Bilingual Lead Organizer

Make the Road States (MRstates) is the national home for the second-generation Make the Road family of organizations in Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Nevada, this in addition to New York, that serves to uplift the voices of working-class, immigrants, women, LGBTQIA people, and people of color across the Make the Roads umbrella. From an operational spectrum it serves as the Finance and Human Resources Compliance Officers for the umbrella at large. 

Make the Road Connecticut is a statewide organization that builds the power of immigrants and low-income Latinx in Hartford and Bridgeport to achieve dignity and justice. We do this by community organizing, legal and survival services, transformative education, and policy innovation. We tackle the issues that directly impact our communities of color: immigration reform, economic justice, education equity, LGBTQ justice, womxn’s justice and youth justice. Make the Road Connecticut is a project of Make the Road States.

Make the Road Action (MRA), a 501(c)(4) organization is committed to building power for justice in immigrant and low-income working-class communities of color. MRA operates in five states - New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. We work to create social change, connect voters to the candidates and issues that are most important to them, and work hands-on in a fast-paced environment to create long-term impact in the communities that need it most. 

Current Opening:

The Bridgeport Lead Organizer is a leadership position that will help plan, coordinate and support MRCT’s regional campaigns and membership drives. The Bridgeport Lead Organizer is responsible for the supervision of the field organizers to ensure that MRCT organizers are meeting their yearly organizer standards and providing support and training for organizers to win campaigns in their communities locally, statewide and nationally. The Bridgeport Lead Organizer will support the organizers through our committee model, which is the engine that drives our work and the space where campaigns, action planning, political education and orientation all take place. Committee meetings are facilitated by members in coordination with organizers.Bridgeport Lead Organizers will acquire stories from community members and prepare spokespeople, engage allies across their region to advance local, state and federal efforts that will benefit the communities they work in. The Bridgeport Lead Organizer will report to the Organizing Director.

Key Responsibilities but not limited to:

• Coordinate, engage and implement campaigns through planning, action research, coordinating campaign events, press work, policy research and alliance work.
• Work closely with Organizing Director to meet campaign goals (local, state and support federal campaigns)
• Lead membership dues drive in Bridgeport
• Supervise team of field organizers
• Weekly check-ins with organizers to provide support, feedback and move work forward
• Support organizers to win campaigns
• Shadow organizers through 1-1s to give real time feedback.
• Hold organizers accountable meeting their goals and developing leaders
• Create open and inclusive dialogue with organizers
• Train and support any new staff by keeping centralized material or content up to date and accessible to the organization.
• Represent the organization at some external meetings, coalition tables, and conferences.
• Engage multiple stakeholders including youth leaders, elected officials, funders and organizational leaders in the social justice field.
• Build, lead or participate in coalition tables that deal with issues that directly impact MRCT members.
• Lead and support in data collecting and holding the Bridgeport organizing team accountable.
• Prepare and Facilitate Organizing Team Meetings.
• Attend regular meetings with staff
• Staff meetings, membership assemblies, staff retreats, committee meetings, etc.

Key Secondary Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following

• Participate in some development activities to raise financial resources for MRCT work.
• Represent the organization in national networks at times.
• Lead mobilizations on issues campaigns impacting MRCT’s membership.
• Responsible for leading general meetings in Bridgeport in collaboration with the leader’s council and local staff.
• Work with Hartford Lead to implement leadership development curriculum
• Every Action, Box and VAN training and management.
• Implements, supports, facilitates before and after leaders council meetings
• Co-Develop and co- facilitate Leadership School every two years

Requirements:

• Eligible to work in the US
• Required to be fully vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine prior to employment at MRCT/MRStates.
• Have a minimum of an Associate Degree or Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice, community organizing, leadership development and the elevation of directly impacted and marginalized people to create change
• At least five years of experience in community, labor, or other relevant organizing fields.
• Supervisory experience preferred.
• Bilingual: English-Spanish (written and verbally) is required.
• Experience in leading and winning issue campaigns or other related campaign experience.
• A car and driver’s license is required.
• Ability to manage simultaneous projects in a fast-paced environment at a growing organization.
• Ability to travel between Hartford and Bridgeport on a regular basis.
• Be open to working evenings and weekends.
• Required to work from home and satellite offices as needed.

 Job Competencies:

• Be proficient in MS Office Suite, particularly with Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Belief that community organizing is a powerful and effective tool to make change;
• Possess excellent written and interpersonal communication skills
• Be highly reflective and able to offer and receive feedback on a regular basis
•  Demonstrate a high degree of discretion dealing with confidential information
• Self-starter with strong organizational skills and strong attention to detail
• Be highly professional and team oriented with a passion for excellence and eagerness to help the department meet our goals.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and complete assignments under strict deadlines with minimal supervision in a fast paced environment.
• Ability to work under pressure required.
• Have a working knowledge of spreadsheets, Microsoft Office suite, and using a database (ideally Salesforce) to run reports.
• Flexible work schedule, some evenings or weekends required
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• High level of accountability and initiative; needs to be a self-starter and eager to do team work to support the organization as a whole

Salary and Benefits:

Starting salary is based on a scale set by a democratically-elected personnel committee and will depend on factors such as experience and education. MRStates offers an excellent benefit package including health insurance, 401K, and generous paid vacation, sick, personal days. The salary range for this position is from $66,312 to $78,652

How to Apply:

Please attach cover letter/resume and submit all documents to the Make the Road New States career center.

Make the Road believes that social change is best achieved through grassroots community-based organizing that flows directly from and engages the community demanding the change. As a membership-based organization, we are committed to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, criminal history, or Veteran status. We strongly encourage those from historically excluded groups to apply.