Community Organizer

Who We Are:

The Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity is a nonprofit organization formed in 2019 to educate, empower, and organize immigrant communities in Mississippi. Through popular education and grassroots community organizing IAJE provides much-needed information to immigrant communities in MS. For more information, visit www.iajems.org.

Community Organizer - IAJE Position Description

Reports to: Executive Director

Employment status: Full-time, permanent non-exempt

Benefits: Health, 20 days PTO plus 12 paid holidays

Schedule: Flexible hours. Some nights and weekends are required.

Location: Currently working from the IAJE office and communities that we serve.

Supervises: Volunteers, members

About the Position

The responsibilities of this role are ultimately expanding and deepening the connection between residents, businesses and Community leaders in largely immigrant populations in Mississippi. The primary task is to increase and retain volunteer neighbor participation and create committees of leaders in towns that are working on issues that are impacting the community. The Community Organizer will accomplish this through sustained, coordinated efforts of volunteer recruitment working closely with the Executive Director and neighbor-leadership.

The Community Organizer will take what they hear from residents and the relationships they build to then organize campaigns and develop leadership who can prioritize solutions and strategies for change.

Position Roles and Responsibilities

Community engagement, outreach and base building (60%)

• Engage the diverse immigrant community of Central and South MS to ensure the needs of historically underrepresented populations are being met through programming, grant resources, projects, and events
• Conduct specific outreach to engage businesses, new residents, immigrants and children of immigrants
• Manage, recruit and maintain member/volunteer database
• Establish new/enhance existing relationships with key local partners
• Support existing working groups and block clubs as needed
• Conduct door-to-door canvassing, community flyering, one-to-one’s for
• relationship building, etc.
• Outreach tabling at IAJE events as well as events outside the organization
• Create a welcoming environment for all members
• Recruit and build a foundation of volunteers and leaders
• Assist committees with meeting facilitation and projects as needed
• Campaign Development (25%)
• Establish processes for democratic participation from residents when choosing
• issues and determining clear solutions to problems
• Conduct community analysis sessions to determine campaign strategies and
• how to build power
• Leadership development
• Event and Actions Coordination (15%)
• Facilitate community forums on matters of public interest
• Assist with neighborhood programs, meetings and event promotion/coordination
• as guided by the LCC Board and committees
• Recruit and support volunteers for IAJE events
• Administrative (5%)
• Weekly staff meeting
• Updating community calendar
• Data entry
• Reports
• Other duties as assigned

Organization-wide responsibilities

• Participate in all grassroots fundraising campaigns
• Participate in cross-department committees and team-building exercises
• Rotating meeting facilitation and note-taking
• Provide support and participation for organization-wide and regional campaigns and events
• Social media posting of community activities
• Work as a buffer between the community and authorities
• Build a culture of resistance and anti-ICE
• Organize with community leaders throughout the entire state
• Coordinate outreach development activities for IAJE members, including community training
• Spend time in the field building relationships
• Recruit and enroll members for the organization
• Organize and run issue-based campaigns and actions as assigned
• Train community members and leaders on immigrant rights
• Ensure quality and timely data entry, management and reporting
• In coordination with the Senior Organizer, leadership, and membership develop an annual department work plan and vision
• Advance IAJE’s strategic plan goals and play a key role within the management team
• Serve as an organizational spokesperson before the media, funders, government, etc for this program
• Engage broad community and key ally support under the supervision of the Deputy Director
• Other duties assigned by supervisor related to position

Requirements (The ideal candidate for the Community Organizer position will have all or most of the following)

• Shares IAJE’s ideals, strategies, and beliefs in achieving racial justice, liberation, and building self-sustainable communities by immigrant and Indigenous Mississippians
• Comfortable and respectful in working alongside and following the leadership of immigrant and Indigenous communities
• Compassionate to the needs of immigrant and Indigenous communities and their experiences
• Strong commitment to social justice, racial justice, and immigrant empowerment
• Community organizing and leadership experience
• Demonstrated ability to manage volunteers
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships with a wide range of individuals and
• organizations
• Experience working with diverse communities and a demonstrating a strong
• commitment to racial justice, equity and inclusion
• Excellent communication skills - strong writing ability, comfortable giving
• presentations and leading meetings
• Ability to prioritize multiple ongoing projects and responsibilities
• Familiarity with immigrant communities, neighborhoods and living space
• Fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as defined by the Centers for Disease
• Control (CDC) or be willing to become vaccinated by start date (vaccination card
• will be required)
• Relatable degree or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Self-motivated; sees what needs to be done and does it
• Organized and detail oriented
• Flexible in work hours, but also in personal approach; willing to lead and follow
• Creative problem solver
• Enthusiastic, outgoing, patient and persistent
• Team-oriented, with strong leadership skills and a well-developed sense of
• camaraderie
• Champion the rights of the working class of all immigrants and indigenous people
• Does not subscribe to respectability politics
• Ability to energize, inspire, and move people to action
• Adventurous and willing to jump into spaces they may not be familiar or
• comfortable with
• Proficiency in Google Suite
• Mississippi driver’s license, insurance, and regular access to a reliable vehicle
• Bilingual applicants are strongly desired

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience
• Experience with one or more of the following areas: public health, campaign strategy, curriculum development, alliance building, media outreach, grassroots fundraising, and policy
• Experience in and/or knowledge of the culture and history of organizing and advocacy in Mississippi or the Southeast

About IAJE:

The IAJE community is made up of largely immigrant towns.

IAJE serves rural counties by addressing the issues that make the state livable: community green space, food security, racial justice and safety, development projects, cultural activities, neighborhood attachment, affordable and quality housing, labor organizing and more. IAJE uses a community-organizing model to involve neighborhood residents in the decisions that impact their neighborhood and is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors. Together we seek to serve the community and all neighbors by focusing on 1) connecting neighbors to each other and to resources, 2) community identification of issues and solutions, and 3) leadership skill development.

Work Environment:

The position will be located in IAJE’s Jackson office. Our offices are shared among several employees. We prioritize healing year-round, but especially, at the end of the year.

Compensation:

Full-time, permanent

Salary: $41,000 - $44,000

10 sick days

10 vacation days

All major holidays off

How to Apply:

Apply through Idealist

or

Send your resume, one reference letter, and a cover letter demonstrating your interest and qualifications to info@iaje.us with the subject line “Job Title – Your Name.”

Equal Employment Opportunity and Accommodation Statement:

The Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity of Mississippi provides equal opportunity in any employment practice to all applicants and employees. IAJE complies with all applicable laws regarding equal opportunity and affirmative action and does not unlawfully discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or genetic information. Inquiries or complaints may be referred to the IAJE, 406 W Fortification Jackson, MS 39203.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Bilingual in English and Spanish