Bilingual Parent/Community Organizer

Overview

Join us in building a grassroots movement of parent leaders working for economic, racial and social justice for families. Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI) builds the leadership, power and voice of Black, Brown and immigrant parents to fight for equity on behalf of their children and families. At COFI, Parent/Community Organizers work with parent leaders (mostly mothers and grandmothers) in communities across Illinois on leadership development, local organizing campaigns and larger public policy initiatives aimed at making policy and systems more equitable and responsive to the needs of all families.

COFI is looking for an experienced bilingual (English/Spanish) Parent/Community Organizer to work in the largely immigrant communities of Aurora and Elgin (about 50 miles west of Chicago). We are looking for an experienced organizer who wants to learn and implement COFI’s organizing model, The COFI Way.

Who We Are

COFI is an organizing center that elevates the voices of parents living in challenged communities of color through:

• Local Organizing: COFI trains and organizes neighborhood and school-based parent teams to take action on issues they identify as important to improving life outcomes for children.
• Policy and Systems Change Organizing: COFI unites parent leaders across neighborhoods, race and ethnicity to impact policy changes of priority benefit to children and families.
• Sharing the Learning: COFI provides training and resources to parent-led organizations around the country.

COFI’s innovative model of leadership development and community organizing, The COFI Way , emphasizes the interconnection between personal struggles and broader community issues and builds capacity for parent leaders to address these issues through collective action. Through COFI’s intensive and systematic leadership development and organizing process, parents develop skills, confidence and the organized power to win improvements in schools, communities, and public policies.

COFI’s current policy campaign issue areas include:

• Early Learning: addressing equity and access barriers to early intervention, childcare and quality preschool for low-income children and families.
• Elementary Justice: seeking to end punitive school discipline policies and the criminalization of youth of color.
• Health and Healing Justice: working on access to mental health services and other health equity issues for children and families.
• Stepping Out of Poverty: working on utility debt reform, asset building, guaranteed basic income, reining in government fees and fines, food insecurity and other economic security issues for families in poverty.

What You’ll Do

The COFI Parent/Community Organizer will work with teams of parent leaders and other COFI organizers to implement leadership development trainings, community organizing efforts, and parent-led policy campaigns. Specific responsibilities:

• Build parent action teams in local communities.
• Support statewide parent-led campaigns.
• Facilitate and coordinate components of The COFI Way – a 3-year leadership and organizing process.
• Develop parents' leadership skills and capacity to impact change in their own lives and communities.
• Organize and coordinate meetings, trainings and campaign activities.
• Coordinate planning and strategy development for local and citywide parent-led campaigns.
• Network with and build relationships between parents and community organizations, advocacy groups and policymakers.
• Research and analyze policy issues and create training and resource materials for parents to help inform their decision-making.

Who You Are

Candidates who will be successful in this job will have:

• Strong grassroots organizing, leadership development, policy analysis, and campaign organizing skills.
• A commitment to building the leadership and voice of parent leaders from low-income Black and Brown and immigrant communities.
• At least one year of experience with community, labor or grassroots organizing.
• Enthusiasm for learning The COFI Way organizing model and working with COFI’s staff and parent leaders to implement the model.

Other qualifications include:

• Spanish/English bilingual required.
• A demonstrated ability to work effectively across racially diverse communities and cultures.
• Knowledge, understanding of and commitment to racial, economic and gender equity.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to relate easily with a wide range of people.
• Strategic thinking skills, with a demonstrated ability to build campaigns that connect local issues with broader public policy issues.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Research, policy analysis and media skills.
• Excellent organizational skills including planning, time management and information management.
• Creativity, flexibility and good problem-solving skills.
• Willingness to work flexible hours, including some evenings and weekends.
• Must have a car and maintain a valid driver's license and automobile insurance coverage.

What Else You Should Know

If hired, you will join a team of dedicated organizing staff working across Illinois. You will coordinate closely with other COFI organizers to support the leadership and policy change work led by POWER-PAC Illinois, COFI’s statewide network of grassroots parent leaders.

Women organizers and organizers of color are strongly encouraged to apply. COFI is an equal opportunity employer.

More information about COFI is available at www.cofionline.org.

Salary and Benefits

The salary is commensurate with experience. The salary range for applicants with one year of experience starts at $50,000 and for skilled organizers with 3 years of experience or more, the salary range is $55,000 to $63,500.

Generous family friendly benefits include health, disability, life, 403(b) with employer match, paid time off, flex benefit, flexible scheduling, paid sabbatical after 10 years, and optional vision and dental. Out-of-pocket expenses and car mileage are reimbursed by COFI.

How to Apply

Please submit a resume, cover letter and COFI Employment Application to applications@cofionline.org. The application can be downloaded from our Jobs Page https://cofionline.org/about-cofi/jobs/ or completed here.

Applications may also be submitted by mail to Applications, COFI, 2245 South Michigan, Suite 200, Chicago, Illinois 60616 or by fax to 312/226-5144.