Organizer

Hiring Manager: Ernest Bailey, Deputy Director of Campaigns 

Location: Bridgeport, CT or New Haven, CT

Application Deadline: July 31, 2023

Role Tier: 2 - Associate

About Us

Founded by public school teachers, Educators for Excellence is a growing movement of educators, united around a common set of values and principles for improving student learning and elevating the teaching profession. We work together to identify issues that impact our schools, create solutions to these challenges, and advocate for policies and programs that give all students access to a quality education. We do this by treating teachers as agents of change instead of subjects of change because research shows that classroom teachers are the single most important in-school factor in improving student achievement.

What We Do

Our Theory of Change is grounded in two long-term goals that are inextricably linked: better outcomes for our students and the elevation of the quality and prestige of the teaching profession. We achieve these goals by changing policy at the district, state, and federal levels and transforming our teachers’ unions to be more student-focused, democratic, diverse, and anti-racist. United around our Declaration of Teachers’ Principles and Beliefs, we are building a powerful movement to lead this change by:

• Organizing educators who share a common vision of equity and excellence in schools,
• Training and supporting teacher leadership, and
• Advocating for teacher-led recommendations at all levels of government, within teachers’ unions, and in the public conversation around education.

Our Organizing Culture

Educators for Excellence, Connecticut is seeking an Organizer to build anti-racist, student-focused teacher power to win progressive policy change in our community. There are four key concepts that shape our organizing culture and that are organizers are responsible for implementing: 

• Animo: We foster an E4E Member Experience where Educators are invested from the onset, yielding members who are developed, engaged, and energized to organize for their students. We develop campaigns that energize our educators with a clear plan to win and bold anti-racist demands rooted in our Declaration and their own self-interest. We develop a strong, people and win-centered Organizing culture that sets up our teams to win campaigns.
• Teacher Leadership: We create a member experience that provides numerous opportunities to lead on different teams and different campaigns with different levels of commitment. Our Teachers lead teams that determine the direction of the chapter and campaigns that are powered by their constituencies. We sustain an organizing culture that prioritizes leadership development, with multiple training and coaching points along the member journey, from first contact to elected union leader.
• Building Activism: We leverage digital organizing and communications strategies to expand our lists, identify supporters, recruit new members, unlock activism, and nurture a sense of community. We create a member experience that provides regular opportunities to learn, act, and lead together online, as part of an organizing cohort, and in a district-wide community of action. Our issue and union campaigns provide a variety of opportunities for members to take action on issues impactful for students and teachers.
• Data-Driven: We regularly clean our list so that it reflects accurate numbers and an assessment of exactly where our teachers are along the membership journey. Effective campaigns are built from effective lists, so we prioritize building our list during all digital and field campaigns. Our belief in the importance of data is part of our organizing culture and informs how we do every aspect of our work.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Campaigns, Organizers collaborate on a team that is charged with recruiting, engaging, developing, and mobilizing educators in a target geographical area (“turf”). Organizers spend the bulk of their time engaging directly with educators - on the phones, in schools, in coffee shops, and in our community. Organizers listen to, educate, and build connections with educators, equipping them with the skills and networks to lead campaigns at the city, district, and state levels, and within their unions. Organizers also collect and enter data to track meaningful information and strategically plan around their assigned organizing area.

Minimum Requirements:

• Experience: At least 2 years of professional experience, including experience in at least one of the following fields.
  • Community organizing, issue-based advocacy, electoral campaign organizing or union organizing
  • Pre-K-12 education instruction 
• Technical Skills:
  • Knowledge of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word and corresponding Google Suite products
  • Understanding of reporting databases (i.e. Salesforce) preferred
  • Very comfortable with phone, text, and email outreach 
• Working Conditions:
  • This role requires access to reliable transportation (including public transit) to meet with teachers in schools and in the community
  • We have a hybrid work environment where you work remotely from home, with the expectation to be in-person for some meetings (when public health conditions allow, we are currently entirely virtual due to Covid-19)
  • This role will include frequent evening and weekend work engagements, as you will need to meet with teachers when they are not working

Responsibilities: What actions will you leverage day-to-day?

• Field Organizing
  • Conduct broad and intensive outreach efforts to build deep and meaningful relationships with educators (both E4E members and prospective members)
  • Plan, execute, and lead frequent phone banks, text banks, 1:1 meetings, school visits, and house parties to move campaigns forward
  • Educate, agitate, and motivate members to take activist actions (sign petitions, write op-eds, testify at the legislature, etc.) to advance campaigns
  • Identify, recruit, and develop teacher leaders to organize their colleagues to take part in our campaigns and to run for leadership positions in their unions and other elected offices
  • Facilitate trainings, events, and organizing actions to move campaigns forward
  • Leverage digital organizing tools, including multiple online platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp) to connect with, engage, and inform teachers
  • Attend frequent community events, school board meetings, union meetings, and meetings with stakeholders - bringing educators when possible and sharing information to keep educators informed about what’s happening locally
  • Achieve targets for recruitment, engagement, activism, leadership development, and union leadership
  • Must be willing to work evenings and weekends as required during campaigns (i.e., phone banks, events, emails, text messaging)
• Data and Administration
  • Maintain detailed contact information for members and schools, updating contact records frequently to ensure accuracy
  • Track communication with and engagement of members regularly
  • Leverage data reporting to make informed decisions about outreach and engagement opportunities 
  • Complete all required administrative tasks (i.e., time sheets, expense forms, etc.) in a timely manner

Core Values: What beliefs do you embody? How do you approach your work?

• Inclusiveness - We make space at the table for all, so everyone feels like they belong.
• Achieve Ambitious Goals – We strive to have a transformational impact on the staff, teachers, and students we serve.
• Adjust Course – We take a resilient attitude towards roadblocks and adjust strategies to ensure progress to goal. 
• Communication – We value clear and thoughtful word choice, tone and body language.
• Deep Belief in Mission – We believe change is possible, so we equip ourselves to achieve it.

Positional Skills - What can you do well?

• Influencing & Motivating – you make compelling cases and agitate around educators concerns
• Cultivating Relationships & Collaborating – you prioritize relationship building with educators, stakeholders and partners
• Organizing Planning and Executing  - you drive your own schedule to balance team meetings, outreach tactics and data analysis
• Making Decisions & Demonstrating Judgment – you think critically through a lens of core values
• Tracking, Measuring & Analyzing – you develop processes for data analysis
• Learning & Developing – you opt into opportunities to build skill and implement best practices

Functional Knowledge - What do you know a lot about?

• Organizing (union, campaign) - you know how to drive campaigns that lead people to take action
• Power - you understand power dynamics and how to build collective power to achieve social change
• Planning & facilitating events and training - you will design & execute your organizing tactics from start to finish
• Education landscape (especially union) - you understand who the key players are in the education sector and how to influence them

Compensation, Benefits & Applying

Compensation Policy

Educators for Excellence (E4E) is committed to valuing team members holistically in appreciation of their contribution to the organization’s success and for the good they create for society as part of our mission. While there are many facets of the “Total Rewards” package that come with working at E4E, compensation is a significant factor in a team member’s decision to work here. As such, we strive to attract, retain and reward top talent by offering competitive salaries and benefits that are equitably and transparently administered. Therefore, we do not engage in salary negotiations - our first offer is always our best offer!

The salary band for this role is $52,650 to $68,349. 

*Based on Connecticut's cost of labor.

Within this range, our competitive, non-negotiable salary offer will be based on a candidate’s relevant experience and credentials, role-related competencies assessed through our robust hiring process, and geographic location. 

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

All new employees are required to comply with E4E’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, which requires all staff be fully vaccinated prior to the start of employment. An employee will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the requisite number of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Employees may request an exemption as a reasonable accommodation due to a medical reason or sincerely held religious belief.

E4E abides by each state’s requirements, and acknowledges they may change over time. If you advance forward to an interview, you will have the opportunity to ask questions about this job requirement.

Benefits & Applying

Educators for Excellence (E4E) believes in providing employees with benefits to support self-care, wellness, and financial stability. We value the whole person and provide benefits such as; paid time off, health insurance plans, competitive salaries that include pre-tax benefits, and cell phone reimbursements. See more information about our benefits here.

E4E is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state or federal law or local ordinance. E4E has a zero tolerance for discrimination, racism, xenophobia or misogyny in any form in our workplace. We strive to create a workplace where everyone feels a strong sense of belonging.

Accommodations: We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible interview experience and will ensure that all candidates are provided with reasonable accommodations that allow them to participate in the interview process. To request an accommodation, please email peopleandequity@e4e.org

EEOC questionnaire: Weplace a particular focus on recruiting staff members who share the backgrounds of the communities we serve. We encourage all applicants to complete our EEOC questionnaire as part of your application process (the form is directly included in your initial application).Completing the questionnaire will help ensure our People & Equity team are attracting a diverse pool of qualified candidates for each of our open positions.