Michigan Coordinator

Local Progress and Local Progress Impact Lab are seeking a full-time Michigan Coordinator.

About Local Progress and Local Progress Impact Lab

Local Progress and the Local Progress Impact Lab (together, LP and the Impact Lab) work collectively to advance a racial and economic justice agenda through all levels of government. Local Progress (LP) is a movement of more than 1,500 local elected officials advancing a racial and economic justice agenda through all levels of local government. The Local Progress Impact Lab (the Impact Lab) brings together local leaders, partners, and experts to build the knowledge, skills, and leadership needed to advance racial and economic justice at the local level.

About the Position:

Local Progress and the Local Progress Impact Lab are looking for a Michigan Coordinator with a track record of organizing and building coalitions to expand and anchor our work throughout Michigan. This is an exciting opportunity for an organizer with deep interest and experience in municipal-level policy and/or policy campaigns. The ideal candidate for this job is someone with a track record of relational organizing, developing leaders, deepening coordination between elected officials and local and statewide community-based and labor organizations, and developing and implementing a plan to build power for progressive issues across the state.

The Michigan Coordinator will report to the Midwest Regional Director.

Location: This position is based in Michigan; candidates must live in the state. This is a remote position with no in-office requirement.

Travel Requirement: This position is required to travel to in-person events up to six days a month.

Primary Responsibilities:

Lead Local Progress’ work to create the Michigan State Chapter:

• Membership recruitment and organizing. Expand and strengthen the Local Progress Michigan-based membership, including creating and implementing a strategy to continue to both recruit new members and increase engagement of existing members.
• Membership engagement and leadership development. Lead the formation of a State Organizing Committee by identifying existing Local Progress members who reflect Michigan’s racial, gender and geographic diversity, and build the committee’s capacity as a leadership body. Plan and execute local meetings, trainings and networking opportunities for Local Progress Michigan-based members.
• State Chapter Formation. Lead the development of Michigan as a state chapter with member leaders and partners.
• Alliance building and movement collaboration. Develop and maintain strong relationships and shared agendas with Local Progress community, policy and labor partners. Organize Local Progress members and community, policy and labor partners around a shared strategic plan, informed by issue priorities, and execute work collaboratively on translocal and statewide campaigns.
• Member support. Provide and facilitate policy, communications (including blog posts and newsletters) and campaigns support to Local Progress members.

Support Local Progress’ national work:

• Support work on large national Local Progress events such as the annual national convening and national issue campaigns.
• The Michigan Coordinator may additionally support national projects (policy, organizing and/or campaign related), identified based on skills of the selected candidate and organizational need.
• Provide written and other updates to support fundraising for Local Progress’s work across the state.

Required Qualifications:

• At least 3-5 years of organizing or campaign experience in Michigan
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to build strong relationships with a wide array of partners and members
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• A track record of building successful coalitions
• A love for Michigan local and/or state policy and politics, and the desire to build a progressive social movement
• Attention to detail and good organizational skills
• Ambition, drive, energy and the ability to work flexible, long hours when necessary and travel (at least twice per month in-state as well as occasional national travel)
• A commitment to inside/outside strategy and movement governance that features deep partnership between “outside” organizing and “inside” elected officials.
• A demonstrated commitment to social, racial, and economic justice and a deep interest in local policy, politics, and government

The Ideal Candidate Will Have:

• Experience in issue campaigns, advocacy, and/or base building organizing
• Experience working with local or state elected officials
• Experience with training and/or meeting facilitation
• Familiarity with digital organizing tools and strategies

Local Progress Values

• Respect: We value people and treat each other with dignity. We strive to understand each other as full human beings, and give each other grace and room to grow.
• Honesty: We communicate directly with each other, are honest about our strengths and our shortcomings, and are transparent about who has what level of information and authority and why.
• Groundedness: We are authentic, and have high humility and low ego. We ground our work in the day-to-day reality and needs of our members.
• Mutual accountability: We do what we say we're going to do, follow through on our commitments to each other and to our members, and we hold each other to a high bar. We self-reflect and develop each other’s skills as leaders.
• Nuance: We understand that our work is complex and hold space for multiple viewpoints, contradictions, and tensions. We can hold many things as true while making decisions that advance our mission.
• Impact: We empower our team to make decisions to drive their work. We are focused on results, persistent in overcoming obstacles, and adapt to changing external conditions. We take pride in our work.
• Collaboration: We come together across different levels of power to advance shared interests. We center what’s best for the organization and are team players.
• Joy: We value playfulness, humor, and joy as ways to create community, connection, and goodwill that sustains us through the challenges inherent in our work.

Local Progress is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and actively recruits people of color, womxn, individuals with disabilities, and members of the LGBTIQAA+ community.