Youth & Member Organizer

We are hiring a Youth and Membership Organizer!

Young People for Progress (YPP) is seeking a relationship-driven, highly organized, and values-aligned Youth and Membership Organizer to recruit and develop young leaders, strengthen YPP’s high school chapters and membership structure, and move young people into collective action.

Job Purpose:

The Youth & Membership Organizer will build and develop YPP’s base of high school students and young adults. This person will recruit and retain members, support high school chapters and the High School Executive Board, coordinate member orientations and general body meetings, develop member leaders, and organize young people to lead issue campaigns.

The organizer will help create clear pathways for young people to move from initial contact, to active membership, to meaningful leadership. This is a role for someone who can build trusting relationships, conduct strong organizing conversations, facilitate engaging meetings, develop leaders, move people into action, and maintain consistent systems for outreach and follow-up. The organizer should believe that staff members’ role is to train, mentor, and coordinate young people, not replace their leadership. This role requires regular in-person work throughout Montgomery County, including school-based outreach, office and field work, evening meetings, and occasional weekend events and actions.

Reports to: Executive Director

Hours and Location: Full-time, Montgomery County, Maryland (include both in-office and field work)

About Young People for Progress:

Young People for Progress (YPP) is a community organizing organization building political power among young adults and youth in Montgomery County. YPP campaigns focus on ending youth criminalization, advancing restorative justice in schools, and reducing racial disparities in policing and traffic enforcement. Since its founding, YPP has won the removal of School Resource Officers from MCPS; secured restorative justice coaches in all 211 schools and full-time social workers in high schools; advanced local policy reforms addressing racial disparities in policing and traffic enforcement; and contributed to winning rent stabilization and stronger immigrant protections locally and statewide.

Description of Duties:

The Youth & Membership Organizer be responsible for:

• Membership and Base-Building
  • Recruit high school students and young adults ages 18–24 through one-on-one outreach, school visits, tabling, presentations, and community events.
  • Coordinate member orientations, follow-up, and pathways into YPP chapters, teams, campaigns, and leadership roles.
  • Build relationships with prospective, new, and active members and strengthen member participation and retention.
  • Maintain accurate outreach, membership, attendance, and follow-up systems.
• High School Chapters and Leadership
  • Build and support active, student-led YPP chapters at priority Montgomery County high schools.
  • Coach chapter leaders in recruitment, meeting facilitation, member engagement, campaign planning, and follow-through.
  • Support the High School Executive Board in strengthening chapters and coordinating countywide organizing.
  • Build relationships with school staff, families, and community partners who can support student organizing.
• Meetings and Leadership Development
  • Plan and facilitate general body meetings, orientations, political education, leadership trainings, retreats, and membership team meetings.
  • Identify and develop members who can recruit peers, facilitate meetings, organize events, and lead organizational work.
  • Provide members with consistent coaching, feedback, accountability, and opportunities to take greater responsibility.
  • Help create clear leadership pathways for high school students and members ages 18–24.
• Campaign Organizing and Coordination
  • Organize members around youth criminalization, restorative justice, student wellbeing, policing, immigration, and related racial and economic justice issues.
  • Support member-led issue identification, research, campaign planning, outreach, advocacy, and actions.
  • Prepare members for testimony, meetings with decision-makers, public events, and media opportunities.
  • Coordinate workplans, agendas, communications, logistics, timelines, and tracking for organizing activities.

What Success Could Look Like in the First 6-12 Months:

The Youth & Membership Organizer has…

• Created stronger systems for recruiting, orienting, engaging, and retaining high school and young adult members.
• Developed active high school chapters that have consistent meetings, functioning leadership teams, and clear organizing goals.
• Developed a High School Executive Board that is effectively supporting chapters and countywide organizing.
• Developed General body meetings, orientations, and membership teams that have consistent participation and meaningful member leadership.
• Developed members that are moving from attending activities to leading outreach, meetings, campaigns, and actions.
• Created accurate systems for tracking membership, participation, leadership development, and follow-up.

Qualifications:

• Must be willing to work irregular hours (including evenings and weekends) and to travel.
• Must possess a valid U.S. driver’s license, auto insurance, and an automobile for business use. Will make exception in limited cases.
• Grassroots organizing experience: Able to recruit people, conduct organizing conversations, identify leaders, and move people into action.
• Experience working with young people: Able to build trust with high school students and young adults while maintaining appropriate boundaries and expectations.
• Leadership-development skills: Able to coach people to build their skills, take ownership, and lead.
• Strong facilitation skills: Able to plan and lead engaging meetings, orientations, trainings, and political education.
• Strong organization and follow-through: Able to manage multiple projects, deadlines, communications, logistics, and details.
• Clear communication: Able to communicate effectively with young people, families, school staff, partners, and decision-makers.

Salary & Benefits: $60,000–$68,000, commensurate with experience. Starting salary will be determined using a standardized rubric based on demonstrated competencies in the qualifications and responsibilities described above. YPP covers 100% of individual employee health, dental, and vision insurance and provides paid vacation and sick leave, paid holidays, professional development support, and a retirement plan with an employer match of up to 2%.

Applicants should provide the following information:

• A cover letter stating your interest, availability, and general qualifications
• A resume or CV outlining your education, skills, and experience
• List of 2 References (will be requested of final candidates later in the hiring process)

People of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, women, and young people are strongly encouraged to apply. Formerly incarcerated individuals and those directly impacted by the criminal legal system are also strongly encouraged to apply.

YPP covers 100% of individual employee health, dental, and vision insurance and provides paid vacation and sick leave, paid holidays, professional development support, and a retirement plan.