Director of Organizing

Position Title: Director of Organizing

Position Location: Candidates are welcome to apply from across the U.S. Those that are near a Popular Democracy office in DC or Brooklyn may be asked to work from a Popular Democracy office one or two days/week if necessary. Applicants outside of those areas may be required to travel to a Popular Democracy office occasionally.

Popular Democracy is seeking a Director of Organizing. This is a full-time, exempt position.

About Popular Democracy:

Popular Democracy works to promote equity, opportunity, and a dynamic democracy in partnership with innovative base-building organizations, organizing networks and alliances, and progressive unions across the country. We work with 50 affiliates in 34 states and DC to build the strength and capacity of democratic organizations that envision and advance a pro-worker, pro-immigrant, racial and economic justice agenda. We are a rapidly-expanding, changing organization that partners with organizations across the country to build political power and win tangible victories that improve the lives of low-wage workers, immigrants, and communities of color.

About the Position:

We are seeking a Director of Organizing to join our Basebuilding Department.

The Director of Organizing will oversee the implementation of Popular Democracy’s Strategic Basebuiding initiative to grow our network base of aligned community members through issue campaigns in strategic geographies. The Director will oversee a team of organizers who will support the Popular Democracy network in growing their membership and activist base through strategic campaign work and member leadership development. This position will also develop and implement reporting mechanisms to track progress and metrics in each strategic geography by affiliate, tactic, and campaign, to identify learning opportunities and best practices.

This role will work in tandem with Basebuilding leadership to expand the depth and breadth of a powerful grassroots base of member leaders throughout the country to challenge racial capitalism and achieve a world where we all have the freedom to thrive. This role will require frequent travel for various periods of time (approximately two times per month ranging from day trips to weeklong trainings).

We estimate that candidates will have at least 15 years of organizing experience in labor or community settings, but our review of candidates for this role will focus on whether they can fill the needs of the position, not years of experience.

This position will report to the Chief of Basebuilding and will supervise a team of three organizers.

Primary Responsibilities:

The Director of Organizing will:

• Oversee the implementation of strategic organizing drives, ensuring deep integration of strategic campaigning and basebuilding in advancing governing power.
• Collaborate with Basebuilding leadership to manage and integrate initiatives across campaigns.
• Collaborate with internal campaigns teams to develop dynamic organizing programs grounded in Popular Democracy’s organizing methodology.
• Partner with affiliates to track goals, metrics, and reporting, assessing the overall success of the program.
• Supervise a team of organizers in providing direct affiliate support, which includes campaign-specific member leadership training, site visits, regional blitzes, and canvass efforts, as well as one-on-one check-ins with campaign organizers in affiliates.
• Design, implement, and evaluate campaign oriented relational organizing strategies for growing our base through member to member outreach, in deep collaboration with Popular Democracy staff.
• In partnership with Basebuilding leadership, support implementation of Popular Democracy’’s ambitious organizing program, including large-scale outreach and membership recruitment operations, organizer and member leader training and development programs, strategic field experimentation, deep engagement with campaign specific cohorts of local community organizers to design and run power building campaigns, and the expansion of blended online-offline organizing programs to scale our reach.
• Drive fundraising efforts (including meeting with donors and drafting proposals/reports) to support and grow vital organizing, campaign, and political capacities at CPD/A and throughout the Popular Democracy network.
• Expand and deepen internal and external partnerships that advance the organization’s core vision.

The Ideal Candidate Will Have:

• Significant experience as an organizer and institution-builder, with at least 5 years of experience as a supervisor in an organizing capacity;
• A track record of effectiveness in base-building, campaigning, electoral engagement, staff and member training and leadership development, supervision, building and sustaining coalition and ally relationships;
• Experience working collaboratively and effectively across teams in complex, dynamic environments;
• Ability to build and maintain relationships of trust with diverse organizations and partners;
• The ability to communicate effectively to a wide variety of audiences through training and written and verbal communication skills
• Deep alignment with Popular Democracy’s theory of change and commitment to building strong people’s institutions;
• The ability to travel frequently (approximately two times per month ranging from day trips to weeklong site visits);
• A demonstrated commitment to social, racial, and economic justice and a deep understanding of challenges facing low-wage workers, immigrant communities, communities of color, disabled people, LGBTQ+ folks, and people at the intersections of the above communities.

Hiring Process:

Candidates should expect to participate in two rounds of group interviews and a job simulation exercise. Final candidates will be asked to provide references.