Organizer

New Jersey Citizen Action (NJCA) has an immediate opening for a full-time organizer with

2 or more years of experience working on successful campaigns and/or community engagement to join our Advocacy and Organizing team. Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred but not required.

Background:

NJCA combines political advocacy, electoral campaigns, public outreach, and community empowerment programs to make a real difference in the lives of everyday New Jerseyans. With this comprehensive approach, the organization addresses systemic and institutional issues as well as the pressing needs and interests of low- and moderate-income individuals across the state. Our advocacy work centers on core issues of budget and tax policy, access to affordable healthcare and housing, advancing worker rights, consumer financial protection, and democracy issues. We work in coalition with partners and a network of community leaders and activists from across the state.

NJCA has a 42 year long history of successfully fighting for critical policies to improve the lives of low to middle income families. We pushed federal and state lawmakers to enact the Affordable Care Act (ACA), expand Medicaid in New Jersey, create our state’s health insurance marketplace, and expand coverage for all children regardless of their documentation status with Cover All Kids. We successfully advocated for enacting and improving NJ’s paid family leave and mandatory sick day laws and raising the state’s minimum wage. We have also enacted consumer financial justice reforms to protect people from debt and deceptive lending practices.

The person in this position will work with the NJCA Advocacy and Organizing team to:

• Conduct outreach and education on core issues to engage other organizations and communities in our priority campaigns, particularly on Paid Family Leave, Childcare and Healthcare.
• Work to identify impacted individuals in underserved low- and moderate-income communities to amplify their voices and share their stories and advocate alongside us for positive policy change.
• Increase and strengthen our network of grassroots activities and partners across the state.

Responsibilities of the NJCA Organizer are as follows:

• Work directly with the NJCA Director of Organizing, Advocacy Program Directors, and Communications team on priority campaigns.
• Conduct trainings and workshops for organizations and individuals.
• Schedule and attend community forums, tabling events, and meetings to connect with the public to educate and engage them in our priority campaigns and benefits & rights available to them.
• Participate in voter outreach and engagement activities such as phone/text banks, and door to door canvassing.
• Work with NJCA team and partner organizations on campaign activities such as rallies, press events, and lobbying legislators.
• Develop and facilitate training sessions for volunteers and community groups interested in joining our campaigns.
• Identify and recruit individuals with lived experience to support advocacy.
• Support grassroots leaders’ efforts to develop community gatherings
• Build relationships with elected officials, community leaders, grassroots volunteers, and new community groups.
• Help develop online content and increase social media engagement.
• Gain media coverage around priority campaigns.
• Further develop our education and outreach materials including flyers, fact sheets, postcards, web content and presentations for targeted communities.
• Track our performance and analyze our results.

Qualifications: At least 2 years of experience coordinating or organizing community, student, labor, tenant, church, and/or political groups. Excellent writing, computer, and telephone skills required. Car and valid NJ driver’s license and insurance required. The ideal candidate is bilingual in English and Spanish, but it’s not required. A college degree is strongly preferred.

Additionally, we are looking for a candidate who is committed to our organization’s mission, is a team player with strong interpersonal skills, and is a self-starter who can work independently as needed on priorities and meet deadlines.

Location: This is a full-time hybrid position based in our Highland Park office.

NJCA is an equal opportunity employer.