Co-op Housing Lead at United Renters for Justice

Co-Op Housing Lead with Inquilinxs Unidxs por Justicia (IX)

• Job Title: Co-op Housing Lead
• Location: Minneapolis, MN
• Employment Type: Full-Time, Salaried
• Reports To: Executive Director
• Supervises: Cooperative Organizer

InquilinXs UnidXs por Justicia (United Renters for Justice) (IX) was founded to build tenant power to change the housing system in Minneapolis. We are a multi-identity/gender, multi-language, and multi-cultural organization. IX was founded by Latinx community members to work with renter communities most oppressed by high rents, bad conditions, and intimidation by landlords in the city.

IX is seeking a seasoned community organizer to grow and strengthen our co-op housing work—supporting tenant leaders, building durable program infrastructure, and advancing community-controlled housing in Minneapolis.

About the Role

The Co-op Housing Lead will anchor IX’s work to stabilize, strengthen, and grow our tenant-stewarded housing co-ops. This role sits at the intersection of operations, organizing, education, community wealth-building, program development, and fundraising.

You will work directly with co-op members, IX organizers, and community partners to ensure that IX co-ops are not only legally and financially sound, but thriving spaces of democratic leadership and community dignity.

This role requires someone who knows how to build deep relationships, understands IX’s organizing ecosystem, and can move fluidly between people work, operational work, and strategic growth work.

Key Responsibilities

1) Co-op Stabilization & Governance (40%)

• Support external technical assistance efforts (provided by Co-North) to stabilize existing co-ops: strengthen governance, support member leadership, and ensure co-ops meet financial and legal obligations
• Build strong, trusting relationships with co-op members: know the people, know the building, know the history
• Under the direction of Co-North technical assistance, support the maintenance of co-op bylaws, meeting structures, decision-making processes, and conflict-resolution pathways
• Coordinate with Co-North technical assistance and co-op boards to support legal, financial, and governance responsibilities
• Support information flow between property management, the co-op board, and Co-North (this role does not replace professional asset management or owner’s rep functions)
• Partner with IX organizers to ensure co-ops remain connected to broader IX campaigns and organizing strategy
• Serve as an ex-officio (non-voting) member of the co-op Board, providing steady support, organizing continuity, and alignment with stabilization priorities
• Fifth Building Acquisition & Integration (TBD / Funding-Contingent)
  • Support the potential acquisition and closing process to bring a 5th building into the cooperative, in close coordination with SWL leadership and external partners
  • Work with Co-North to build an integration plan so the building is fully incorporated into cooperative governance, operations, and member onboarding systems
  • Ensure ongoing compliance with any funder requirements tied to acquisition and stabilization resources, including documentation and reporting needs

2 ) Member Education & Leadership Development (25%)

• Work with the Cooperative Organizer and technical assistance (Co-North) to prepare and educate the next round of people entering co-op membership or leadership roles
  • Co-op 101 and democratic governance
  • Financial literacy and budgeting
  • Roles and responsibilities of board and membership
  • Collective decision-making
• Develop repeatable and scalable education modules to support co-op sustainability and future growth

3) Fundraising & Resource Development (20%)

This role is expected to fundraise primarily on behalf of Sky Without Limits (SWL). While the position is supervised within IX, the role will maintain shared accountability to SWL leadership/Board to ensure fundraising strategy aligns with SWL priorities and governance.

• Lead fundraising strategy for Sky Without Limits (SWL) co-op stabilization and growth, in partnership with IX leadership and with dotted-line accountability to the SWL Board for alignment on priorities and progress.
• Research and pursue grants, partnerships, and other funding opportunities that support tenant ownership, cooperative housing, and community wealth-building.
• Prepare compelling narratives, data, and outcomes that demonstrate the impact of IX’s co-op work.
• Build internal systems and processes to understand the co-op’s financial position.
• Cultivate and steward relationships with funders, lenders, and aligned institutions.

4) Program Growth & Expansion (15%)

• Work with IX leadership, co-op staff, and members to answer the core strategic question: “How do we grow this work?”
• Lead strategy and planning to expand co-op formation, support new buildings exploring tenant ownership, and deepen IX’s cooperative ecosystem
• Strengthen internal systems and staffing plans needed to sustain growth (workflows, roles/responsibilities, and team coordination)
• Support field-building by maintaining relationships with aligned partners and institutions that advance cooperative housing and community wealth-building
• Document best practices and create repeatable models for future co-op development

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Experience in community organizing, housing justice, cooperative development, or related fields
• Strong relationship-building skills and ability to connect with people from diverse cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex projects with many stakeholders
• Comfort facilitating group learning, member meetings, and popular education trainings
• Strong writing, storytelling, and communication skills
• Commitment to justice and IX’s values
• Demonstrated experience reviewing and interpreting financial statements (preferably in housing, co-ops, or community-based organizations), with the ability to analyze trends, communicate insights clearly, and build internal systems that improve financial visibility and proactively mitigate risk
• Experience working with or managing relationships with Property Management partners (including coordination, issue resolution, and ongoing performance/accountability management)

Preferred Qualifications

• Spanish proficiency (spoken and/or written)
• Experience working in or alongside housing cooperatives, community land models, or resident-led housing structures
• Familiarity with nonprofit fundraising and/or grant writing, including supporting proposals, reporting, and funder communications
• Experience managing budgets, financial reports, and/or financial dashboards, with the ability to translate financial information into clear insights for decision-making
• Experience with governance structures that support democratic decision-making, such as co-op boards, member-led organizations, or community governance models
• Experience supporting commercial real estate projects, including diligence, project coordination, financing readiness, and/or closing support
• Asset management experience (preferred) — ability to monitor portfolio health, assess risk, track performance, and support long-term sustainability planning.

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation: Starting at a base annual rate equivalent of $60,900 annually, our compensation policy allows for additional pay dependent on a staff person’s need to financially support others and/or if they are a sole wage earner.
• Schedule: 32-hour minimum workweek, with overtime for more than 40 hours per week.
• Benefits include:
  • 160 hours of paid time off, equivalent to 5 weeks of PTO for vacation and sick leave
  • 11 paid holidays
  • Two annual week-long office closures for all-staff breaks
  • 100% Employer-paid, no-deductible health and dental insurance (for employee, partner, and children)
  • Paid parental leave
  • Mileage reimbursement
  • Annual raises of at least 3%
  • Annual 5% year-end bonus that may be applied towards a retirement fund
  • Investment in professional development and leadership growth

IX is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous and People of Color; LGBTQ+ people; women; immigrants; people from working-class backgrounds; formerly incarcerated people; and other marginalized communities.

To Apply:

Please submit the following materials to hr@inquilinxsunidxs.org with the subject line: “APPLICATION: Co-Op Housing Lead” no later than February 13, 2026:

1) Short interest statement (300–500 words) answering:

• Why this role, why IX and what you understand about the moment we’re in
• One example of how you built/strengthened a system (ops, finance, governance, or team process)

2) Resume/CV

3) One work sample (choose ONE):

• A housing/co-op project plan
• A budget, financial snapshot, or dashboard you’ve used to tell a financial story (redacted is fine)
• A community-facing document you created (one-pager, proposal, process guide, etc.)
• Work samples may be redacted to remove confidential information

4) Three professional references

• At least one should be a former supervisor or cross-functional colleague/partner

We will begin reviewing applications on February 2, 2026 and the position will remain open until a candidate is selected. We aim to complete the hiring process by the end of February, with an anticipated start date in early March.

The job posting on our website will be updated once the position is closed. If the posting is still live at www.inquilinxsunidxs.org/en/announcements, we encourage you to apply!

• 160 hours of paid time off, equivalent to 5 weeks of PTO for vacation and sick leave
• 11 paid holidays
• Two annual week-long office closures for all-staff breaks
• 100% Employer-paid, no-deductible health and dental insurance (for employee, partner, and children)
• Paid parental leave
• Mileage reimbursement
• Annual raises of at least 3%
• Annual 5% year-end bonus that may be applied towards a retirement fund
• Investment in professional development and leadership growth

Spanish proficiency (spoken and/or written) - this is preferred, not required