Senior Project Manager — Connecting Global Artists, Technologists, and Reform Leaders at San Quentin SkunkWorks

SkunkWorks began as a bold idea inside San Quentin what if incarceration could become a launchpad for change? Founded by incarcerated people and built in partnership with outside professionals, we’ve grown into a nationally recognized innovation lab inside prison walls.
Our goal is simple but radical transform the justice system by centering the leadership of the people most impacted by it. We design and test solutions inside—and then work to scale them beyond the walls.
Our programs put incarcerated leadership into practice. We reclaim prison spaces with murals that restore dignity, run intensive leadership trainings that prepare incarcerated people to guide reform, and host monthly gaming events that bring more than 150 people together across divides. Each project is a live experiment in building a justice system that works better for everyone.
We’ve been featured in CalMatters, the front page of the LA Times, and are backed by CDCR. But our biggest achievement? Building a movement where incarcerated people lead—and the world listens.
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Join the incarcerated-led innovation lab partnering with the Governor’s Office, eL Seed, FaithXLVII, UC researchers, and other visionaries to coordinate the systems, people, and projects shaping the future of justice reform.
Why This Matters
San Quentin SkunkWorks is changing how reform happens — bringing artists, engineers, creators, and policy leaders inside prison walls to co-create the future of justice.
The work is bold and complex. Multiple initiatives run in parallel across art, technology, research, policy, media, and culture change. Senior project management is the force that keeps that ecosystem aligned.
You’ll support incarcerated innovators collaborating with top-tier professionals across the country. When projects run smoothly, the work accelerates — and the system changes faster.
Each initiative is guided by cross-functional teams — and you may manage one or more depending on your expertise and capacity.
The Work

SkunkWorks is executing several high-impact initiatives at once, including
Large-scale art projects with artists like eL Seed, Zio Ziegler, and FaithXLVII
Transformative Recreation events drawing 150+ participants and cross-agency partners
leadership development and capacity-building for incarcerated teams
policy and research collaborations with CDCR and university partners
software engineering and digital infrastructure projects
narrative, media, and outreach work across press, PR, and storytelling
grant writing, development, and external partnerships
graphic design and creative production supporting all program areas
You’ll help create the project systems and coordination that allow this model to scale across other facilities statewide.
Your Role
You will

Build and maintain project plans, schedules, dependencies, and workflows in Monday.com
Coordinate timelines and priorities across one or more of the following teams, depending on your expertise and capacity
Grant Writing, Media & Outreach, Graphic Design, Software Engineering, Leadership Development, Transformative Recreation, or the Chiaroscuro mural project
Keep cross-boundary teams aligned — incarcerated leaders, outside experts, staff partners, and institutional stakeholders
Translate strategy into clear, actionable steps and measurable milestones
Standardize workflows that become part of SkunkWorks’ scalable model
Create communication pathways that keep contributors informed and engaged
Identify friction early and remove it before it slows progress
Support inside team leaders in building project management capacity
Maintain clean documentation and keep Monday.com boards updated weekly
This is a senior volunteer role — you’ll be working directly with professionals at the top of their fields and the incarcerated innovators driving some of the most ambitious justice reform work in the country.
What We’re Looking For
Required

5+ years of project management experience (creative, tech, policy, nonprofit, or cross-disciplinary)
Expert-level Monday.com skills — automation, dashboards, custom workflows, dependencies
Strong communication and facilitation with diverse, cross-functional teams
Ability to manage multiple complex projects at once
Experience working with senior stakeholders
Strong systems thinking and exceptional organizational habits
Comfort working independently with minimal instruction
Based in the United States
Nice to Have

Based in the bay area
Experience with creative production, tech, policy development, media, or community-based projects
Background working with distributed or cross-boundary teams
Familiarity with justice reform, human-centered design, or org development