Job Title: Platform Systems Engineer

Work Location: San Francisco, CA

Reports to: Director of Engineering

Annual Salary: Commensurate, based on experience

Overview:

The Engineering team manages and supports technical operations across The Last Mile organization, ranging from internal tooling, and our Platform as a Service (PaaS) which operates in prisons across the country. Daily engagements range from fielding ad-hoc requests supporting remote facilities, to proactive monitoring of our PaaS infrastructure, and deployments using our automation frameworks. This is a highly collaborative role, with the opportunity to engage with an extremely broad range of systems and technologies.

Responsibilities:

The Platform Systems Engineer is engaged with all aspects of technology for The Last Mile, including internal business systems, and the infrastructure and platforms supporting the services the program delivers. This includes involvement in the selection process for systems and platforms in support of organizational requirements and designing their implementation, all the way through deployment, monitoring, managing operational support, and updating. This role is also responsible for the management, and support of our zero-trust network infrastructure, and ensuring organization maintains suitable controls and audit mechanisms.

Work with other members of the Engineering team to:

• Provide first responder support to facilities via tickets, e-mail, Slack, and internal escalations
• Prioritize efforts, support escalations, and drive resolutions in a timely manner
• Monitor platform infrastructure, and responding to alerting
• Coordinate platform updates, and deployments across the organization

Required Skills and Experience:

• A passion for solving challenges, and empowering people through technology
• Strong verbal, and written communication skills
• Ability to support code written in bash, Python, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, and some C derivatives
• Management of layered GCP projects and shared VPC’s through Terraform
• Use of Palo Alto Networks Panorama to manage remote devices and networks
• Performing deployments, and configuring instances using Ansible
• Remotely supporting MacOS, and ChromeOS environments
• Managing Open Source infrastructure, including Linux
• A strong understanding of IP networking, including switching, routing, 802.1x, and support of fundamental IP services and protocols (DNS, HTTP(S), SSH, IPsec)
• A strong understanding of computer hardware and peripherals
• Integration, extension and support of OAuth + SAML authentication + authorization
• Tiered G Suite administration of both devices, and users
• Support and maintenance of ticket, and git driven workflows

Please send resume and cover letter to jobs@thelastmile.org if you are interested.

Job Title: Communications and Brand Manager

Work Location: San Francisco or remote

Reports to: Chief Program Officer

Annual Salary: Commensurate, based on experience

Position Description:

The Last Mile (TLM) is seeking a Communications and Brand Manager to raise awareness of our mission and impact as we work to provide growth opportunities for those incarcerated and returning home, breaking the cycle of incarceration in America. This role will collaborate with the Chief Program Officer and Executive Director on internal and external communications that highlight TLM’s impact. This is an ideal opportunity for someone who is a proven and effective independent contributor with the potential to grow with the role, bringing fresh ideas and insights that consistently increase recognition of TLM and our work.

The right candidate is a natural storyteller who understands how to weave data, anecdotes, testimonials, and other information into compelling messaging and engaging content in different mediums. We’re looking for someone with experience across traditional PR, communications, and content who understands how to reach stakeholders from across the tech ecosystem, government and other partners, and our base of incarcerated people and returned citizens.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute communications and content plans that bring TLM’s stories to life for key audiences.  
• Create and execute a content strategy that highlights TLM data, updates, and testimonials to showcase our mission and impact, using a variety of mediums (written, audio, video) across digital and social channels.
• Develop and manage relationships with key media targets for TLM; coordinate media, speaking, and corporate engagements for TLM returned citizens and staff; and liaise with media partner contacts including PIO, government media relations, and tech partners.
• Develop and manage TLM brand assets including key messaging, look and feel, and data and content libraries.
• Coordinate website updates, ensuring content is shared consistently and messaging is accurate and engaging.
• Conduct regular spokesperson training sessions to prepare staff and returned citizens to speak publicly on behalf of TLM; assist in the development of individual platforms for speakers.
• Track and measure the level of engagement with TLM’s key audiences across channels, producing a simple monthly dashboard or report for senior TLM leadership.

Qualifications:

Specific requirements include:

• Four to six (4 – 6) years of experience working with PR, communications, or corporate or brand marketing at an agency or in-house (corporate, startup, government, or nonprofit organization)
• Experience pitching and placing local and national news, building trusted relationships with reporters, and developing compelling storylines and narratives
• Strong writing skills, from pithy short-form social copy to compelling long-form articles and blog posts
• Highly collaborative style; experience developing and implementing communications strategies
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• A strong track record as an implementer who thrives on managing a variety of key initiatives concurrently
• Relationship builder with the flexibility and finesse to “manage by influence”
• High energy, maturity, and leadership with the ability to serve as a unifying force and to position communications discussions at both the strategic and tactical levels
• Sincere commitment to work collaboratively with all constituent groups, including staff, board members, volunteers, donors, program participants, and other supporters
• Self-starter, able to work independently, and entrepreneurial; enjoys creating and implementing new initiatives
• And (most important), a deep and sincere passion to highlight the experiences of incarcerated program participants and returned citizens working to build better futures for themselves and their families through TLM’s programs and partnerships.

Please send resume and cover letter to jobs@thelastmile.org if you are interested.

Job Title: Web Development Education Apprentice

Work Location: Must be based in California or Indiana (option to work remotely or from office in San Francisco)

Reports to: Academic Support Manager

Annual Salary: Commensurate, based on experience

Position Description

The TLM Education Department is looking for talented and motivated former TLM program participants who are interested in developing professionally and academically as part of the Web Development Education Apprenticeship. This position is a 6-month full-time position, during which you will provide remote instructional support to current TLM students and simultaneously pursue continuing education and professional development opportunities. This role presents a unique opportunity to develop on-the-job professional skills, work towards long-term career goals, and give back to the TLM community by helping current students.

Responsibilities:

• Instructional Support (75%)
• • Evaluate and provide individualized feedback on student work.
  • Respond to student queries in a timely manner.
  • Collaborate closely with other TLM staff including the Academic Support Manager, Director of Programs, Director of Education, and other Web Development Education Apprentices to manage and refine curriculum.
  • Use feedback from students and classroom facilitators to provide recommendations for curricular updates and changes.
  • Support with curriculum review and the creation of new curricular content. 
  • Maintain a positive and supportive attitude at all times. Provide honest and constructive feedback and appropriate encouragement to students, classroom facilitators, and colleagues.
• Continuing Education and Professional Development (25%)
• • Work with TLM staff including the Academic Support Manager, Director of Programs, and Director of Education to define long term professional goals.
  • Participate in online coursework related to professional goals.
  • Participate in mentorship sessions with industry leaders to build career readiness skills.
  • Work with other TLM departments to gain experience in different roles.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• Former TLM program participant.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the MERN stack.
• Embrace challenges and adopt new responsibilities with creativity, initiative, and self-direction.
• Ability to adjust explanations of complex technical concepts using multiple analogies or images.
• Demonstrate comfort with adjusting work to evolving priorities in a dynamic work environment.
• Available to attend weekly team and department meetings, either in person or virtually.
• Works well in team environments.
• Believe that anyone can learn to code.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Teaching or software engineering experience.
• Strong communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Please send resume and cover letter to jobs@thelastmile.org if you are interested.

Job Title: Classroom Facilitator (San Quentin)

Work Location: San Quentin State Prison (San Quentin, CA 94964)

Reports to: Classroom Operations Manager

Annual Salary: Commensurate, based on experience

The Last Mile, a non-profit based in San Francisco, is the first prison program in the US to provide in-prison software engineering training. The goal is to prepare students for employment as front-end developers and web designers post-release. Students learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, Python and more. We believe that having a job is the key to successful reentry and breaking the cycle of incarceration. A projected shortage of nearly 1 million software engineering jobs by 2020 means that these jobs skills will be in demand. Through in-prison software engineering training and continued mentorship post-release, The Last Mile bridges the gap between incarceration and freedom.

Position Description: 

TLM classroom facilitators are in-facility, in-classroom staff that work directly with students to serve our program and build classroom community. While the majority of learning our students do is on their assigned computers and not by live instruction, there are still many moving parts to create an effective classroom. The classroom facilitator runs all the operations in our classrooms and maintains a healthy and constructive culture among students. This ranges from upkeep on our equipment, coordinating software installations and maintenance, facilitating video remote sessions, and working directly with students to build personal plans and set goals. This position focuses on helping to provide students with the most productive learning environment possible, including understanding and advocating for the student experience, building rapport with students, and creating healthy classroom culture via group meetings and activities.

 The classroom facilitator works on-site with incarcerated people in San Quentin State Prison who are enrolled in TLM Programs (including both the Web Development and Audio Engineering Programs).

Classroom Operations: 

• Create and nurture healthy and constructive classroom culture
• Facilitate Remote Sessions for students
• Adjust, track, and schedule curriculum to fit student needs, facility culture, and unforeseen barriers
• Serve as primary TLM touch point for students, providing feedback and insight into the student experience to the Classroom Operations Manager
• Advocate for each student’s well-being, including empathetic listening and establishing rapport with other in-facility staff
• Provide feedback to the Remote Instruction team about content delivery
• Empower students to set and work towards individual goals and self-advocate

Administrative: 

• Manage classroom, including opening and closing room for students and maintaining all required prison security protocols
• Keep records of any student or equipment issues
• Provide feedback to other TLM teams about program operations and efficacy

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• Demonstrated academic, professional, and/or volunteer experience working with diverse groups in a leadership position
• Comfort working with technology, computers, and navigating websites
• Preference given to those with experience working with incarcerated individuals and/or at-risk youth
• 1-2 years demonstrated experience working with web development and/or audio engineering technologies and practices is a plus

Responsibilities and Qualifications:

• Excellent communication skills including empathetic listening
• Excellent situational awareness and the ability to remain calm under stress and variable conditions
• Confidence speaking to groups of various sizes in a teaching situation
• Ability to guide students to discover answers to their own questions
• Maintain a positive and supportive attitude at all times
• Provide honest and constructive feedback and appropriate encouragement to students
• Preference is given to those with a knowledge of and experience with fundamental web technologies including HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript or proficiency in audio production and digital audio workstations, including Avid Pro Tools and Ableton Live

Please send resume and cover letter to jobs@thelastmile.org if you are interested.