Freedom Side School is hiring!

Freedom Side School is seeking additional team members to join our small but mighty team who will help us bring our vision for a tuition free, abolitionist elementary school for children directly impacted by mass incarceration into being! You can learn more about Freedom Side School’s vision, mission, values, and team at www.freedomsideschool.org.

We are looking for candidates who can contribute to our work in the areas listed below. Please review the full job posting before submitting your application.

Interested candidates can apply for one or more areas of work, and for full or part time positions. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, but interested applicants should apply by 1/3/25 for priority consideration. We hope to make hiring decisions by mid-January. To apply, please complete this form.

We are seeking applicants who…

• Are aligned with Freedom Side’s vision, mission and values
• Are aligned with and can carry out Freedom Side’s Community Commitments.
• Live and are rooted in the Philadelphia area, and willing to work in-person in Philadelphia
• Are comfortable with consensus-based decision-making processes or are willing to learn
• Can work collaboratively on a team of staff and volunteers, are able to take feedback and show up with integrity and accountability
• Are comfortable working collaboratively as a part of a small team
• Are able to take initiative and self-direct their work, and to ask for help when needed
• Are available to work a flexible schedule (occasional evening and weekend meetings)

We are prioritizing candidates who…

• Are directly impacted by mass incarceration, including candidates who are formerly incarcerated or have incarcerated loved ones
• Have experience in the anti-prison and/or abolition movement
• Have community organizing experience or are willing to learn

Compensation and Benefits:

• $70,000 base pay for full-time employees
• Until FSS is equipped to administer its own employee benefits, compensation for staff includes a monthly stipend to offset the cost of medical, dental, and other insurance staff may need to purchase for themselves
• Cost of Living Stipends for certain life circumstances will be offered as additions to a team member’s annual base salary
  • +$3,000 for student loans, if actively making payments
  • +$5,000 for care-givers living in multi income households
  • +$7,000 for care-givers living in single income households
• FSS observes about 50 days of paid organizational closures a year, mostly aligned with academic calendar breaks, including planned winter, spring, and summer breaks
• Both full time and part time staff are given personal PTO to be used at their discretion

Community & Family Partnerships

Responsibilities:

• Building and maintaining partnerships with community organizations who are aligned with the school’s mission
• Building and maintaining relationships with families of prospective students
• Helping to manage Freedom Side’s student admissions & enrollment
• Developing and implementing programming for families and community members in the years leading up to the school’s opening
• Attend in-person meetings and events in Philadelphia with potential partners
• Community organizing experience

Experience:

• Experience with the anti-carceral and/or education movement spaces in Philadelphia
• Experience communicating with people who are incarcerated, and/or navigating communication, relationships, and advocacy across prison walls
• Official visitor status with the Pennsylvania Prison Society, or willingness to become a PPS monitor
• Highly skilled at building and sustaining relationships over time
• Experience with school admissions and enrollment, or willingness to learn

Communications

Responsibilities:

• Developing a public facing communications plan that complements and enhances FSS’s programming and fundraising efforts
• Managing FSS social media platforms, newsletter, and other public facing communications
• In partnership with other staff, assist in creating collateral and promotional materials to enhance FSS’s work

Experience:

• Experience managing communications for social justice organizations
• Experience developing content tailored to various social media platforms, including Instagram, Twitter/X, Bluesky, TikTok, YouTube, and others
• Experience with community organizing, or willingness to learn
• Experience with anti-carceral and/or education movements in Philadelphia, or a willingness to learn

Admin & Coordination

Responsibilities:

• Help coordinate the work of FSS staff, board, volunteers and partners
• Help maintain clear lines of communication between FSS staff, board, volunteers, and partners
• Help coordinate meetings and events with FSS staff, board, volunteers, and partners
• Help with FSS Operations and Administration

Experience:

• Extensive experience with Google Workspace tools, or a willingness to learn
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Strong ability to self-direct work and follow through on tasks independently
• Comfort keeping up with threads of communication with multiple team members, across multiple platforms