COMMUNITY ORGANIZER

Urban Edge is one of the largest not-for-profit community development corporations in Massachusetts.  We are located where Boston’s Latin Quarter meets its historic African-American neighborhood, at the crossroads of Jamaica Plain and Roxbury, in Jackson Square. We aim to foster diverse urban neighborhoods of choice populated by resilient families and sustained by dynamic webs of community relationships. To achieve this goal: we build quality affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households; we advise hardworking families on homeowner services, financial education, taxes, and student loans; and we organize neighbors to become leaders of community change. 

Urban Edge has a 2023 annual operating budget of over $7.1 million, and we employ a staff of over 30. We have developed nearly 1,500 units of affordable housing and maintain a portfolio of over 1,400 units. Residents of our housing and our community are diverse and multilingual. In 2024, we anticipate serving more than 2,500 families. 

Position Summary

Urban Edge seeks to fill the position of Community Organizer (part-time or full-time). The Organizer will facilitate work & manage relationships primarily and conduct multi-layered advocacy efforts aimed at both the state and local levels including grassroots organizing, public education, coalition building, leadership development, on-line activism, and direct communication with state and local lawmakers. The Organizer supports UE's advocacy efforts in a wide range of both local and statewide work including organizing, campaign planning, community outreach, and volunteer engagement.

Responsibilities:

• Identifying local priorities in collaboration with the Director of Community Engagement and initiating campaign planning, strategizing and implementation.

• Represent Urban Edge as an agent for change in the movement to end barriers for low-moderate-income residents through coalition work, community organizing, relationship building, public speaking, direct action and public education.

• Support and strengthen Urban Edge's volunteer base, including recruiting, training, and developing volunteers and members as leaders, ambassadors, advocates, and organizers with a commitment to a diverse, equitable and inclusive volunteer base.

• Organize and implement community outreach events and host public education programs.

• Identify opportunities to base-build, increase mobilization capacity and broaden the presence and efficacy of our work.

• Work in collaboration with internal staff and partner organizations on event planning, public education, training, and lobby day planning.

• Work cooperatively and collectively on statewide initiatives with partner organizations.

• Assist in conceptualizing and implementing local campaigns to advance and support issues relevant to low-moderate-income residents.

• Engage in a wide array of tactics, including outreach, canvassing, tabling, digital organizing, conducting know your rights trainings, participate in stakeholder meetings, plan and facilitate community forums, engage in coalition building and organizing to build grassroots and organizational power on a wide range of civil liberties issues.

• Issue-spot and identify organizing opportunities to build grassroots advocacy power, elevate and center the voices of impacted communities.

• Train, engage, and mobilize a grassroots network of members, supporters, and volunteers in collaboration with partner organizations.

• Use interdepartmental tools and strategies, such as CRM database and text messaging, to achieve campaign success.

• Organize and conduct public education events, presentations, workshops and panel discussions that further our local and statewide strategic campaign plans.

• Learn and use community asset mapping and a power analysis to increase the understanding of systematic inequality and center the voices of directly impacted people and marginalized communities in local and statewide organizing plans.

• Develop policy expertise on issues and local and statewide political trends.

• Participate in Urban Edge working groups.

• Other related duties as assigned.

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or four or more years’ experience in grassroots or community organizing.

• Demonstrated commitment to low-moderate income residents and affordable housing.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

• Excellent presentation skills including active listening.

• Experience developing and presenting training.

• Experience writing and implementing strategic campaigns, including the development of digital toolkits.

• Experience implementing social media components of campaigns.

• Experience planning and implementation of special events.

• Excellent interpersonal skills, proven ability to effectively interact with diverse populations and a proven track record of relationship building.

• Ability to think critically and contextually about systemic issues of race, power and identity.

• Ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

• Proficiency with MS Office programs, digital organizing tools and social media platforms.

• Familiarity with urban communities especially Roxbury in Boston, MA.

• Willingness to work flexible hours including evenings and some weekends.

• Spanish or Creole language skills are a plus.

TO APPLY

We encourage all interested candidates to apply. Applicants who don’t have a particular skill or qualification are encouraged to identify how their personal and professional experiences will support their success in meeting the job responsibilities. Please submit a cover letter detailing your interest and your qualifications for this position to: careers@urbanedge.org. Applications will be reviewed and acknowledged as they are received. 

See www.urbanedge.org for more information about our organization.

All candidates must have legal authorization to work in the U.S.  

Urban Edge is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We encourage applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds and cultures.