Senior Manager, Safety & Protection

OverviewPEN America, a nonprofit organization working at the intersection of literature and human rights, seeks an experienced and enterprising senior manager of Safety and Protection to drive forward our work providing direct, holistic safety support to writers and their allies—including authors, journalists, scholars, and librarians—who are at risk for their work in the U.S. This is a full-time position based at PEN America's New York City headquarters; applicants based in Washington, D.C. will also be considered. The position reports to the Director, Digital Safety and Free Expression in the Free Expression Programs department.The senior manager will lead our work to provide direct, holistic safety support to writers and their allies facing online abuse, threats, and other digital and physical risks in the U.S. by: designing, building, and implementing an in-house case management system; providing individualized, trauma-informed safety consultations and referrals; cultivating existing partnerships and forging new ones; strengthening safety-related coalitions and networks; following current developments in safety, free expression, and digital rights; and coordinating on safety issues with colleagues across the team and wider organization.The ideal candidate will have the vision, safety expertise, and project management skills to shape our protection work in the U.S. They will be passionate about both safety and free expression, possess an understanding of intersectionality, and be attuned to shifting risks in an era of rapidly evolving technology and growing hostility to free expression.All positions are subject to a six-month trial period and assessment. In alignment with PEN America's current policy, all applicants should be available to report to the office at least three days per week. This policy is subject to change.ResponsibilitiesManage the design, build, and implementation of an in-house system to provide safety consultations and referrals to at-risk writers and their allies in the U.S. including authors, journalists, scholars, and librariansLead the provision of individualized, trauma-informed safety consultations and referrals for at-risk writers and their allies in close collaboration with colleagues, consultants, and external partnersRepresent the team in and strengthen the efficacy and efficiency of multi-stakeholder safety-related coalitions and networks that protect frontline democracy defenders, such as the Journalist Assistance Network and Democracy Protection NetworkDrive outreach and build sustained partnerships with relevant organizations— including professional associations, media organizations, publishers, libraries, bookstores, and universities—to strengthen support for at-risk writers and their alliesServe as an expert by advising the team and wider organization on safety and protection issuesSupport the development and maintenance of multimedia safety resources for writers and their allies—including for the organization's website and social media channelsRepresent the team and speak at conferences and other public events as neededCultivate and research funding opportunities, draft proposals, and draft grant reports to sustain the program, including overseeing monitoring and evaluation by tracking metricsFollow current developments in digital and physical safety, psychosocial wellbeing, online abuse, and freedom of expression and conduct relevant research and analysisProvide support on intern recruitment and management, recordkeeping, financial reconciliation, expense reporting, and other team-wide administrative tasks as appropriatePassionately support and advance PEN America's mission to safeguard free expression in the United States and abroadQualificationsVision, safety expertise, and strong project management skills to shape protection work in the U.S.Passion for safety and free expression, with an understanding of intersectionality and diverse at-risk communitiesAbility to anticipate and respond to shifting risks in an era of evolving technology and increasing hostility to free expressionExperience designing, implementing, and coordinating safety programs or services; ability to work with multi-stakeholder coalitionsExcellent communication and collaboration skills; capacity to advise teams and the wider organization on safety and protection issuesAll PEN America staff are considered to be stakeholders in the development of our shared organization. As such, staff play a role in varied activities within the workplace as part of their job responsibilities. These may include committees or task forces to work on office issues, diversity and inclusion, strategy projects, training or other initiatives.J-18808-Ljbffr