an especially exciting time to join WPA as the organization leans into advocacy, policy change, and shifting the narrative from punishment to healing. How have you seen data and storytelling shift perspectives and make an impact on policy change? Data and storytelling can make a powerful pair in campaigns to change harmful policies. Data shows just how pervasive a problem, like mass incarceration and criminalization, is and reveal the depth of disparities, while also demonstrating where change is possible and the potential impact. Centering experiences and expertise of directly impacted people in that evidence ensures that the right questions are asked and answered. Some people are moved by data, and some by stories, and offering both gives the fullest picture of a problem and how to tackle it. Where do you see the greatest opportunities for WPA to expand its impact? Right now, in New York City, there is unprecedented opportunity to reimagine the local criminal legal system - with the movement to close Rikers and the Rose M. Singer Center, the women's facility on Rikers, and an administration supportive of decarceration. As an organization with a long history of providing and advocating for community-based supports for women who are enmeshed in the system, WPA is well-positioned to be a movement leader and partner - and other communities across the state and country are watching and taking notes. What gives you hope about the future of this work? The fact that the work to make women's incarceration obsolete is increasingly led by formerly incarcerated women gives me hope that the movement will go in the right direction and with the urgency it deserves. Their leadership, expertise, and drive to shine a light on the devastation incarceration and criminalization have caused at every level is grabbing policymakers' attention and forcing system actors to rethink their punitive approaches. Women's Prison Association. Since 1845, the Women's Prison Association has empowered women to redefine their lives in the face of injustice and incarceration. Liz Swavola serves as Chief Impact Officer at the Women's Prison Association, leading the Impact Department, which leverages storytelling, data,... As the Senior Director of Clinical Care at the Women's Prison Association (WPA), Miriam Goodman brings over fifteen years of experience working at the... Systems-impacted women and gender-expansive people often face unique barriers before, during, and after incarceration, including high rates of trauma, economic instability,... Our commitment to social justice means investing in community, advancing decarceration, and ensuring women impacted by the criminal legal system...

Vera Institute of Justice
Jun 22nd, 2026
New tool tracks gun violence trends across New Orleans, expanding access to critical data to inform crime prevention strategies.

New tool tracks gun violence trends across New Orleans, expanding access to critical data to inform crime prevention strategies. June 22, 2026 New Orleans, Louisiana - Today, the Violence Prevention Institute at Tulane University, in partnership with the Vera Institute of Justice and Washington University in St. Louis, published the New Orleans Firearm Violence Dashboard making critical data accessible to agencies, organizations, and people working to address firearm violence. Gun violence is a public health issue that causes significant harm to people, their families, and communities. This tool provides information about the characteristics of people and neighborhoods affected by firearm violence in New Orleans from 2019 to 2024. It combines data from the New Orleans Police Department with victim information from the Louisiana Department of Health and Orleans Parish Coroner's Office. By linking these sources together, policymakers and violence prevention leaders can get a more complete and accurate picture of firearm violence in New Orleans, evidence that will help guide future violence prevention and intervention efforts. Key findings: * From 2019-2024 in New Orleans, firearm homicide deaths peaked in 2022 and were lowest in 2024. * Firearm homicides are not equally distributed across neighborhoods in New Orleans. Across the 71 neighborhoods included in the map, there were seven neighborhoods where there were no firearm homicides during the study period; while there were also 10 neighborhoods where there were more than 30 firearm homicides over the study period. * In line with research from other cities, this analysis found that the rate of firearm homicides was generally lower in neighborhoods with high rates of home ownership, college graduation, and labor force participation. * While media coverage of firearm violence often focuses on young people, Black men ages 25-44 consistently bear a disproportionate burden of firearm homicide deaths in New Orleans. "No single data source gives us the full picture of firearm violence in a community - each has gaps, biases, and missing incidents that can lead us to undercount the true burden or potentially misidentify who is most affected," said Dr. Julia Fleckman, faculty affiliate at the Tulane University Violence Prevention Institute and associate professor at the Washington University in St. Louis Bursky School of Public Health. "By linking data across the New Orleans Police Department, the Louisiana Department of Health, and the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office, we are able to construct a far more complete and accurate account of firearm violence trends in New Orleans. This kind of multi-source approach is essential for public health - because the decisions we make about where to invest, who to reach, and what strategies to use are only as good as the data underlying them." "Effective violence prevention requires the same public health approach we use for any major health challenge," said Dr. Jordan Vaughn, MD, public health clinical director for the New Orleans Department of Health and Human Services. "Data allows us to understand where interventions are needed, but we never forget that every life lost to gun violence represents a person, a family, and a community. At the New Orleans Department of Health and Human Services, we ensure our efforts are guided by evidence. By equipping our community partners and health care providers with shared information, we are creating a more coordinated ecosystem that has greater impact and will ultimately save lives." "Ubuntu Village NOLA reduces violence by addressing root causes while also intervening and mediating conflicts," said Ernest Johnson, director of Ubuntu Village. "Data like this can help our teams understand historic trends in firearm violence to know where to focus outreach efforts and what resources might be most important to bring into the neighborhood." "The New Orleans Firearm Violence Dashboard will be a valuable tool to decrease violence throughout our neighborhoods," said Roberta Dubuclet, director of violence prevention for the New Orleans Department of Health and Human Services "Combining data with the human aspect of violence ensures our strategy remains focused where it matters most: on community-centered solutions that save lives." "Violence doesn't happen in a vacuum," said Dr. Kim Mosby, associate director of research, Vera Louisiana. "Our analysis shows that firearm violence is not distributed equally across the city. Neighborhoods with lower rates of poverty, stable housing, and reliable access to basic needs experience lower rates of firearm homicide. Lives are shaped by neighborhoods and policymakers, who decide where housing, jobs, and opportunities are located. We need policy decisions and investment that build safe, thriving communities in each neighborhood to help reduce firearm violence in New Orleans." "City and community leaders in New Orleans know firearm violence is a public health issue," said Dr. Kerry Mulligan, associate director of research, Vera Institute of Justice's Redefining Public Safety Initiative. "This tool builds on that knowledge. By creating a more complete picture of firearm violence dynamics and the structural factors that are associated with lower rates of firearm violence in some neighborhoods, decision-makers are empowered with critical information to design effective strategies and direct investments to address firearm violence, improve public health, and increase community safety."

Vera Institute of Justice
Apr 10th, 2026
New report shows progress but still unaffordable bail Practices in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

New report shows progress but still unaffordable bail Practices in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Court-watching study finds Montgomery County has seen success in newly established pretrial systems and improved justice system outcomes April 10, 2026 NORRISTOWN, PA - Today, the Vera Institute of Justice, in collaboration with the Reuniting Family Bail Fund, published Pretrial Release and Bail-Setting Practices in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: Findings and Recommendations, a study of nearly 1,000 hearings conducted between 2024 and 2025. The report documents real progress: since Montgomery County's 2022 reforms - providing defense counsel at all arraignments, creating a pretrial services department, and establishing automatic next-day bail review - pretrial release rates have meaningfully increased. These changes have also contributed to a more standardized and timely review of decisions that keep people in detention. "Behind every data point in this report is a person whose life was affected by a bail decision," said Angie Carpio, senior program associate at the Vera Institute of Justice. "Montgomery County's reforms are important changes, and we see that more people are released on unsecured bail in recent years than before the reforms. That's what good policy looks like, and it's a model worth building on. Still, our project shows that when judges do impose money bail, it is still too often out of reach for people, which perpetuates pretrial detention based on wealth alone and not risk." The proportion of people released on unsecured bail has increased since 2016. Still, money bail amounts that people have to pay remain higher than what many defendants may realistically be able to afford. This risks de facto detention for people who work low-paying jobs, while a person in a similar situation with more money would be released to await resolution of their case. "Over five years, we've seen that even modest bail amounts keep people away from their families and jobs for no public safety reason," said Heather Lewis, executive director and founder of the Reuniting Family Bail Fund which partnered with Vera to conduct the court-watching project. "We've posted bail for clients at a median of about $500. While the dollar amounts look small on paper, they are not small to the families we serve." Although these findings are rooted in Montgomery County, they reflect a broader challenge facing jurisdictions that invest in pretrial reform: structural change does not automatically translate into consistent courtroom practice. The report recommends areas for the county to continue to improve its pretrial system. About the Vera Institute of Justice: The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal justice and immigration systems until they're fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. Vera Institute of Justice, Inc. develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn't determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. Vera's headquarters is in Brooklyn, New York, with offices in Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit vera.org. About the Reuniting Family Bail Fund: Based in Montgomery County, the Reuniting Family Bail Fund (RFBF) is a grassroots organization committed to ending mass incarceration and reuniting families directly impacted by the criminal legal system. RFBF's work is rooted in the Participatory Defense organizing model, through which it supports and empowers families fighting criminal cases. As part of this work, RFBF provides bail support up to $5,000 at no charge for individuals held pretrial in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.

Vera Institute of Justice
Apr 2nd, 2026
Pam Bondi's time leading the U.S. Department of Justice made us all less safe.

Pam Bondi's time leading the U.S. Department of Justice made Vera Institute of Justice, Inc. all less safe. April 2, 2026 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEW YORK - On April 2, President Trump announced on Truth Social that Attorney General Pam Bondi would be removed from her position leading the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). In response, the Vera Institute of Justice released the following statement from Insha Rahman, Vice President of Advocacy and Partnerships at Vera and Director of Vera Action: "Bondi's forced exit from the Department of Justice is not the end of the Trump DOJ's agenda to make families, neighborhoods, and cities across the country less safe. Under Bondi's leadership, the DOJ gutted funding for programs working to prevent crime and serve victims of crime, decimated the department's civil rights division that investigated misconduct and corruption, and encouraged 'unleashing' the police to act without accountability. "Almost exactly a year ago, the DOJ under Bondi abruptly and illegally terminated millions in funding for Vera's programs to promote safety in corrections, support crime survivors with disabilities, and expand mental health crisis response services in cities. The cuts to Vera's programs were among 373 multi-year cooperative agreements and grants, totaling roughly $820 million, that supported violence prevention, law enforcement training, victim services, youth justice, and more. Vera led a class action lawsuit, in partnership with organizations working on community violence intervention, victim advocacy, youth justice, and criminal justice, to sue Bondi's DOJ to challenge the illegal termination of its grants. That lawsuit is still pending. "The remarkable and historic gains in public safety across the nation, when crime has declined significantly since 2023, are despite the actions of the Trump administration - not because of them. This is the legacy Bondi leaves, and it is highly likely that her successor will continue to undermine progress on making communities safe."

Vera Institute of Justice
Apr 2nd, 2026
The Vera Institute of Justice launches "Incarceration and Inequality Project Data Explorer"

The Vera Institute of Justice launches "Incarceration and Inequality Project Data Explorer" First Interactive Data Tool That Highlights Intersections Between Economic Mobility and Incarceration Across the United States April 2, 2026 NEW YORK, NY - April 2, 2026 - Today, the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) published the first national data tool with a primary focus on the intersection between incarceration and economic outcomes. Almost 2 million people are behind bars on any given day in the United States, and this mass incarceration is a primary driver of disparities in wealth and income. Despite the long-term impact on the economic well-being of millions of people in the United States, there are few data tools that track incarceration and economic outcomes across the country - and even fewer tools that make this data easily accessible. "Unlike economic statistics, which are routinely collected by public agencies using standardized approaches, localized incarceration data is fragmented and poorly maintained," said Jim Parsons, director of the Incarceration and Inequality Project (IIP) at Vera. "To dismantle mass incarceration, we need to address the root causes. That's why we have created a data tool that can be used by advocates, legislators, community groups, and journalists who are committed to policies and programs that improve the lives of those in their respective communities." By bringing together data on county-level incarceration trends and economic indicators in one place, the Incarceration and Inequality Project Data Explorer gives users access to easy-to-use data and maps on incarceration trends and economic outcomes across time at the national level and for individual counties across the country. "This data can be used to understand incarceration and economic metrics in your county, how they've changed over time, whether racial disparities are present, and how they compare to similar counties in your state or nationally," said Seleeke Flingai, senior research associate for the Incarceration and Inequality Project. "People who are socially and economically marginalized - particularly people of color living in poverty - are at greatest risk of arrest and incarceration, and the collateral consequences trap millions of people in a cycle of poverty." Noteworthy trends observed in this data: * Counties with low incarceration rates - in jails and prisons combined - are nearly 10 times as likely to have high college graduation rates as counties with high incarceration rates. These same low-incarceration counties are also about seven times as likely to have high median household incomes as high-incarceration counties. * Systemic racism and bias have led to entrenched racial disparities in both incarceration and economic well-being. In more than half of all counties in 2019, Black people were more than twice as likely as white people to be incarcerated in jail. In these high-disparity counties, Black households earned on average $22,552 less than white households and were more than twice as likely to be in poverty. * The higher a county's jail incarceration rate in 2009, the more likely that the county's median household income decreased over the next 10 years. Specifically, 42 percent of counties with high jail incarceration rates saw median household income decline. Conversely, only 27 percent of low jail incarceration rate counties saw decreases in median household income. To explore the data and learn more about your county, visit the Incarceration and Inequality Project Data Explorer The Incarceration and Inequality Project is guided by an advisory board of policy advocates, researchers and social service providers, including: Cecilia Chavez, Silicon Valley De-Bug; Lucius Couloute, Suffolk University; Ronald Day, Fortune Society; Noely Drummond, Center for Employment Opportunities; Julie Fisher-Rowe, Narrative Strategy Consultant; Thomas Gant, Center for Community Alternatives; Brandon Greene, Western Center on Law and Poverty; Courtney Hanson, California Coalition of Women Prisoners; Sandhya Kajeepeta, NAACP Legal Defense Fund; Brian Kaneda, Californians United for a Responsible Budget; and Shon Williams, Louisiana Center for Children's Rights. About the data: The IIP Data Explorer combines county-level data from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, the Census of Business Patterns, and Vera's Incarceration Trends dataset. For further details, visit https://www.vera.org/publications/iip-methods-and-data-sources About the Vera Institute of Justice: The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal justice and immigration systems until they're fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. Vera Institute of Justice, Inc. develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn't determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. Vera's headquarters is in Brooklyn, New York, with offices in Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit vera.org.