Deputy Director

Reprieve US is seeking to recruit a Deputy Director who will oversee the day-to-day running of our office in Washington D.C, work with our US Board to increase Reprieve’s impact in the US, steer our US-focused casework and advocacy, and maintain a network of relationships with key stakeholders.

The Deputy Director will report to a Director based in the Reprieve UK office, as agreed by the US Board, and will work closely with Reprieve’s Executive Director and Reprieve US and UK Project Leads, lawyers, and caseworkers. The Deputy Director will be expected to supervise the work of Reprieve US attorneys and fellows.

The successful candidate will be based in our Washington, DC office and will work from the office two days per week. This role will involve occasional travel within the US and some international travel to liaise with partners at Reprieve UK’s London office.

Responsibilities:

1. Overseeing Reprieve US’s Washington D.C. office and providing leadership for US based staff
* Provide day to day leadership for staff, consultants, and fellows employed by Reprieve US;
* Foster and maintain a positive working culture within Reprieve US;
* Proactively communicate with the Senior Management team about organizational issues within Reprieve US and take responsibility for managing these alongside responsible colleagues in the Senior Management team;
* Line manage staff, consultants and fellows, overseeing their priorities, capacity, and professional development, conducting frequent management meetings and check ins, and regularly providing feedback based on their own judgment and input from other team member;
* Conduct regular team check ins with staff working in the US;
* Serve as a spokesperson for Reprieve US in public forums, including media interviews, meetings with political stakeholders, briefings for international institutions, panel discussions, etc.;
* Work closely with the Director of Policy and Advocacy, identify opportunities to build and develop Reprieve US’s profile in the US, and support in the management of any reputational or positioning issues for the organization in the US;
* Supported by the operations team, serve as the focal point for Reprieve’s fellowships program (through which we recruit funded fellows to work with Reprieve for fixed terms);
* Lead the strategic planning and recruitment of fellows and foster the relationship with different universities;
* In collaboration with the Joint Executive Directors and the Development team, maintain relationships with Reprieve US’s funders and take opportunities to keep them up to date with Reprieve US’s work, while also understanding the wider funding landscape and spotting opportunities to engage new potential funders;
* Work with the Joint Executive Directors to identify new funding and networking opportunities to ensure Reprieve US maintains its strong financial position.
* Serve as a senior point of contact for Reprieve staff globally travelling to the US in the course of their work, and supporting them in effectively engaging US stakeholders.
* Working with Reprieve’s Head of Operations, ensure the Reprieve US office is a hub for US staff and a professional and positive working environment;
* Working with the Head of Operations and Deputy Director for Legal and Governance, support the day-to-day operations of Reprieve US, including but not limited to policy drafting and implementation, financial management and the functioning of the Reprieve US office space – this may include signing off invoices and expenses, authorizing payments, supporting the annual audit, and acting as a contact point for local suppliers.

2. Working with Reprieve US’s Board to increase the organization’s impact in the US
* Build a strong relationship with the Chair and members of Reprieve US’s Board;
* Serve as a reliable day to day contact for Board members in their work on behalf of the organization;
* Working alongside the Joint Executive Directors, prepare for and feed into, Reprieve US Board meetings, and take forward follow up from these as needed;
* Based on your knowledge of RUS Board members’ interests, expertise and networks, identify opportunities to support Board members in feeding into RUS’s work and development goals.

3. Steering Reprieve’s US-focused casework and strategy
* Working with Reprieve’s Director of Casework, Deputy Directors within the SMT, and team heads and project leads, help steer Reprieve’s US casework;
* Work with Reprieve’s casework and project teams to develop and implement creative legal strategies in service of Reprieve US objectives;
* Support Reprieve’s US death penalty team on litigation and advocacy around specific death penalty cases, as well as wider strategic issues relating to the use of capital punishment on a state and federal level. This may involve preparing written materials, engaging with lawyers, experts and family members, and engaging with third parties who may be willing to make public or private interventions on behalf of our clients;
* Conduct or oversee the drafting of legal research and review legal memoranda on specific state/federal laws and policies which impact Reprieve’s casework and advocacy;
* Track case developments at the state and federal level that are relevant to Reprieve US’s strategic priorities;
* Support legal teams in cases where Reprieve US is engaged. This may involve identifying and working with experts, conducting research, drafting materials, liaising with counsel, and conducting interviews;
* Analyze legislation or potential litigation and proactively identify opportunities for strategic litigation;
* Working with the Director of Casework, Deputy Directors and team heads, guide and oversee the planning and conducting of factual investigation and research on Reprieve US cases, including record collection, conducting interviews and family visits, and maintaining ongoing contact with those whom we assist and their family members where strategic and appropriate;
* Engage domestic and international mechanisms where appropriate to facilitate access to justice and remedies for human rights violations in the context of the death penalty or counterterrorism policy;
* Oversee or conduct legal research and the drafting of legal submissions;
* Liaise with government contacts;
* Coordinate input from experts, pro bono lawyers, and other supportive organizations and individuals;
* Create and maintain up-to-date casework databases and data sets.

4. Steering Reprieve’s US-focused advocacy and policy work
* Working with Reprieve’s Director of Policy and Advocacy, Deputy Directors within the SMT, and team heads and project leads, help steer Reprieve’s US advocacy and policy engagement in the US;
* Maintain an overview of all Reprieve US’s political engagement activities and ensure these effectively serve Reprieve’s organizational objectives as set out in our operational plan;
* Maintain and develop a strong network of contacts on a federal and state level who can assist in and advise on advancing Reprieve’s organizational priorities;
* Take responsibility for ensuring any and all political advocacy conducted by Reprieve US is complaint with Reprieve US’s political engagement policy;
* Draw on public sources and private networks to closely monitor state and national political developments which may impact our work;
* Support the planning and implementation of key research projects including on lethal injection and method of execution work;
* Compile and analyze data related to Reprieve US’s work;
* Draw on public sources and private networks to closely monitor state and national political developments which may impact our work;
* Support the team in preparing internal- and external-facing advocacy briefings, public education materials, formal correspondence, presentations, and other documents in service of Reprieve US’s strategic goals and policy work;
* Develop advocacy materials on individual cases, including briefings, opinion pieces, media pitches, and letters on behalf of interested third parties;
* Collaborate closely with other members of the organization and at Reprieve UK, including policy, press, and Digital and * Campaigns, in order to advance advocacy objectives for the US casework team.

5. Establishing, maintaining, and developing relationships with key stakeholders
* Create and cultivate partnerships with lawyers, experts and other professionals, agencies, and organizations, and provide technical assistance and expert legal advice to these contacts;
* Establish and maintain contact with leading activists and death penalty abolition groups in executing states;
* Maintain relationships with foreign governments’ diplomatic representatives in Washington, DC and in relevant consulates, keeping missions up to date with Reprieve US’s work and ensuring Reprieve US remains plugged in to their activities;
* Maintain and develop relationships with capital defense attorneys, legislative bodies, international organizations, and other NGOs;
* Identify potential new allies across the public, private and third sectors, and coordinate outreach to expand Reprieve US’s networks;
* Conduct engagement with other stakeholders including business representatives, potential claimants in strategic litigation, family members or associates of prisoners, healthcare professionals, and medical associations, among others.

Key Contacts
The Deputy Director will report to a Director in the London office. They will build a close relationship with the Chair and members of Reprieve US’s Board, such that they become a reliable day to day contact for Board members in their work on behalf of the organisation. The Deputy Director will build strong relationships with the rest of Reprieve’s senior management team and with team heads, project leads and caseworkers across the organisation (who work in a range of different locations and on different time zones). They will also work with others engaged by Reprieve US, partner organizations and third-party service providers.