Land Use and Equitable Development Organizer

ABOUT SAJE

Since 1996, SAJE has been a force for economic justice in Los Angeles. We believe that all people have a right to the city, and that the future of neighborhoods should be decided by those who dwell there. For over 25 years, we have worked side-by-side with our members to improve our community by advocating for tenant rights, healthy housing, and equitable development. We focus on housing policy because it is a root cause of economic and social inequality, shaped by decades of redlining, racial covenants, and most recently, predatory lending and foreclosure practices. Our work seeks to protect vulnerable communities from eviction, lockouts, and harassment, preserve existing affordable housing, and promote the production of additional affordable housing in new construction. Ultimately, our aim is to decommodify housing through the creation of permanent affordable housing, community land trusts, and public and social housing that prioritizes people over profits.

SAJE (Strategic Actions for a Just Economy) is hiring a Land Use and Equitable Development Organizer for our Land Use and Equitable Development Team, which is rethinking urban policy to ensure development includes our whole community from conceptualization to completion. The Land Use and Equitable Development Organizer will be responsible for base-building and outreach related to SAJE’s campaigns to transform housing opportunities and land use through mechanisms including the Housing Element, community plans, investment in social housing, and the decommodification of housing.

The successful candidate for this position is someone seeking to make a meaningful difference through their work by helping to address Los Angeles’ most pressing economic justice issues, especially housing affordability and tenant rights. They should have organizing experience, but they need not have a background in housing. This would be a good position for someone with experience in organized labor seeking to transition to community-based work. This candidate is outgoing and detail oriented. They are excited to build a base of community leaders to advocate for the transformation of land use and housing.

This is an in-person position, and applicants should be vaccinated against infections and diseases according to the recommendations of medical professionals and the CDC. The following provides a general overview of the activities and responsibilities of the position but does not represent an exhaustive list of job duties.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop a strong working knowledge of resident rights and policies related to SAJE’s projects and campaigns and keep that knowledge base current
• Identify, develop, and retain leaders in the community who can help guide, ground, and shape SAJE’s projects and campaigns
• Conduct field outreach and recruitment through activities such as door knocking, surveying, phone conversations, and house visits with potential community leaders
• Maintain campaign contact and referral databases and records for SAJE projects
• Maintain time-keeping records on a weekly basis (hours worked and activities conducted)
• Develop materials to aid in organizing and advancing campaigns, such as fliers and workshop curricula
• Organize, facilitate, and/or supervise grassroots campaign meetings
• Speak to the media about SAJE campaigns and prepare community leaders to speak to the media
• With your team, develop and implement organizing and political strategies
• Organize and supervise community delegations to key decision makers and public forums
• Develop and maintain relationships with other organizations and institutions to increase our presence in the community
• Reach out to, onboard, and coordinate coalition organizations
• Support campaign advocacy efforts as needed
• Support SAJE with tenant rights workshops such as SAJE’s Tenant Action Clinics.
• Develop curriculum for SAJE’s Popular Education Schools such as People’s Planning School.
• Some evenings and weekend meeting attendance and facilitation will be required.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong commitment to social justice and an understanding of the challenges facing working-class people and communities of color
• Experience in community or labor organizing, health, or housing outreach and education or community development and planning outreach
• Ability to gain the trust of, motivate, and cultivate interest in SAJE’s campaigns among local residents
• Ability to support, track, and increase local residents’ leadership skills and other relevant data
• Excellent presentation and speaking skills
• A capacity to explain complex information and issues in an easy-to-understand manner, including through popular education techniques
• A strong track record of working with different kinds of stakeholders and groups, including immigrant workers, low-income community residents, clergy and churches, unions, community-based organizations, academic institutions, and government gatekeepers and staff
• Valid driver’s license and good driving record
• Valid auto insurance that meets SAJE’s required limits

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Fluency in a language that isn’t English
• Prior experience leading a campaign or project.
• Prior fieldwork and organizing experience.
• Fluency in a specific software or database application.