Director of Organizing

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 (MRCT) 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, womxn’s justice and youth justice. Make the Road Connecticut is a project of Make the Road States Inc. Make the Road States Inc. is a 501c3 tax exempt status.

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 Organizing Director is a senior leadership position and will be charged with developing and implementing statewide strategies and adding capacity to regional campaigns that builds long term power for our membership. With leadership from national organizations, the Organizing Director will also support federal issue-based campaigns. The Organizing Director provides ongoing coaching, training, supervision and support to the team of field and senior organizers. At the direction of the State Executive Director, the Organizing Director helps coordinate and guide issue campaigns in areas of health equity, economic justice, fund our schools, and other campaigns as well as supports the development and implementation of the organization’s non-partisan voter engagement strategy with organizers. The Organizing Director will also work closely with the State Executive Director to ensure that campaign goals, strategies, messaging and funding opportunities and deliverables to funders are completed. Lastly, the Organizing Director will manage large organizing initiatives, execute sophisticated trainings and conferences, develop strategic plans to demonstrate our grassroots power and represent the organization in coalition meetings and state tables.

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

Building & Leading the organizing department

• Continue developing the infrastructure for the organizing department alongside the Senior Organizers and team in areas that will support the growth of the membership.
• Supervise lead organizers or senior organizers and provide support for their supervision with field organizers
• Train and support new staff
• Create open and inclusive dialogue within the organizing department
• Engage multiple stakeholders including membership base, elected officials, funders and organizational leaders in the social justice field

Support development and execution of organizing strategy

• Co-develop with leads the overall strategy with strategic direction from membership bases and inputs from organizers and other departments
• Support organizers in building and running campaign plans based on detailed power analysis and a strong theory of change.
• Builds coherence across the campaigns and Community Health Worker and other programs on all levels
• Cross base alliance and organizational cohesion
• Seek out and create opportunities for the organizing work to connect, build power, alliance and solidarity toward a shared vision and politics.
• Support coordination of leader council member in ways they can participate in civic engagement initiatives, including, but not limited to, voter registration efforts and Get Out the Vote efforts;
• Work with the State Executive Director to drive forward organizational development goals and help align organizing work overall to achieve those goals
• Serve as the main point of contact between MRSTATES and their organizing. Participate in MRStates Organizing Cohort.

Organizational Growth:

• Building with coalitions and close allies and partners
• Maintain, manage and develop strategic partners and allies to support broad organizational campaigns and goals to create the best possible space for workers to organize
• Deliver key relationships with allies to the organizing and campaigns
• Coordinate allies to support campaign work as needed
• Represent the organization in external and internal meetings, coalitions tables, state tables, conferences, etc.
• Develop organizing team members to represent the organization in coalition tables, internal and external meetings
• Fundraise foundations, individual donors for campaigns or general operating funding for the organizing department.
• Participate in trainings in deeper budget management for department
• Lead statewide membership dues collection process
• Advise in fundraise (when necessary; grant writing, individual donor cultivation, etc.) and ensure organizing team is meeting grant deliverables to cover and expand the organizing department’s budget;

Data & Tracking

• Oversee the tracking and reporting of organizing program goals and outcomes and ensure each organizer is interfacing with EveryAction
• Ensure the completion of detailed data entry and accurate records on MRCT database in accordance with MRCT’s data entry system
• Coordinate, facilitate (when necessary) and execute organizational meetings this includes, but is not limited to:
• Staff Meetings
• Staff Retreats
• Leaders Council
• Statewide Membership Assembly

Requirements:

• Eligible to work in the US;
• A demonstrated commitment to social justice, strong analysis of systemic oppression based on race, class, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, and an understanding of challenges facing immigrant communities, communities of color, and low-and moderate-income families;
• At least five years organizing experience and a demonstrated ability to design, run and win policy campaigns alongside community organizing and/or labor organizing institutions;
• Experience developing the skills and capacity of staff and member leaders of community organizations or labor unions;
• At least three years staff management experience;
• Demonstrated strong research, writing, policy analysis, and communication skills;
• Experience in curriculum development for social justice/movement organizations;
• Excellent organizational skills and good attention to detail;
• Bilingual: English-Spanish (written and spoken) is required
• Driver’s license and vehicle is required;
• Required traveling between Bridgeport & Hartford
• Experience in ADP, Chrome River, EveryAction, VAN is preferred;

Job Competencies:

• 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:

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 $79,500 to $91,500.

MRStates is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse staff. Women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, genetic information, disability or marital status.