Title: Organizing Director
Posting: March 2024
Closing Date: Position Open Until Filled
Type: Full-time / Hybrid
Location: Denver / Aurora Colorado
Reports To: Executive Director

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION/S

Colorado People’s Alliance (COPA) and Colorado People’s Action (CPA) are member-led racial justice organizations dedicated to advancing and winning progressive social change locally, statewide, and nationally. Our work is conducted through a racial justice lens because we understand that systemic oppression is the root cause of the issues we work on. We believe that those closest to the pain should lead the work for change, which is why we have a member-led model to ensure our community leads our work.

COPA is a power-building organization, working with those directly impacted by our issues to win on climate, economic, & immigrant justice. We are fighting for clean air and safe drinking water, the dignity and humanity of all immigrants regardless of color and/or status, and an economy that works for all of us, not just corporations.

CPA builds power by mobilizing voters, electing our own people to office, holding elected officials and corporations accountable, and working to put people before profit.

POSITION OVERVIEW

COPA is seeking an Organizing Director to advance our mission and work with our team to build power and win on our issues of climate, economic, and immigrant justice. The Organizing Director will work closely with the organizing team to ensure that our members have the tools needed to move forward our campaigns and programs and to create a platform so that our members' stories and experiences lead our work for people power.

The Organizing Director will ensure that proper planning and evaluation of our overall work and programs are executed. They will also lead our 501(c)(3) member base building strategy to find and develop people from our community to lead our work for change and will work to engage our allies in our work. Other projects will be assigned and needed. We seek a passionate individual ready to join our team and grow our organization.

In addition, the Organizing Director will lead the Colorado People’s Action (CPA) 501(c)(4) advocacy strategy by developing internal work plans that influence external political action and priorities. They will lead and ensure the proper planning and evaluation of our engagement with voters across the state by assessing issues most important to them, involving them in electoral campaign strategy, and reinforcing a community co-governance model that furthers the relationship between policymakers and directly impacted communities.

The Organizing Director will report to the Executive Director and oversee COPA’s grassroots organizing and leadership development program. They will be responsible for developing and implementing organizing programs through the lens of building power across the organization’s areas of issue campaigns, grassroots organizing, and exploring different organizing models. COPA and our family of sister organizations are working to rebuild our organizing team, develop a base-building campaign strategy, and explore different organizing models.

A critical component of this work will be to build the Organizing Team and culture to invest in staff and community leaders to fuel our issue and electoral work. This will include strengthening collaboration and culture while establishing systems for internal communication and coordination with other departments and teams rooted in building power and our membership base. The Organizing Director will work closely with the Organizing Team to ensure that our members have the tools needed to move our campaigns and programs forward in a way that allows our members' stories and experiences to lead our work.

The ideal candidate will bring a background in organizing with deep power analysis to this work, using their skills as a confident, visionary, relational leader to build authentic relationships while managing multiple priorities with impeccable follow-through.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Organizing and Base-building

• Develop and implement an organizing strategy to build a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-generational base inside COPA at the intersection of direct service, grassroots geographic organizing, and issue campaigns.
• Under the direction of the Executive Director, co-develop and implement a year-long training program that develops staff and leaders' skills around policy, organizing, world view/narrative and political analysis through community-based education, art, and an agitational training curriculum.
• Under the direction of the Executive Director, co-develop and implement a COPA leader-led issue campaign team structure built on a model of co-governance which invests in grassroots leaders' ability to develop campaign strategy and issue cuts to win our thriving home platform through sustained direct action, town halls, lobbying, and creative tactics to move legislative and corporate targets.
• Build systems and infrastructure to advance ways to bring in new members and leaders and politicize the base around our issue and electoral campaigns.
• Drive a diverse, inclusive, and equitable culture across organization programs and with members, volunteers, and partners.

Politics and Electoral Campaign Work

• Develop and execute campaign plans that support state-specific election work and align with national strategies.
• Define goals and track key performance metrics to measure progress
• Develop close relationships with local and federal elected officials to align on legislative priorities and partnership opportunities
• Regularly review national priorities and congressional activities to make decisions on strategy and interventions
• Develop internal strategies that influence external political action and priorities

Management and Team building

• Manage a team of 5 to 8 Community Organizers. Mentor and support organizers and program staff to build their local bases via our relational organizing model and meet metrics for their year-round strategic direct voter contact program that registers New American Voters, builds our membership base through 1:1’s and membership asks, and strategically targets geographies that will move our issue campaigns forward.
• Run bi-weekly organizing team meetings with organizers that launch power-building work, invest in staff skills, track progress, and practice accountability.
• Develop a strong and accountable team culture oriented towards organizing and power building in diverse communities and centering base building.

Strategy, Coalition Building, and Fundraising

• With the leadership team, co-create and lead a political, organizing, and campaign strategy for COPA that includes regular benchmarks for success.
• Represent COPA in various campaigns and coalitions with key allies and partners.
• Manage program budgets and grant reports/deliverables as appropriate, including development, tracking, and oversight.
• Serve on COPA’s executive leadership team and guide/support overall Organizing budget program and strategic decision making.
• Build money power through owning a set of relationships with foundations, seeking new grants for organizing, leadership development, and our organizing model, and cultivating a base of major donors.
• Develop and manage external relationships with key partners and stakeholders.

QUALIFICATIONS & ATTRIBUTES

COPA is seeking candidates who are passionate about our mission and are highly proactive. While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications below, our ideal candidate would bring:

Required:

• A strong analysis of power and racial equity with a commitment to build power in immigrant and refugee communities by leading with relationships.
• A minimum of 5 years of work experience in organizing and base building, including electoral, union, and/or community organizing, with a demonstrated track record of building a base of volunteer leaders/members.
• 3-5 years of people and program management experience with a track record of overseeing a team or department.
• 3-5 years analyzing and advocating for policy rooted in social justice with analysis and strategy that builds power and measures success accordingly.
• 3-5 years of experience leading issues and electoral campaigns rooted in systems change and leadership development.

Preferred:

• Skilled communication abilities to train on organizing principles and techniques
• Bilingual or multilingual.
• Strategic thinking and excellent project management and follow-through.
• Excellent group facilitation and coalition-building skills and an ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with diverse allies and leaders.
• Ability to motivate, mentor, and supervise teams, track progress toward goals, and build an internal team focused on achieving high results.
• A spirit of self-motivation, ownership, and collaborative initiative – the ability to thrive independently and with a team, taking a project successfully from beginning to end with broad guidance.
• Ability to thrive within a fast-paced environment while maintaining effective time management organization methods and adapting to changing priorities to meet program deliverables successfully

Other Requirements:

• Candidates must show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 upon commencing employment. Reasonable accommodations will be considered on a case-by-case basis for exemptions to this requirement in accordance with applicable law.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Ability to be on a computer for much of the day.
• Travel within the state.
• Access to reliable transportation and willingness to travel throughout the State of Colorado and nationally on occasion.
• Willingness to accommodate community-based scheduling needs, such as evening and weekend meetings.
• Ability to have multiple phone calls a day.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• The position can be in our Denver or Aurora office. This is a hybrid work schedule, with all staff reporting to the Denver office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage, including vision and dental; COPA-supported short-term disability through the Colorado FAMLI program.
• Other benefits include cell phones, laptops, and travel reimbursements.
• Generous PTO that increases based on years of service.
• Liberal holiday schedule with additional time off post-legislative session and election.
• We have a transparent compensation philosophy for our Union and non-Union team members.
• The annual salary for this position, based on experience, will be between $80,000 to $90,000 and includes a one-year anniversary salary increase as outlined in the terms of our Collective Bargaining Agreement.

HOW TO APPLY

Send resume, cover letter, and three references with the subject line “Organizing Director Application” to linda@movementtalent.org This position will remain open until filled.

This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. It does not represent a contract of employment. The Colorado People’s Alliance reserves the right to change the job description and/or posting at any time without advance notice.

The Colorado People’s Alliance is an equal opportunity and equity-based employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. COPA encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, previous incarceration or involvement in the criminal justice system (consistent with legal and job requirements), or veteran status.