Training and Operations Associate

Who We Are

Since 2008, VCET has been committed to building progressive power in Virginia that prioritizes economic, social, environmental, gender, and especially racial justice. VCET envisions a multi-racial democracy, where the full diversity of our Commonwealth is included, actively participating and represented.

VCET is guided by a key organizational strategy: fostering collective action around a common agenda. This creates the directional north star to build the large, sustained coalition needed to tackle challenges such as the 2020 Census, dismantling systemic white supremacy through strategic policy reform, and ensuring every voter has fair and free access to the ballot box. VCET is a statewide organization that serves a broad network of 46 partners across the Commonwealth with a concentration in Northern Virginia, greater Richmond, and the tidewater region (which includes Newport News, Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach). The work includes cultivating a diverse and progressive leadership pipeline in Virginia, driving collaboration through equitable and inclusive relationships, and growing shared capacity and resources for the progressive movement infrastructure in the Commonwealth.

Our Approach

Our way of working is highly collaborative. You will work especially close with the Director of Leadership Development on all aspects of this position. You will also be closely supported in your goals and growth. If you find it comfortable to openly and constantly explore and improve upon your areas of growth and reflect on equity & social justice (as a concept) and the manifestations of white supremacy (as a practice), this is a good fit for you. Positional hierarchy and the “I have more experience doing X” argument hold no water here. Rooted in liberatory praxis, experiential learning, and critical reflection & dialogue, we aim to live out our values. The best ideas with the most rigorous justification come to the top - let your advocacy come through. If you are already stellar at what you do and want to continue your journey of growth with other smart people, this may be the place for you. Most importantly, we deeply care about the people we serve and work with. Relationships are the core of what we do, how we do, and who we are. From that, we believe that we are at our best when we can express our authentic selves.

What You’ll Do

The primary program you’ll be focused on at VCET is the Virginia Progressive Leadership Program (VAPLP). VAPLP is a four-month experiential learning & training program from May to August that provides community leaders and organizers the knowledge, skills, and connections they need to strengthen their work in advancing equity & social justice in Virginia. Participants who attend the program engage in four weekend-long trainings, each with its own area of focus: movement leadership, community organizing, storytelling + narrative, and money + capital. Other programs you may support include the Staff of Color Roundtable (SCoR), a monthly virtual gathering among staff of color across social change organizations in Virginia; and quarterly virtual trainings.

The Associate will work alongside and with supervision from the Director of Leadership Development in supporting leaders throughout all areas of training operations - this will include logistics, event management, and communication. The role may evolve over time, but at a minimum, you will:

Primary Responsibilities

• Ensure facilitators and participants have everything they need to set their experience up for success, such as: scheduling facilitator calls, pre and post training communications, supporting accommodation requests, keeping track of multiple moving pieces, and navigating last minute or complex requests
• Generate materials for the trainings & retreats including, but not limited to participant pre-packets, participant binders, schedules, graphics, posters, and other documents
• Support logistics during retreats including, but not limited to: run of show development, event summaries, vendor management, community-building programming, meeting scheduling, room set-up, and more
• Manage database for applicant tracking, meeting attendance, and any other form submissions
• Maintain participant communication via email, phone, and social media
• Complete general administrative duties, such as expense tracking
• Compile and summarize evaluations from each training and retreat
• Participate in evaluative processes with VCET team following workshops
• Build rapport and trust with program participants and other VCET stakeholders
• Set individual goals - personal & professional - to deepen your work, take care of yourself, and tailor the experience
• Help with any and everything: this could be setting up tables & chairs to going on grocery or food runs - we’re a small (yet mighty) team and nobody (Executive Director included) considers themselves above any kind of work
• Take on special projects to improve participant experience or streamline processes to make them more effective and efficient

Your Starting Point

VAPLP is a highly structured program that we are continually iterating on; you will not be creating a program from scratch and you won’t be doing it all on your own. We are looking for someone who is both eager to understand its history and current iteration and to push the quality of our work far beyond its current state. In the best case scenario, VAPLP will look different because of your contributions and our collaborative focus on creating the best experience possible for the leaders we work with.

Who You Are

We are looking for candidates who are highly organized, passionate about the details, enjoy the thrill of fast-paced and complex logistics that contribute to major impacts for social justice, and thrive on making events run well. We don’t expect someone to have all these skills in their belt; this isn’t a gate of arrival. What we’re looking for is the capacity and active commitment of already being on the road of growing in these areas in your journey.

• Highly organized – Spreadsheets and/or systems bring you joy. You hoe to the end of the row. You ask for help when needed. You leave things (and people) better than you found them. You are a duck in the water, cool in fast-paced environments with many moving parts. You’ve got your system for getting things done, and it gets-things-done!
• Skilled problem-solver — You can do a lot with a little. You’re comfortable proposing ideas as solutions, even if they don’t alway stick. You toggle thinking in the present and five steps down the road anticipating problems. You value each step from ideation to implementation.
• Relationship-builder – You love people, and the mosaic that makes up communities of people. You lean in to conversations; that doesn’t mean you’re an extrovert but you’re curious and care about people. You listen to understand and are comfortable leading with vulnerability. You are known for being reliable, supportive, and kind.
• Racial Equity + Justice Lens – You effectively develop and build relationships across lines of difference and power and you own up to missteps, understand their potential impacts, and repair harm. You can proactively spot issues of equity and inclusion in your work and can bring practical solutions by drawing on personal experience combating white supremacy, racism, and other interconnecting systems of oppression. Your north star is systems and culture change that operationalizes equity.
• Process as Product – You know “how we do” is just as important as “what we do.” You believe that the fruits of our labor will grow tomorrow from the seeds of today and are okay with that. You challenge existing ways of doing to realize our dreams today.

This role is a great fit for someone who loves working with people just as much as they love logistics and is driven by a sense of purpose to create a more equitable and just Virginia.

Note: Research shows that people from minoritized groups apply to jobs only if they meet every single qualification. No one, not even the strongest candidates, meets every qualification. If the work we do at VCET piques your interest and you think you could be a good fit for our team, we urge you to not exclude yourself prematurely and to submit your resume for consideration. There are no formal education requirements for this position. People of all educational backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

This position requires access to a computer, internet, and reliable transportation. If you do not have a computer or access to a vehicle, it will not affect your candidacy and we will provide necessary equipment or tools upon hiring.

Compensation

Job Type: Part-time. 20 hours per week during non-retreat weeks; 40 hours per week during the retreat weeks (4x throughout the summer during the weekends. Specific dates available here).

Compensation: $20 per hour, with possibility of overtime during retreat weeks

Start Date: Monday, March 24th

End Date: Friday, August 29th

Location

VCET is a distributed team in Virginia. The ideal candidate would be based in Richmond or DC. Travel is required across Virginia for in-person programs.