LA Housing Movement Lab Co-Coordinator

The LA Housing Movement Lab (LAHML), a network of 25 Los Angeles-area housing justice groups, the majority of which are grassroots and member-based, is seeking an experienced coalition builder and strategist to serve as Co-Coordinator. The LAHML is housed at Strategic Actions for Just Economy (SAJE), one of the network’s founding organizations. The Co-Coordinator will report to SAJE’s Executive Director. 

The LAHML was founded in 2019 to ensure that all poor and working-class people and people of color in Los Angeles County live in high-quality housing that is affordable and rooted in stable, healthy, resilient, accessible, and vibrant communities. The LAHML is not focused on specific campaigns; rather, it is a central server for Los Angeles’ housing justice movement. It builds long-term strategic vision and partnerships, supports the development of key policies and initiatives, and convenes member organizations to knit actions and projects together toward a common goal of decommodifying housing in the region and beyond. As such, it provides a space and framework for the deep, big-picture thinking and planning that can be difficult to carve out time for due to the urgency of day-to-day campaign work. 

The LAHML Co-Coordinator will steward the LAHML’s long-term vision and roadmap for decommodifying housing in Los Angeles County, grounding member groups in goals and strategy and bringing new allies into the fold. The successful candidate is passionate about housing justice, but does not necessarily have an extensive background in this work. Their chief qualifications are experience with coalition building and organizing with frontline groups, a nuanced understanding of the impacts of commodification and racial capitalism, and a commitment to achieving real, material policy wins. The successful candidate knows how to speak compellingly about social and economic justice issues to engage and excite stakeholders. They have strong relationship-building skills and experience leading networks, coalitions, and campaigns. They have a deep commitment to decommodification and alternative forms of land and home ownership, an orientation toward intersectional movement building, and experience fundraising for initiatives that challenge traditional economic systems. They are excited about the opportunity to deepen alignment across the LAHML network and mobilize member organizations to work together to decommodify housing in Los Angeles.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES 

Note that the responsibilities outlined below, which are shared with another LAHML Co-Coordinator, do not represent an exhaustive list of job duties.

40% NETWORK ORGANIZING

Support member groups in grounding their work within collective vision and strategy.

• LAHML Member Engagement  
• Convene the LAHML steering committee quarterly
• Track the work of member organizations as it relates to the LAHML’s Roadmap to Decommodified Housing 2050
• Build relationships with member organization leadership
• Refine the member engagement process
• Capacity Building
• Facilitate peer-to-peer learning between member groups to learn about one another’s tactics, strategies, and best practices 
• Support member groups in integrating the LAHML’s long-term movement goals and decommodified housing framework into their strategic plans
• Identify synergies between different member organizations’ campaigns and priorities and leverage them to drive collaboration
• Update and maintain the LAHML’s Decommodified Housing Resource archive 
• Create resources on housing policy and the housing justice movement tailored to the needs of member organizations
• Strategy Building  
• Host network convenings to build and coordinate strategy across member groups
• Curate and maintain the Roadmap to Decommodified Housing 2050

40% MOVEMENT BUILDING AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

Build relationships and coordinate with key allies to move the decommodified housing agenda forward.

• Build relationships with key electeds and policymakers to influence decision making around housing policies and priorities for the city and county
• Organize philanthropy around the Roadmap to Decommodified Housing 2050
• Expand the network of funder allies who support the decommodified housing framework
• Work with funder allies to build a funding strategy for the LAHML
• Maintain the LAHML funder engagement tracker
• Coordinate with environmental justice, labor, and other social and economic justice groups to build alignment around the strategies and tactics outlined in Roadmap to Decommodified Housing 2050
• Coordinate with state and national housing justice formations to build alignment around decommodification strategies and connect our local campaigns to state and national movement resources

20% ADMINISTRATION AND FUNDRAISING

• Work with the LAHML fundraising committee to steward the LAHML’s financial health
• Maintain an annual budget for LAHML
• Fundraise to support LAHML operating activities  
• Work with SAJE staff to submit grant reports
• Lead hiring, onboarding, and transition processes for LAHML staff
• Participate in work planning and weekly check-ins with Co-Coordinator 
• Maintain and update the LAHML website

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum two years work experience organizing within campaigns and coalition spaces that challenge traditional economic systems
• Minimum one year work experience as a leader or coordinator within a coalition or network space. 
• Demonstrated facilitation skills in large-scale network/coalition spaces
• Alignment with SAJE’s mission and values
• Demonstrated commitment to social, racial, gender, and economic justice
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills
• Curious, flexible, and adept at problem solving
• Able to work cross-functionally with different kinds of people and teams
• This is a hybrid in-person position, and applicants should be vaccinated against infections and diseases according to the recommendations of medical professionals and the CDC. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Working familiarity with the concepts of decommodification, social housing, and community land trusts. 
• Strong relationships with Los Angeles-based housing justice organizations 

COMPENSATION

SAJE strives to maintain a 40-hour work week and a sustainable work/life balance and offers a competitive benefits package and salary (based on experience). This is a full-time, salaried position. The salary range for this position is between $69,000 and $80,000 (commensurate with experience) plus benefits (including medical, vision, and dental) with three weeks of vacation per year (four weeks per year after one year of service) and 13 holidays.