Director of Intake and Case Evaluation

Director Of Intake And Case EvaluationThe Innocence Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. Our work is guided by science and grounded in anti-racism. Since our inception, the Innocence Project has used DNA and other scientific advancements to prove wrongful conviction. To date, we have helped to free or exonerate more than 250 people who, collectively, spent more than 3,600 years behind bars. Our efforts have led to the passage of more than 200 transformative state laws and federal reforms. Today, the Innocence Project continues to fight for freedom, drive structural change, and advance the innocence movement.The Director of Intake and Case Evaluation is responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of the Intake Department's complicated operation, revising and updating the process to improve efficiencies while maintaining quality, addressing the accumulation of cases that have built up in response to an overwhelming demand for representations, and expanding the process to include the evaluation of a broader range of claims of innocence.The Director of Intake and Case Evaluation provides overall direction and management of the Intake department and supervises a cross-functional team of Intake professionals, including analytical, legal, administrative, and strategic staff. In this capacity, the Intake and Case Evaluation Director is responsible for: developing department strategy and annual goals, effectively managing an experienced team to keep them focused, aligned with each other, motivated, and high-performing, producing reports and analyses of progress toward goals, general oversight of pro bono partner law firms in collaboration with the Intake Supervisor of Law Firm Partnerships, and devising new strategies to improve the efficiency of the evaluation.The Director of Intake and Case Evaluation reports to the Chief Program Officer and works closely with the Director of Post-Conviction Litigation.We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas and we are not an e-verify employer.The duties of this position require approximately 40 hours of work per week to be performed virtually/in-office. We currently have a hybrid in-office model, with all employees in the office three days per week and the remainder of the week remotely. Wednesday is our organization's "anchor day" where all staff works in the office. The number of required in-office days is subject to change.The Innocence Project seeks a strategic and dynamic leader, adept in developing key departmental goals and managing and motivating the team as they strive to achieve them. They are knowledgeable about the criminal legal system and committed to increasing fairness and equity in legal representation. The successful candidate will thrive in a complicated, fast-paced environment and will find ways to improve and streamline processes and procedures, in alignment with the organization's strategic goals and mission.In addition, all Innocence Project employees must embrace, respect and value the rich diversity of perspectives and lived experience of our staff. We recognize and appreciate that our work is better for having varied participants and thought partners. The ideal candidate is someone who thrives in this type of environment.Stewardship of Department and Case EvaluationIn partnership with Innocence Project leadership, develop criteria, system and processes for expanding the intake evaluation process beyond the historical focus on DNA-only casesDevise new tools, protocols and partnerships to address the accumulation of cases that have built up in response to an overwhelming demand for representation at all stages of evaluation, while maintaining the integrity of the reviewCritically review the department's current evaluation process, protocols, and toolsCollaborate with and support law firm partners participating in the evaluation processSet annual departmental goalsDevelop and manage the department's annual budgetHigh fluency in information management and case management software programsCase Intake ProcessOversee a multi-stage process to identify new clients for representation from initial inquiry to full evaluation and final presentation to the Post-conviction Litigation departmentExplore and implement improvements in the use of technology to increase the efficiency of the intake processEstablish and operationalize quality review systems to ensure cases are being evaluated in a timely and high-quality mannerExpand the use of data to understand and improve the process as well as build regular reporting systems to track and report on case processing and outcomesCollaborate with Innocence Network organizations on transfer of appropriate cases and sharing of relevant informationTeam SupervisionHire, train and support staff to implement the evaluation process, understand the relevant criteria, and maintain quality and efficiency.Motivate and encourage staff to meet individual goals and develop as professionals, provide routine evaluations of progress and performance, address any obstacles.