Campaign Organizer

We are hiring a Campaign Organizer!

Young People for Progress (YPP) is seeking a highly organized, and values-aligned Campaign Organizer to help build a base of young adults, and community members; coordinate campaign partners; and move people into action for policy and budget campaigns that advance noncarceral community safety and wellbeing.

Job Purpose:

The Decriminalize Montgomery County Campaign Organizer will help lead YPP’s coalition-based organizing to reduce the criminalization of Black, Brown, immigrant, low-income, disabled, and young people in Montgomery County. This person will coordinate Decrim MoCo campaign meetings, build a base of directly impacted residents and youth leaders, support partner engagement, move issue campaigns from outreach to action, and help win concrete policy and budget changes that advance noncarceral community safety and student wellbeing.

This is a role for someone who can build relationships, move people to action, keep coalition work organized, develop leaders, communicate clearly, and help turn community concerns into strategic campaigns. This role requires regular in-person work in Montgomery County, including some evening meetings, outreach, events, and actions.

Reports to: Executive Director

Hours & 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:

• Base-Building & Leadership Development
  • Conduct outreach to youth, young adults, families, and residents directly impacted by policing, school pushout, immigration enforcement, surveillance, poverty, disability, and other forms of criminalization.
  • Organize canvassing, tabling, house meetings, listening sessions, political education events, community forums, and campaign actions.
  • Identify, recruit, and develop members and volunteer leaders who can help shape campaign priorities and move others to action.
• Coalition Coordination
  • Coordinate campaign meetings, agendas, notes, follow-up, partner communication, and action steps.
  • Maintain strong relationships with partner organizations, individual supporters, YPP members, and community leaders.
• Campaign Strategy, Policy, & Advocacy
  • Track local policy, budget, and political developments related to policing, school discipline, school safety, restorative justice, mental health supports, immigration enforcement, and noncarceral safety.
  • Support campaign strategy, testimony, meetings with decision-makers, press statements, action alerts, talking points, social media content, and partner materials.
  • Maintain campaign lists, turnout trackers, partner contacts, meeting notes, and event follow-up systems.

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

The Campaign Organizer has…

• Created a clear campaign calendar, meeting rhythm, partner contact system, and follow-up system.
• Expanded YPP’s base of directly impacted youth, young adults, families, and community members in priority areas.
• Held house meetings, outreach events, political education events, and/or community forums that produce clear issue priorities.
• Identified campaign priorities that are shaped by community feedback and moved into concrete advocacy plans.
• Ensured partner organizations understand how to plug in, turn people out, provide testimony, and support campaign actions.
• Ensured youth and adult leaders are taking on meaningful campaign roles instead of only being asked to attend events.
• Created stronger systems for tracking outreach, turnout, partner engagement, decision-maker meetings, testimony, and policy developments.

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 and base-building experience: Able to recruit people, have organizing conversations, identify leaders, move people to action, and building power with directly impacted communities.
• Coalition and relationship-building skills: Able to build trust, coordinate across organizations, follow up consistently, manage tension constructively, and work with youth, young adults, directly impacted community members, partners, and decision-makers.
• Strong commitment to racial justice and ending criminalization: Understands how policing, incarceration, school discipline, immigration enforcement, surveillance, poverty, disability, race, and youth criminalization intersect. Can talk about these issues clearly, directly, and respectfully with different audiences.
• Strong follow-through and project management: Able to manage meetings, deadlines, outreach, notes, partner communication, materials, and next steps without letting details fall through the cracks. Able to juggle multiple priorities, ask for help when needed, and keep work moving even when things are busy.
• Clear writing and communication: Able to write and communicate clearly for campaign emails, testimony, talking points, action alerts, meeting materials, and partner updates.
• Sound political judgment: Able to track local policy and political developments, understand what matters for campaign strategy, translate complex issues into clear messages, and help turn values into clear demands and action steps.

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+, women, and young people are highly encouraged to apply. Formerly incarcerated people and people who have interacted with the criminal legal system are highly 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 with an employer match of up to 2%.