WHO WE ARE:
The mission of The Collective Healing And Transformation (CHAT) Project is to expand community capacity to respond to and transform interpersonal conflict, harm, and violence without the use of state intervention and the criminal legal system. We approach this work through the principles and practices of both restorative justice and circle and with the experience and wisdom from the domestic and sexual violence fields. We are based in Contra Costa County and work across the greater Bay Area.
The CHAT Project is a collaboratively led organization with two current full-time staff. This work began as a pilot project in 2018 and became an independent organization in 2021. Our work is emergent, and we share together in the vision and leadership development of the organization.
The CHAT Project is fiscally sponsored by The Contra Costa Family Justice Alliance.
WHAT WE DO:
The CHAT Project has two current lanes of work- direct client services with people impacted by family violence and training and curriculum development. Our staff provide facilitation directly to families and individuals seeking restorative and collective responses to violence. This work includes one-to-one meetings, engaging with family and support systems, working directly with people who have caused harm and people who have been harmed, and facilitation of face-to-face gatherings.
The CHAT Project also provides training on restorative justice, circle, and domestic violence interventions to community and organizational partners. Our vision is to provide direct services to community members and to expand access to the framework, tools, and skills needed for restorative and collective interventions across Contra Costa County and beyond.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The CHAT Project is seeking a candidate to join our collaborative team. The main responsibility for this position will be providing direct facilitation services to individuals and families. This staff member will also help develop training curriculum and facilitate training with The CHAT Project for community members and organizational partners. All staff at The CHAT Project are expected to take a leadership role in the organization and share in the responsibility to develop and execute a collective vision.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Provide direct services to clients through intake and assessment, safety planning, plan development, and facilitation of dialogues.
- Work with staff, partners, and advisors to develop and document our program model for addressing interpersonal violence.
- Develop training curriculum for community and organizational partners in the focus areas of The CHAT Project.
- Maintain program documentation including case notes, meeting notes, project materials, and project narratives.
- Identify local partners and conduct outreach.
GENERAL STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES
- Participate in bi-weekly staff meetings and other ongoing staff development opportunities and meetings.
- Maintain a weekly and monthly work plan and calendar.
- Take on administrative tasks for the function of The CHAT Project, as needed.
- Support and bring your wisdom to the culture building of The CHAT Project.
REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Minimum 3-5 years of community-based program development and management.
- Experience working directly with people impacted by domestic, sexual, and family violence.
- Experience in facilitation and dialogue practices. We do not require specific training in restorative justice, but we do require someone with significant experience in the practice of facilitating dialogues and hard conversations.
- Bi-lingual fluency in English and Spanish.
- Ability and interest to work as part of a collaborative team and as a leader in the vision and development of our work.
- Experience working in low income, immigrant, and communities of color.
- Highly organized and able to manage multiple priorities.
- Self-motivated and able to lead projects from work plan to execution.
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to create positive, trusting, professional relationships with colleagues.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills including public speaking and grant reporting.
- Must be willing and able to work evenings and weekends occasionally to meet the needs of participants and families.
- Ability to travel throughout Contra Costa County. Valid driver’s license and access to a reliable automobile.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION
- Familiarity with Contra Costa County and awareness of local resources and partners.
ALIGNMENT WITH THE CHAT PROJECT VALUES
We are seeking someone who can relate to and embody the shared values that guide all of our work and our future at The CHAT Project
- Strengthen communities—not systems All our work must move to support and sustain communities — not our organizations, not our professions, not state systems of intervention.
- Support the transformation of all involved and impacted by family violence Our attitudes and practices must take into account the well-being of everyone, including people who have caused harm, experienced harm, children, friends, family, and community.
- Trust the wisdom of those most impacted by family violence to be the experts in their own lives.
- Build opportunities for truth-telling and truth-listening.
- Lift needs and perspectives of children & youth.
- Foster Individual and collective responsibility and accountability. Everyone has a responsibility for the safety and well-being of ourselves and our community.
- Balance safety and risk-taking Safety is important — physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial — and sometimes, we need to take risks in order to gain deeper and more long-lasting conditions for safety.
- Create the process alongside the people that are present. We must practice openness and flexibility to make sure that the values, practices and processes are grounded in the cultures and vision of our participants.
- Practice language justice. It is our collective responsibility to center language justice and full language access at all levels of work- participants, partners, community, materials, etc.
- It is a way of being/it takes all of us. We are committed to living our values and to practice the hard work of self-learning, community building, and accountability with each other, in our personal lives, with our learning partners, and with our participants.
COMPENSATION
This is a full-time exempt position and an annual salary of $80,000. The CHAT Project works on a five day a week schedule and 35 hours weekly. Benefits include
- Full coverage for medical and dental insurance
- Generous vacation, sick leave, and holidays
- A matching retirement account program
This is a hybrid work from home and on-site position, staff must be local and able to work on site in Contra Costa County.
APPLICATION PROCESS
We will review applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to info@chatproject.org. We will not review applicants that do not include a cover letter. Please do not embed your resume and cover letter in your email, it will not be reviewed. In your cover letter, please answer the following two questions:
- How has your background or experience, professional or otherwise, prepared you for the kind of restorative and collective work we do at The CHAT Project?
- What is your leadership style and what interests you in working as part of a collaborative team?