Position Title: Economic Justice and Asset Opportunity VISTA
Reports to: Director, Asset Opportunity and Director, Economic Justice
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Overview:
The Shriver Center provides national leadership in advancing laws and policies that secure justice to improve the lives and opportunities of people living in poverty.

The Economic Justice (EJ) and Asset Opportunity (AO) Units of the Shriver Center take action against poverty by advocating for policies that expand economic and asset-building opportunities for all and enable everyone to live with dignity. Through policy development and effective advocacy, the EJ and AO Units help communities avoid a cycle of debt and poverty by creating asset-building opportunities, expanding access to work and income support programs, and protecting consumers.

The Economic Justice Unit advocates for the economic interests of poor people by ensuring access to income support programs and making investments in these publicly-funded programs high priorities in state and federal budget allocations. These programs include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, and the Child Care Assistance Program. Access to income supports provides a basic level of economic stability and gives individuals opportunities to increase their earning capacity and move out of poverty.

The Asset Opportunity Unit looks beyond “income poverty” to “asset poverty.” Assets, both personal and financial, are the foundations for achieving the long-term stability, financial success, and upward mobility that help families end the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

Responsibilities:
The EJ and AO VISTA will support the asset-building and economic justice efforts of the EJ and AO

Directors, including:
Assist with national efforts to move low-income and welfare-to-work populations into the economic mainstream.
Manage the production of the annual Poverty Scorecard
Track national and state policies and laws on relevant issues.
Attend conferences and meetings on relevant issues.
Assist in the project management of statewide coalitions, which includes policy development, building constituency, communications, and outreach.
Assist with the communication and outreach of the EJ and AO Units’ missions and goals, by writing research papers, fact sheets, and blog articles.
Organize meetings, develop meeting agendas, notes, and communication pieces, evaluations and analysis, and nationwide outreach/promotion.
Participate in a variety of special projects with AO/EJ Units and other Shriver Center advocacy staff attorneys.
Assist the Vice President of Advocacy with various projects, including development of communication products for the advocacy unit and support for the Legal Impact Network, a group including state-based advocacy and legal impact organizations from across the country.
Other projects as assigned.

Additional Qualifications:
College graduate preferred
Excellent oral/written communication skills
Ability to work with diverse groups
Excellent organization and time-management skills
Proficient in Microsoft Word and web-based research
Experience with data manipulation in Microsoft Excel
Excellent public speaking skills
Ability to function both in a team and independently
Familiarity with the Shriver Center’s policy issues

Salary/Benefits:
Please note that this is a 12-month volunteer position with benefits funded by the AmeriCorps*Volunteers In Service to America (VISTA) program. Benefits include a monthly living allowance, a health plan, a transportation stipend, and, after successful completion of the term, an Education Award that can be used to repay student loans or for future education expenses. Student loans may be deferred during the 12-month commitment.

Deadlines:
An applicant must be selected by June 26, 2015. There is a mandatory AmeriCorps*VISTA pre-service training August 11-14th, and this position has a start date of August 15th.

How to apply

To apply for the Economic Justice and Asset Opportunity VISTA position, please email resume, cover letter, and references to MacKenzie Speer at mackenziespeer@povertylaw.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis from date of post through close of business on May 29th.
Please visit www.povertylaw.org for more information