About Community Change and Community Change Action:

Community Change builds the power and capacity of low-income people, especially low-income people of color, to lead powerful and dynamic movements for social change. With our community-based partner groups, we bridge the grassroots and the national, supporting outsider strategies to disrupt the status quo while also building pathways to influence the insider conversation. 

Our vision of a better world centers the leadership of impacted people of color to move our work on immigrant rights, economic justice, and racial equity, including a focus on jobs and housing, early childhood care and education, income supports, and immigration reform.

This position also supports Community Change Action, an affiliated 501(c)(4) advocacy organization. While motivated by the same core values – equity, inclusion, and justice – Community Change and Community Change Action operate independently of one another and each organization has its own board of directors.

 

Position Description: 

Community Change is looking for a Senior Organizer to work with immigrant rights organizations based in the Northeast and across the country.  The Senior Organizer will help build out the immigration partnerships and relationships of Community Change including staffing the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), assist to develop Community Change immigrant rights leaders and advance work in other arenas. The Senior Organizer will join a talented team of organizers and staff dedicated to advancing immigrant rights, grounded by our 20-year commitment to the movement. 

They will work closely with the Interim Director of Immigration and Power Building and the Immigration Team at Community Change to implement local, state, and national campaigns.  They will provide assistance to coordinate trainings, mobilizations, and other support to help build the grassroots leadership and organizational capacity of FIRM groups.

This position is preferably based in the Northeast region and we ask that candidates have an understanding of nonprofit advocacy and lobbying rules. 

A portion of time will be spent working with Community Change’s sister organization, Community Change Action.

 

Principal Responsibilities:  

• Work closely with the Interim Director of Immigration and Power Building, team members, and key stakeholders to develop and execute Community Change /FIRM’s campaign strategy to achieve the Essential Outcomes of the Immigration Program.
• Develop relationships with partner organizations and a diverse group of coalitions in the immigrant rights movement and assist on base building strategies for Community Change and movement partners.  
• Deliver strategic planning assistance, facilitate power analyses, assist in messaging, support organizing and provide technical assistance to key partner and ally organizations in order to build power at the local, state, and national level.
• Work as a liaison between Community Change /FIRM’s campaign priorities and target state, allies and partners.
• Assist in the coordination of local, regional and national events.
• Build strategic relationships with leadership and organizations in target states.
• Provide support to organizations, leaders and communities – as part of the work to build power in target states in the fields of leadership development, base-building, issues and building non-partisan electoral power.
• Play a role in planning and facilitating workshops and trainings on a regular basis, often leading their creation and facilitation.
• Represent the Immigration Team within the organization and with external allies.
• Maintain high-level functioning relationships with other departments at Community Change (communications, finance, institutional advancement, etc.) to ensure the immigration team is actively collaborating to meet important requirements.
• Serve as a liaison between the FIRM team and the BBIP team to ensure an intersectional approach and analysis undergirds our work, and to develop shared workstreams.
• Convene and coordinate a “Trainers Caucus” for the FIRM network as needed to ensure deep political education and materials are provided to FIRM’s members’ bases. 
• Facilitate alignment for the Immigration Team and other national Community Change campaigns (defending the Safety Net, reinvesting in black communities, organizing for childcare and the restoration of the Childcare Tax Credit, , etc.) in targeted states.
• Participate in Community Change/Immigration Team All Staff Calls and Community Change /Immigration Team Staff Retreats.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Interim Director of Immigration and Power Building.

 

Qualifications: 

• Minimum of seven-ten  years of experience in community organizing and in implementing local, state or national policy initiatives on immigration issues. Experience in non-partisan electoral work is helpful.
• Experienced in community organizing training including: basic principles of community organizing, development of leaders and organizations in an organizing context, issues and campaign development, training new organizers and leadership development.
• Familiarity with and openness to different approaches to grassroots organizing and policy work.
• Strong facilitation and relationship building skills.
• Ability to work democratically and effectively with diverse groups and people.
• Willing to work long flexible hours including nights and weekends and frequent travel.
• Excellent communication (oral and written) skills.
• Strong team player, familiar with team dynamics and willing to work in a team environment.
• Familiarity with some of the issues that Community Change currently works on.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Ability to speak Spanish and/or other languages is a plus.
• Commitment to economic, race and gender justice is essential.
• Knowledge of remote-first organizational culture and systems.
• Comfortable using our remote work tools including Google Workspace, Microsoft Outlook, and Slack.

 

This position reports to: Interim Director of Immigration and Power Building

Classification: Community Change recognizes a staff bargaining unit affiliated with IFPTE Local 70, a union for non-profit workers. This position is included in Community Change’s bargaining unit and covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

COVID-19 Requirements: Community Change requires all new employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (within six weeks after the start of employment) unless a medical or religious exemption or other exemption allowed under applicable law is requested and approved. All offers of employment are contingent on compliance with this requirement. An employee will be considered fully vaccinated once (i) two weeks have elapsed since after the employee has received the final dose of a primary COVID vaccine series (e.g., two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, two doses of the Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine) and (ii) the employee has received any booster vaccine dose currently recommended by the CDC for those in the employee’s age group. Should the CDC subsequently recommend additional boosters or should an employee otherwise become newly subject to a CDC booster recommendation, an employee shall continue to be considered fully vaccinated if the employee gets the additional booster within one month of the change.

Travel Requirements: Travel will be regular, as needed, along the East Coast, probably 20% of time. During COVID this position will follow all Community Change COVID remote work guidelines. 

Salary & benefits: $85,000-$90,000 annual salary. Community Change also offers an excellent benefits package, which includes 4 weeks of annual paid vacation; additional paid holiday leave between December 24 and January 1; 8% employer contribution to retirement account after six months of employment (and 3% employer contribution for the first 6 months); and a choice of generous health insurance plans.

Location: Flexible

Closing Date of Position: Open Until Filled

How to apply: Please click here to submit a resume and cover letter sharing your personal interest as well as salary expectations.

 

Community Change is an Equal Opportunity Employer