Director of Organizing—POWER

Job Description

Position Overview:

The Director of Organizing provides ongoing coaching, training, supervision and support to the team of Organizers, so that this team can most effectively organize congregations and develop lay and clergy leaders to engage in strategic campaigns to advance POWER’s policy aims (at both the municipal and state level). At the direction of the Executive Director, the Director of Organizing helps coordinate and guide issue campaigns in areas of school funding equity, living wage policies, criminal justice reform and other campaigns as well as plays the lead role in running the organization’s non-partisan voter engagement efforts. In this capacity, also at the direction of the Executive Director, the Director of Organizing cultivates relationship with key allies who are working with POWER on these campaigns. The Director of Organizing also works closely with the Director of Communications and Development Director to ensure that campaign goals and strategies are in line with organizational messaging and funding opportunities and goals, and obligations to funders.

About POWER:

POWER: An Interfaith Movement is comprised of 50 congregations in southeastern Pennsylvania and intentionally brings people together across the lines of race, faith, income level and neighborhood — lines which have historically kept Philadelphians divided. We are people of faith committed to the work of bringing about racial and economic justice here and now, in our city and our region. By strengthening and mobilizing our networks of relationships, we seek to exercise power in the public arena so that the needs and priorities of all Philadelphians and Pennsylvanians are reflected in the systems and policies that shape our city.

POWER is a proud affiliate of the PICO National Network (www.piconetwork.org). PICO is one of the largest and fastest growing community organizing efforts in the country. At PICO we are lifting a new vision for America that is rooted in our shared moral values and democratic traditions. POWER is also a member of the Partnership for Working Families (www.forworkingfamilies.org). For more information on POWER visit our website at www.powerinterfaith.org.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Provide weekly supervision to a diverse team of Organizers – some of whom work remotely – through individual and group meetings, regular communication, shadowing, coaching and intentional training.
2. Provide the necessary guidance and strategic thinking to the team of Organizers to ensure that they have the skills and tools necessary to build and maintain teams (Local Organizing Committees, comprised of at least 5 strong volunteer leaders) in their assigned congregation
3. Provide the necessary guidance and strategic thinking to the team of Organizers, chairs of Strategy Teams, key clergy and lay leaders and in some cases, allies, to ensure that campaigns are well- crafted and on track to achieving concrete policy victories as defined by the membership and funding obligations, and that tactics are strategic and effective.
4. Meet regularly with Executive Director, Director of Communications and Development Director to assess ongoing progress of the Organizing team and the issue campaigns and to ensure that campaigns, communications and funding are all in alignment.
5. At the direction of the Executive Director, build and maintain relationships with leaders of partner or potential partner organizations including labor unions, policy groups, advocacy organizations, policy experts, government staffers, which share POWER’s goals, to deepen POWER’s relationship with them and to deepen understanding of the context of our issue campaign Represent POWER at coalition tables at the direction of the Executive Director.
6. Help ensure that campaigns (and strategies and tactics) are conducted through a racial justice frame and that campaigns are rooted explicitly in faith-based language.
7. In coordination with the Executive Director, craft and execute a plan to recruit new clergy leaders/congregations to formally join POW
8. Be responsible for the organization’s voter engagement campaigns (non-partisan voter registration and GOTV efforts), which includes ensuring that ample staff and volunteer resources are dedicated to the campaign, that turf is selected strategically, that data is gathered accurately and in compliance with applicable laws and that new contacts made are added to the organizational contact
9. Conduct 10 one-to-one meetings per week with key lay and clergy leaders and allies as necessary, to help build leadership and relationships to advance POWER’s campaign
10. Provide written weekly reports to the Executive Director on campaign progress and con
11. Provide monthly written reports to Development Director on progress made towards grant deliverables and funding obligation
12. Coordinate state-level campaign work by playing lead role in convening our partners in other regions of the state (Metro, Lehigh Valley, Western PA, “Center State”) with whom we are collaborating on the full, fair school funding campaign (and potentially others) and for whom POWER is acting as fiscal agent for certain grant fund
13. Other duties as assigned

Supervision Received:

Receives general supervision from Executive Director or designee.

Supervision Exercised:

Community Organizers

Qualifications & Skills:

• Experience/comfort working within a faith-based environment; ability to authentically draw on
• one’s faith experience and faith-based language and to connect that with social change issues.
• BA in related field and a minimum of seven years of paid community or union organizing, or political, or faith-based community organizing work.
• Proven track record of leading successful organizing campaigns.
• Demonstrated track record of building relationships across lines of difference and in building up the leadership of others.
• Experience supervising diverse organizers/field staff.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Familiarity with Microsoft outlook, Word, Exel and similar software and social media.
• Ability to learn new systems, prior experience with the Voter Activation Network, Salesforce, Salsa, etc.
• Ability to think both ‘macro’ (big picture, long-term campaign strategy) as well as ‘micro’ (helping organizers think through the daily tasks to engage leaders).
• Self-starter, creative, highly motivated, ability to juggle multiple tasks and campaigns.
• Experience facilitating meetings and designing and facilitating trainings.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate and an openness to learning and sharing.
• Capacity to think strategically and analytically about social, economic, cultural, and political issues affecting communities.
• Experience working with the disenfranchised.
• Ability to travel through the city (personal vehicle strongly preferred) as well as throughout the region to meet with organizers, clergy and lay leaders and allies and decision-makers.
• Occasional travel out of state for conferences, trainings, etc.
• Flexibility to work nights and weekends.

Salary & Benefits:

Starting Salary Range: $55,000-$57,500, depending on years of experience and demonstrated successes. Benefits: Health care plan for employee after 90 days of employment (POWER pays 70% of premium) including dental and vision.  Retirement plan (matching plan by employer) after one year of employment.

To apply:

Email the following documents to info@powerphiladelphia.org with the subject line “Director of Organizing Positions”

1. Resume
2. Letter (2 pages MAX) describing your background, interest in, and qualifications for this position
3. List of three professional references (people who can vouch for your organizing work in the past 7 years or less).