Organizing Specialist

Welcoming Neighbors Network Job Posting: Organizing Specialist

Position Title: Organizing Specialist, Welcoming Neighbors Network

Location: Fully remote, with regular travel (approximately once or twice per month)

Reports to: Network Manager – Welcoming Neighbors Network

Hours per week (average): 40

Overtime Status: Exempt

Salary Range: $75,000 - $90,000

Preferred Start Date: February 2025

Welcoming Neighbors Network (WNN) is seeking a dynamic and experienced Organizing Specialist to provide community organizing training and coaching to local advocates across the country in order to help them build diverse and equitable organizations and pass ambitious pro-housing policy.

Through coalition-building, community organizing, policy development, and grassroots lobbying, Welcoming Neighbors Network member organizations advocate to legalize abundant housing options, lower the cost of housing, reduce the displacement of marginalized communities, and ensure all Americans can find safe, stable housing that fits their needs and budgets. As a national network, WNN members come together to hone strategies, support one another, share lessons, replicate successes, avoid mistakes, and tackle challenges creatively.

Our Organizing Specialist will provide on-the-ground and virtual organizing training and coaching to local advocates in cities and states experiencing housing shortages and runaway home costs.

Responsibilities include:

• Develop organizing trainings and materials for WNN member organizations
  • Work with the WNN coordinating team (nationwide staff), equity working group members, and other interested member-leaders to develop a “foundations of organizing” training on organizing basics, including 1-1 relational meetings, agitation, outreach strategies, power-mapping, campaign escalation, and more
  • Work with the WNN coordinating team, equity working group members, and other interested member-leaders to develop and/or compile organizing materials, including sample ladders of engagement, agendas for new member orientations, outreach materials, and more
  • Bring an equity lens to the development of trainings and materials, including through the integration of relevant political education, e.g. the racialized history of housing and land use
  • Ensure organizing materials are regularly added to the WNN Shared Resource Library
  • Adapt trainings and materials for diverse local contexts and based on feedback from member organizations
• Provide in-person and virtual organizing trainings for WNN member organizations
  • Work with local organizations to identify training needs, set up trainings, develop turn-out goals and plans, and coordinate logistics (venue, materials, etc.) as needed
  • Provide “foundations of organizing” training to local housing advocates on organizing basics, including 1-1 relational meetings, agitation, outreach strategies, power-mapping, campaign escalation, and more
  • Bring an equity lens to in-person and virtual trainings
  • Conduct timely follow-up after trainings to support member organizations in implementing organizing practices (including recommending systems and processes to support this implementation)
  • Create space for regular evaluation and feedback, and adapt trainings accordingly
• Provide small group and 1-1 coaching to grassroots advocates
  • Work with staff organizers, volunteer leaders, board members, and others within WNN member organizations to troubleshoot organizing challenges, and provide support and accountability in implementing organizing practices
  • Work with staff organizers, volunteer leaders, board members, and others within WNN member organizations to implement organizing practices that are equitable and help build diverse and welcoming organizations, including through transparent leadership opportunities, language interpretation and translation, etc.
• Identify and support opportunities for peer learning, and accountability within the network
  • Work with the Network Manager to coordinate network peer learning spaces for grassroots advocates to share learnings, compare notes, and troubleshoot challenges related to local organizing and other relevant topics
  • Help local advocates connect with others doing similar organizing work across the network
  • Support planning and execution of in-person convenings that bring together network member-leaders
• (Plus other related responsibilities as needed)

Qualifications:

• Zeal for our organizational goals and strategies, including:
  • Passing ambitious pro-housing policy to end exclusionary zoning and create more abundant and affordable housing options in communities across the country
  • Supporting local advocates to run powerful campaigns, and
  • Cultivating strong, creative, trusting coalitions
• Significant experience doing disciplined, relational, on-the-ground organizing
• Commitment to racial justice and equity work, rooted in a strong track record of building diverse, equitable, and welcoming spaces, campaigns, and/or organizations
• Experience developing or adapting curriculum on organizing basics, including 1-1 relational meetings, agitation, outreach strategies, power-mapping, campaign escalation, and more
• Experience training organizers and/or community leaders on organizing basics
• Experience doing 1-1 coaching with organizers and/or community leaders to support their organizing work
• Passion for building winning policy campaigns, rooted in tangible examples of successful campaign approaches
• Dedication to building relational, inclusive, empowering organizations that lean into collaboration, play well with others, and value outcomes over credit.
• Strong interpersonal abilities, with a willingness to cross boundaries and build relationships with people of diverse backgrounds
• Exceptional attention to detail, super organized, great time management, systems-thinking, and proactive in follow-up
• Dynamic problem solving skills
• Comfortable with technology, including leading trainings on Zoom, and ability to quickly learn to use new tech tools
• Ability to travel to cities across the country regularly, typically one or two times per month
• (Preferred but not necessary)
  • Experience organizing around housing
  • Experience with distributed organizing
  • Experience with digital organizing tools

Pay and benefits: This is a full-time, remote work position that offers flexibility in terms of hours and days. The salary range is $75,000 - $90,000 (depending on experience), with a comprehensive benefits package that includes 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees (and their families). Employees are able to enroll in 401k retirement plan and are eligible for an employer match. Employees are also eligible for pre-tax transportation benefits. Employees will receive up to 180 hours of annual vacation time (accrued at 5 hours per pay period), 80 hours of health leave, up to 2 days of casual leave, and 20 hours of volunteer leave annually. Employees will also receive 15 paid holidays throughout the calendar year. Employees are eligible for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave after 90 days of employment.

About Welcoming Neighbors Network:

The Welcoming Neighbors Network (WNN) is America’s only national network of independent state and local pro-housing advocacy organizations. Comprising 40 member organizations across 24 states – plus a prospective member and partner network extending further still – Welcoming Neighbors Network powers the most effective pro-housing organizations and policy campaigns in the country.

WNN member organizations were driving forces behind landmark statewide pro-housing policy victories to create more abundant and affordable homes in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawai’i, Massachusetts, Maryland, Montana, Oregon, and Washington state, and citywide victories in Minneapolis, Charlotte, Portland, Cambridge, Anchorage, and Austin. These policies promise to translate into untold thousands of homes for middle class, working class, and low-income Americans in integrated, amenity-rich, climate-friendly communities.

The Welcoming Neighbors Network is a hub for local pro-housing groups and leaders to connect with one another across state lines. WNN documents and shares organizational and campaign resources, based on the successes and learning from across the membership. WNN also helps on-the-ground members and partners build capacity and power by providing access to their national relationships and economies of scale.

WNN facilitates collaboration and peer-support of network members across the country and targets resources to maximize campaign impact. We embrace incremental victories on the way to transformative goals and we incorporate a wide variety of allies to navigate different political contexts to achieve policy goals.

Welcoming Neighbors Network commits to building an organization that empowers the leadership of directly impacted communities, especially Black, Indigenous, Asian American, Latine, immigrant, and low-income or working class communities. WNN prioritizes policy priorities that improve social and economic outcomes for historically oppressed communities, especially communities of color.

Equal Opportunity Hiring Statement

Welcoming Neighbors Network is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. Welcoming Neighbors Network’s work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religion, marital status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected under federal, state, or local law.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit a resume and a cover letter that includes your interest and relevant experience to julia@welcomingneighbors.us. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and the position will be considered open until filled. Priority will be given to applications received by December 15th.

E-Verify

Welcoming Neighbors Network participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with employees’ Form I-9 information to confirm authorization to work in the United States. Job candidates and employees authorized to work may not be discriminated against on the basis of national origin or citizenship status.