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About the Role

REFORM is hiring a Vice President, Legislative Strategy to serve as an organization-wide leader and part of the Executive Leadership Team. This role will be the chief legislative strategist, owning the organization's legislative roadmap and serving as the primary legislative director to build and manage relationships with legislators and staff to advance policy priorities.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with legislators, committee chairs, and their senior/legislative staff across federal, state, and local levels.
• Cultivate ties with legislative counsel, committee staff directors, and chamber leadership offices.
• Develop and maintain relationships with party leadership and political operatives in key states and nationally.
• Serve as REFORM's primary point of contact for legislative relationships.
• Monitor the legislative and political landscape to keep REFORM's relationships current and strategically relevant.
• Identify and engage rising legislators and legislative staff.
• Oversee and direct outside lobbying firms, ensuring their efforts align with REFORM's legislative priorities.
• Serve as the strategic decision-maker on lobbying targets, approach, and messaging.
• Represent REFORM Alliance at legislative hearings, markups, and government forums.
• Track compliance with all federal and state lobbying registration and disclosure requirements.
• Serve as REFORM Alliance's lead legislative strategist across federal, state, and local levels.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive legislative roadmap.
• Track legislative calendars, committee schedules, and session deadlines across priority states.
• Identify and prioritize legislative vehicles (bills, amendments, budget riders).
• Advise the CEO and REFORM's Board of Directors on legislative risk, viability, and emerging opportunities.
• Lead legislative organizing strategy focused on mobilizing stakeholders, advocates, and issue allies.
• Partner with the Community Engagement team to coordinate grassroots and grasstops organizing.
• Cultivate a broad network of political and legislative allies.
• Serve as REFORM's primary representative in external coalitions.
• Set vision, priorities, and performance expectations for the legislative vertical.
• Manage department budget and external relationships, including consultants, lobbyists, and political firms.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with the Policy, Marketing & Communications, and Community Engagement verticals.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressively senior experience in legislative strategy, government relations, or public affairs, with demonstrated success moving legislation at the federal and/or state level.
• Deep understanding of the legislative process sufficient to set strategy and direct outside counsel and the Policy team.
• Proven track record building and managing relationships with legislators, committee staff, and legislative counsel across party lines.
• Experience tracking and managing legislative sessions and calendars across multiple jurisdictions simultaneously.
• Experience overseeing or directing outside lobbying firms and political consultants.
• Strong organizational leadership experience, including managing teams, budgets, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Exceptional judgment and discretion in navigating politically sensitive legislative situations.
• Demonstrated ability to advise senior executives and boards on legislative risk, opportunity, and strategy.
• Experience working in or alongside criminal justice, civil rights, or social justice advocacy organizations.
• Familiarity with the probation, parole, or border landscape as a policy and legislative issue.
• Existing relationships with legislators and committee staff in REFORM Alliance's priority states.
• Experience in both electoral (campaign) and issue advocacy (nonprofit/advocacy org) contexts.
• Coalition-building experience across ideologically diverse partners.
• Demonstrated comfort engaging with high-profile principals and board members.
• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• REFORM doesn’t offer employment visa sponsorship.
• Live within commuting distance of New York City (midtown) and have the ability to work in-person four to five (4-5) days per week.

Skills

• Legislative strategy
• Government relations
• Public affairs
• Bill drafting mechanics
• Committee procedure
• Markups
• Floor strategy
• Whip counts
• Relationship building
• Legislative session management
• Lobbying firm oversight
• Political consulting
• Organizational leadership
• Budget management
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Legislative risk assessment
• Legislative opportunity assessment
• Criminal justice advocacy
• Civil rights advocacy
• Social justice advocacy
• Coalition building

Location

• New York City

Work Type

• Full-time
• In-office (4-5 days per week)

Experience Level

• 10+ years of progressively senior experience

Salary/Compensations

• $221,600 - $277,000

Benefits

• Competitive salaries
• Comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other ancillary options.
• 20 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) during the first year of employment
• 11 org-wide holidays
• Winter shutdown during the last week of December
• 4% 401(k) match after 30 days of employment
• Coverage of 100% of health insurance premiums for employees (health, vision & dental)
• $75.00 monthly cell phone reimbursement

About the Company

• REFORM, founded in the wake of the #FreeMeek movement, is committed to transforming supervision throughout the United States by changing laws, systems, and culture.
• The organization is working to replace America’s criminal justice system with a restorative approach that is fair, accountable, and invested in rehabilitation.
• Our goal is for people to reenter society with dignity, create meaningful pathways to work, and equip them with the tools to succeed all while making families and communities safer and stronger.
• REFORM Alliance operates as both a 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organization, allowing us to drive meaningful criminal justice reform through a combination of charitable initiatives and advocacy efforts.

Equal Opportunity

• Reform Alliance is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor. We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.