Joint Venture Facilitator - California Institute for Women

Overview

The Last Mile, a San Francisco, CA-based non-profit, is the first prison program in the U.S. to provide in-prison software engineering training. Our mission is to provide opportunities for personal and professional growth for justice-involved individuals through education and technology training. By joining The Last Mile, you will be part of a mission-driven team focused on transforming lives and creating opportunities for justice-impacted individuals.

The TLM Joint Venture (JV) Facilitator works on-site at the California Institute for Women (CIW) to supervise the Software Engineering (NBCU) and Artist Development (SoundGirl) programs and manage daily operations.

This role serves as the primary point of contact for the incarcerated women (interns) working in the JVP. The facilitator ensures a productive, professional environment while interns develop software applications and edit long and short-form audio/video content. This position reports to the ProOps Manager and is an on-site role located within the CIW facility.

Responsibilities

Joint Venture Operations

Dual-Track Supervision: Manage a split schedule consisting of 4 hours of Software Engineering oversight and 4 hours of Multimedia/Artist Development oversight.

Technical Sounding Board: Act as a "rubber ducky" for interns—listening to them explain their logic or signal flow to help them identify their own errors in code (HTML/CSS/JS) or production (Pro Tools/DaVinci Resolve).

Culture & Environment: Create and maintain a healthy, professional, and constructive workplace culture that mirrors the tech and creative industries.

Vocational Training: Provide hands-on guidance and job skill development in a real-world setting without needing to perform the technical tasks yourself.

Workflow Management: Oversee the project lifecycle from design/capture through deployment, ensuring interns use GitLab, Figma, and production software effectively.

Mentorship: Empower interns to set and work towards individual goals, including building personal plans and practicing self-advocacy.

Communication: Facilitate remote meetings for interns and serve as the primary liaison between participants and TLM executive staff.

Compliance: Report all acts of misconduct that violate laws or institutional rules to CIW authorities and defer to custody staff in emergencies.

Additional duties as assigned.

Administrative & Logistical

Documentation: Manage schedules and all necessary paperwork, including quarterly performance evaluations and CDCR 1697 time-keeping logs.

Space & Equipment Management: Oversee the classroom and studio spaces, manage program-specific equipment, and coordinate software installations.

Coordination: Work with CIW staff to obtain gate clearances for vendors (requiring 10 business days' notice) and maintain records of equipment needs.

Compliance Postings: Ensure all legally required notices are provided to new employees and posted in prominent locations.

Essential Skills

Leadership: Demonstrated experience in leadership positions, working with diverse groups, and maintaining firm professional boundaries.

Communication: Excellent verbal and written skills, with an emphasis on empathetic listening and instructional ability.

Technical Literacy: Prior experience with the logic behind HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, or familiarity with audio/video production workflows, is preferred but not required ; the ability to learn these processes to provide constructive feedback is essential.

Project Management: Experience overseeing project lifecycles and digital media assets.

De-escalation: Ability to identify and de-escalate potential conflicts while maintaining a positive, supportive attitude.

Compliance & Requirements

Clearance: Ability to satisfy the CDCR background investigation (CLETS check) and gate clearance requirements.

Regulations: Must comply with all CIW rules regarding contraband, conduct, and clothing restrictions (e.g., no blue denim or cell phones).

Health: Required TB testing before the start date and annually thereafter.

Policies: Must comply with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards.

Conflict of Interest: Must not currently be on the visiting list of any individual incarcerated at CIW (unless related).

Working Conditions

Mobility: Must be able to walk extended distances (1 mile or more per day) across the institution's grounds and stand for long periods to provide side-by-side support.

Environment: Comfort working in a secure, female correctional facility, which may involve loud noises, limited natural light, and strict movement protocols.

The Last Mile is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in our organization. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other protected class. Additionally, we are a Fair Chance Employer, meaning we do not discriminate against justice-impacted individuals and do not perform background checks. We openly encourage justice-impacted individuals to apply for employment.