Organizing Director

The Black Organizing Project is reviving the spirit of Oakland’s Black community through relationship building, leadership development, political education, and policy-change.

About the Black Organizing Project

The Black Organizing Project (BOP) is a Black member-led community organization working for racial, social, and economic justice through grassroots organizing and community-building in Oakland, California and across the Bay Area. In addition to caring for our community, BOP has adopted a more sustainable philosophy for our staff. BOP takes pride in caring for its staff by providing competitive salaries, 4-day work weeks, three paid company-wide seasonal rest periods each year, as well as other perks that promote a healthy work-life balance. While BOP currently observes a hybrid work model, we require all program staff to live within a one-hour driving distance from Oakland, CA.

Our vision is to build a strong bottom-up organization of Black people that will:

• Craft alternative models and institutions that will advance our vision of racial and economic justice
• Rebuild the spirit and foundation of our community
• Exercise political and economic power
• Act to win real systematic change
• Transform the lives of Black people
• Embody the spirit that has sustained the Black community

Organizational Culture

BOP is building toward a free and just world for Black people. Some of the expectations for staff conduct include active participation in building and sustaining a culture of radical care, equity for all members of the BOP team, joyful connection to Black Liberation, and thoughtful understanding of our political and historical experiences.

In service of this goal, staff are expected to:

• Participate in an organizational culture of resolving conflict through transformative justice strategies, as appropriate.
• Engage in generative and compassionate communication.
• Demonstrate a commitment to maintaining a joyful, healthy, and positive work environment.

About Our Ideal Candidate

Our ideal candidate is passionate about developing a shared political analysis of, by, and for Black people that is based in our history, our activism, and our vision for getting free. They believe that transformative organizing is the path toward liberation for Black people. They understand that policy wins are only as great as the grassroots people power that fuel their success. They are the go to resource for staff and members about freedom dreaming, organizing skill, and theory. Our ideal candidate understands that building relationships is central to organizing. They are rigorous about data collection as a tool to gauge our level of service to our people. They are excited to be in the community doing outreach and they are able to engage in organizational level planning and implementation. They can connect the dots, coach, and support staff who lead teams and work with our member leaders. Our ideal candidate can skillfully manage the contradictions of using the nonprofit industrial complex to build towards freedom and they are always ready to be on the frontlines of our work.

Position Description and Functions

The Organizing Director is responsible for providing direction and support for the mission of the whole organization, while working to develop members and supervising the Organizing Team to be actively engaged in the organization’s mission and vision. The Organizing Director will coach, support, and supervise organizing staff, ensure skillful implementation of organizing methodology, manage implementation of program deliverables, support staff and membership leadership developments strategies and work collectively to craft and implement campaign strategy, and hold coalition work. Additionally, they will lead BOP members and staff to advance the organizing goals of the organization. The Organizing Director is expected to spend no less than 50% of their time directly supporting outreach and base building strategies. The Organizing Director reports to the Deputy Director.

BOP Organizing:

• Support rigorous work planning and data collection for the Organizing Team
• Participate in weekly outreach alongside the Organizing Team and members
• Coach and develop Organizers for improved effectiveness
• Facilitate member and community engagement within the organization
• Collaborate with core leaders, staff, and members on campaign strategy, implementation, negotiations, and actions
• Maintain and report on systems of tracking outreach, target areas, and follow-ups
• Create opportunities to engage community members in the organization
• Represent BOP to media and outside agencies alongside leaders
• Act as an ambassador for BOP in strategic spaces
• Participate in panels, webinars, and presentations as needed
• Support grant reporting and participate in funder site visits as needed
• Engage in coalition spaces at regional, statewide, national, and international levels
• Assess and evaluate potential allies for collaboration
• Oversee and manage Organizing and Programmatic budgets effectively

Membership/Leadership Development:

• Identify and ensure members have leadership development tracks
• Support and facilitate training for development of staff and members

Coaching & Supervision:

• Build positive relationships and team camaraderie
• Support development of Organizers and Program Leads
• Cultivate work plans, assessments, and evaluations
• Conduct weekly supervision meetings w/Organizers
• Create, Implement, develop, and coordinate ongoing training opportunities of Organizers
• Attend bi-monthly leadership meetings

Documentation & Reporting:

• Document qualitative and quantitative data related to programs and reports to other members of the Director’s Table and Board
• Research, analyze data, and facilitate community based participatory research
• Weekly reports to Director’s Table
• Other support as needed

Preferred Skills and Qualifications

• A minimum of 4-6 years experience in community, labor, or other relevant grassroots organizing
• Demonstrated success in growing and developing an organized base of members, constituents, or community members
• Team player attitude
• Vision, strategize, and implement development of a team
• Excellent verbal and written skills
• Excellent time management skills
• Ability to multi task and generate solution based ideas
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, and PowerBase are a plus
• Flexibility to work on weekends and evenings, as necessary
• Willingness to travel, as necessary
• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation required
• All positions at BOP are expected to contribute to our campaign work as needed and as directed by staff supervisors and/or Executive Director

Conditions and Compensation

This is a full-time, exempt, at-will position with a 90-day probationary period. Background check is required for all positions at BOP. For positions working directly with children fingerprinting will be required as well upon job offer.

Compensation: $100,000-$110,000 (depending on experience), plus a 32 hour FTE work week, incredible co-workers, inspiring work, and more.

BOP offers a generous benefits package to all regular full-time employees that includes:

• 100% organization paid medical, dental, vision coverage for the employee and family
• 401(k) with employer matching
• Accrue 14 vacation days in the first year with incremental increases thereafter, 7 sick days annually, 16 paid holidays, 2 unrestricted floating holidays
• 3 paid seasonal closures: 1 week long break in spring, 1 week long break in summer and 1 in winter between Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Eligibility for fully paid 3-week sabbatical program after five years of full time service with the organization
• Professional development funds