What are the responsibilities and job description for the Lead Community Organizer position at Black Organizing Project?
The Black Organizing Project is reviving the spirit of Oakland’s Black community through relationship building, leadership development, political education, and policy-change.
Lead Community Organizer Job Description
About the Black Organizing Project
The Black Organizing Project (BOP) is a Black member-led community organization working for racial, social, and economic justice through grassroots organizing and community-building in Oakland, California and across the Bay Area. In addition to caring for our community, BOP has adopted a more sustainable philosophy for our staff. BOP takes pride in caring for its staff by providing competitive salaries, 4-day work weeks, three paid company-wide seasonal rest periods each year, as well as other perks that promote a healthy work-life balance. While BOP currently observes a hybrid work model, we require all program staff to live within a one-hour driving distance from Oakland, CA.
Our vision is to build a strong bottom-up organization of Black people that will:
- Craft alternative models and institutions that will advance our vision of racial, class, and economic justice
- Rebuild the spirit and foundation of our community
- Exercise political and economic power
- Act to win real systematic change for Black people
- Transform the lives of Black people
- Embody the spirit that has sustained the Black community
Organizational Culture
BOP is building toward a free and just world for Black people. When we say Black people, that includes African-descended people, whether they speak English, Spanish, Amharic, Ga, Yoruba, etc. Some of the expectations for staff conduct include active participation in building and sustaining a culture of radical care, promoting equity for all members of the BOP team, joyful connection to Black Liberation, and cultivating a thoughtful understanding of our political and historical experiences.
In service of this goal, staff are expected to:
- Participate in an organizational culture of resolving conflict through transformative justice strategies, as appropriate.
- Engage in generative and compassionate communication.
- Demonstrate a commitment to maintaining a joyful, healthy, and positive work environment.
- Show up to work and build an Oakland that’s a Black Sanctuary for all residents.
About Our Ideal Candidate
Our ideal candidate is detail-oriented, organized, and thorough. They are an experienced strategist and community organizer. Our ideal candidate is passionate about BOP’s mission and committed to developing youth leaders and organizers.
Position Description and Functions
The Lead Community Organizer is responsible for working in the field, developing organizers, and building a powerful base of elders, youth, and adults that are actively engaged in our organization, program work, and strategic coalitions. They will advance the work of membership development and retention through arts, culture, and political education. The Lead Community Organizer will also work with organizers and develop them build meaningful relationships with current and potential members. They will work at specific school and community sites to build and maintain BOP membership. The Lead Community Organizer will also develop and conduct workshops, trainings, meetings, and strategy sessions that engage members as critical thinkers and leaders working toward our common goals. At least 65% of their tim,e they participate in outreach, follow-up, and community engagement. The Lead Community Organizer reports to the Organizing Director.
Campaign Development & Strategy:
Lead the development and implementation of BOP’s next campaign focused on Black housing and economic justice
- Collaborate with the Organizing Director and Organizing Team as point person for BOP’s emergent campaign
- Represent BOP at community events, coalition spaces, and in strategic partnerships
Base Building:
- Develop and build out outreach, follow-up, and member engagement strategies
- Recruit and develop community members for the Membership and other BOP Committees
- Collaborate with core member leaders on programming, campaign strategy, implementation, negotiations, and direct actions
- Represent BOP to media and outside agencies alongside member leaders
Leadership Development:
- Develop existing member leader base to support the recruitment of new members and build relationships to foster shared ownership of the work
- Develop members and organizers political understanding and landscape analysis
- Identify and recruit emerging member leaders to participate in committees
- Oversee members processing and member engagement
- Develop members and organizers to participate in and/or lead committees, campaigns, coalitions, and movement building activities
Coaching & Supervision:
- Build positive relationships and team comradery
- Support the ongoing development of members and organizers through coaching, reflection, and capacity building
- Develop and cultivate work plans, evaluations, and assessments
- Conduct weekly check-ins with organizers and support them in the field
Documentation & Reporting:
- Document qualitative and quantitative data related to programs and report to Organizing Director
- Maintain systems of tracking outreach through weekly workplans and 1:1 check-ins, oversee database of contacts, and generate weekly reports
- Other duties as assigned
Preferred Skills and Qualifications
- A minimum of 2-3 years of experience in community, labor or other relevant grassroots organizing
- Demonstrated success in growing and developing an organized base of members, constituents, or community members
- Team player attitude
- Excellent verbal and written skills
- Excellent time management skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, and PowerBase are a plus
- Flexibility to work on weekends and evenings, as necessary
- Ability to multitask and generate solution based ideas
- Having deep roots in Oakland, graduating from an Oakland Unified School District or having a child enrolled in Oakland Unified Schools District is a PLUS
- Valid driver's license, insurance, and reliable transportation required
- All positions at BOP are expected to contribute to our campaign work as needed and as directed by staff supervisors and/or Executive Director
Conditions and Compensation
This is a full-time, exempt, at-will position with a 90-day probationary period. Background check is required for all positions at BOP. For positions working directly with children, fingerprinting will be required as well upon job offer.
Compensation: $80,000, plus a 32-hour FTE work week, incredible co-workers, inspiring work, and more.
While the salary will be based on competence and experience at the conclusion of the interview process, the compensation is non-negotiable, aligning with our internal equity principles and compensation philosophy. Once onboard, there is potential for salary growth within the established band, as BOP staff will have opportunities for annual merit increases and cost-of-living adjustments.
BOP offers a generous benefits package to all regular full-time employees that includes:
- 100% organization paid medical, dental, vision coverage for the employee and family
- 401(k) with employer matching
- Accrue 14 vacation days in the first year with incremental increases thereafter, 7 sick days annually, 16 paid holidays, 2 unrestricted floating holidays
- 3 paid seasonal closures: 1 week long break in spring, 1 week long break in summer, and 1 in winter between Christmas, and New Year’s Day
- Eligibility for fully paid 3-month sabbatical program after five years of full time service with the organization
- Professional development funds
Applications will be evaluated as they arrive, and the position will remain open for 30 days.
Due to the high volume of applications, our hiring team is not able to field requests for feedback or informational interviews sent via LinkedIn or email. If you are a good match for the role, our team will reach out to you directly.
Salary : $80,000
