Organizing Director

Responsible for the overall success of FEEST’s youth organizing programs. Includes management of FEEST’s organizing staff, youth organizing strategy (in partnership with the ED), team budget management, and campaign-related partnerships. Reports to the Deputy Director.

ORGANIZING (30%) – FEEST’s youth and staff team is equipped with the political education, organizing skills, and campaign plans that are building a movement and attaining concrete wins for access to healthy food and mental health resources in schools.

• Strategy: Work closely with Executive Director (ED) to cultivate and sustain FEEST’s organizing strategy quarter to quarter in alignment with the ED’s year-to-year organizing and policy strategy
• Campaign Plan: Engage in collective visioning with staff and youth to develop and lead FEEST’s grassroots, school-based community organizing campaigns, with support and guidance from the Executive Director
  • Support the leadership and decision-making among community members and youth
  • Integrate FEEST’s ongoing culture shift work into campaign strategy and tactics.
• Partnerships: Work with the ED to establish and maintain relationships with organizational and individual partners who will support FEEST’s campaigns.
  • Represent FEEST with teachers, school district staff, county government, and organizational partners.
• Writing: Lead author on policy memos necessary for FEEST’s campaigns and writing necessary for projects (e.g. one pagers about work, stories about successes)

PROGRAM TEAM MANAGEMENT (40%) – Program staff are supported and successful in their roles at dinners, in campaigns and in supporting youth leaders.

• Supervise 3-4 FTE program staff and additional short-term contractors as needed
• Provide weekly management, including individual work plans and tracking professional goals to keep staff aligned to programmatic goals
• Conduct 90-day new hire and annual performance evaluations for program staff
• Identify and coordinate team professional development opportunities

ADMIN & OPERATIONS (30%) – Programs are safe, legal, tracked and evaluated to ensure overall success and sustainability.

• Oversee all operations related directly to youth programming (i.e. youth risk management, youth employment contracts and payment). Work with ED and Deputy Director (DD) to address major issues
• Work closely with the Development Team to ensure consistent data entry of all youth related information (e.g. attendance)
• Work closely with the ED and DD to prepare data, stories and program summaries
• Lead any hiring process for program team positions and support with all onboarding and exiting of employees
• Support with Board committees and presentations related to programs and strategic planning
• Participate in team-wide activities including phone-banking, fundraising asks, and community engagement events
• Identify and coordinate professional development opportunities related to community organizing for staff and youth
• General team collaboration, task management, and time off.

Required Experience:

• Minimum 3 years of experience (paid or volunteer) leading or participating in a community, political, or union organizing campaign. This could include: base building, one on one recruitment, coalition building, campaign development, intentional leadership development and creating creative tactics alongside member leaders.
• Minimum 3 or more years of team supervision experience, including staff, interns and/or volunteers and mentoring youth leaders.
• Commitment to building youth power, leadership, creativity, and joy
• Unapologetically rooted in social justice, equity, and committed to apply racial, gender and economic justice lenses in both personal and workplace context
• Experience in or a demonstrated commitment to incorporating the arts and cultural work in campaign organizing.
• Lived experience or demonstrated professional skills working with racially and economically diverse individuals and communities, including working class, immigrant/refugees, communities of color, and LGBTQ+ populations
• Ability to build strong interpersonal relationships
• Strong critical thinking skills, creative problem solver, adaptable and flexible
• Effective writing, attention to detail
• Ability to take initiative and be assertive, strong time and project management skills
• Integrates and offers feedback in a growth-oriented way; willingness to practice principled struggle

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working with youth, in school systems, or in South Seattle/South King County
• Experience working with youth-led groups or organizations and/or taking leadership from youth.
• Experience with budget management, data management and analysis
• Training and/or experience in trauma informed care
• Creative facilitation style reflective of a sense of humor and playfulness

Additional Information

• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is currently a partially remote-work position but candidates should be prepared for daily work in the office and on campus at Franklin, Chief Sealth, Rainier Beach, Tyee, and Evergreen High Schools.
• Access to a vehicle is highly recommended. Our program sites are far-reaching across White Center, South Seattle, Rainier Beach and Sea-Tac and our office is not very accessible by transit.
• We follow COVID-19 guidelines provided by our school partners and funders in our current contracts, which requires all staff to present documentation confirming they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a medical exemption.