Position Announcement: Community Organizer

Position: Community Organizer
Benefits: Full time position with excellent health benefits, insurance (fiscal sponsor: Tides Center)
Reports to: Organizing Director

AROC: Arab Resource and Organizing Center is a grassroots organization working to empower and organize our community towards justice and self-determination for all. AROC provides legal and other social services and members build community power by participating in leadership development, political education, and campaigns.

We envision powerful and liberated Arab communities living with dignity from here to our homelands. AROC sees the liberation of Arab people inextricably tied to the liberation of all people of color.

Position Summary

The Community Organizer will be responsible for collaborating with staff and member leaders on base building of working class SWANA members through the Organizing Team. The Community Organizer would also be responsible for the implementation of organizing strategy by building a solid base by conducting member outreach and facilitating member meetings and trainings, building one-on-one relationships with members, building and maintaining strategic partnership, and support with organizational development.

This position will work closely with the Organizing Team, including the Organizing Director, Lead Organizing and the Youth Organizing Coordinator to raise and strengthen AROC’s work. The Community Organizer will coordinate and implement the base building campaigns and collaborate with other AROC teams, such as Leadership, Social Services and Outreach, and Legal Teams. The Community Organizer reports directly to the Organizing Director.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Organizing Strategy and Implementation

• With direction from the Organizing Director, create goals and plans to grow, engage, and motivate adult service recipients and members in base building efforts, campaign work, leadership development, and related rapid response organizing activities.
• Work with the Organizing Director to evaluate and assess campaigns and programs and make strategic and tactical decisions to most effectively move the organization toward its strategic goals.
• Bring together and offer programming to develop grassroots members and leaders to shape and direct the goals and outcomes of organizing work advance AROC’s strategic plans
• With the Organizing Director, conduct and coordinate research and power analysis to develop and advance strategic campaigns and organizing strategies that include direct services as a tactic for base building.
• Plan and coordinate actions and events to support rapid response organizing efforts and actions by aligning workplans to turnout goals.

Base-Building and Leadership Development

• Conduct New Member Orientations, Organizing Trainings, Know Your Rights Trainings, Membership Meetings, and other political education and membership development activities.
• Conduct intakes and build one-on-one relationships with members and member leaders with consistent contact, meetings, and events.
• Meet expectations and goals – including recruiting new members, reporting and evaluation, leadership development, attending meetings, and being proactive in learning about base building and AROC’s campaigns and issues.
• Under the direction of the Organizing Director, develop and execute an outreach plan through participation of AROC actions, events, and meetings.
• Provide written reports, workplans, and updates weekly to supervisor and meet benchmarks for strategic organizing plans.
• Coordinate with the Case Managers and the Legal Team to coordinate smooth and consistent intake of service recipients to base building.

Movement Building and Strategic Partnerships

• With guidance from the Organizing Director, identify, build and sustain working relationships that will advance AROC’s base building strategy with other Organizing Team staff, members, regional and state partner networks, and with coalition allies.
• Coordinate with the Youth Organizing Coordinator to mobilize members advance to insure an intergenerational AROC campaigns, actions, and events.
• Represent AROC at key coalition spaces, actions, and events to advance the organizations’ priorities.
• Lead on mobilizing and coordinating members to turnout in movement actions and advocacy events aligned with AROC strategic plans and goals.

Organizational Development

• Support implementation of organizing goals, strategies, and campaigns including: turn out and support members and leaders, document & reflect on program activities, build and evaluate ally relationships.
• Support advocacy efforts that are aligned with AROC mission as needed.
• Participate in trainings and leadership development opportunities.
• Participate in staff meetings, staff and organization wide retreats, and quarterly reviews to develop and evaluate annual goals and benchmarks.
• Responsible for other tasks as assigned by your supervisor.

Required Skills

• Bilingual in Arabic and English (writing skills a strong plus).
• Strong commitment to social, racial, and economic justice.

Must have a minimum of 3 years of experience in…

• An organizing leadership role, including identifying and developing campaigns in BIPOC communities (including low-income, immigrant, LGBTQ community members).
• Campaign development (power analysis, strategy development, tactical planning, execution, and evaluation).
• Development and facilitation of political education curriculum.
• Leadership development.
• Supervising and managing staff and teams.
• Working collaboratively in coalitions and networks.
• Strong personal and organization skills.
• Basic computer skills - familiarity with Word, Excel, various design and communications platforms, web browsers, Google Calendar, and Google Drive.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (not required).
• Experience working in community development or non-profit environment.
• At least 2-3 years experience with community organizing and activism.
• Strong people skills in person, by phone and email.
• Self-motivated, communicates well with co-workers, able to work in small teams.
• Commitment to working with multi-racial coalitions. Commitment to racial and economic justice and immigrant rights. Experience with community organizing, political advocacy or activism (preferred).
• Basic computer skills - familiarity with Word, Excel, various design and communications platforms, web browsers, Google Calendar, and Google Drive.
• AROC is committed to addressing systemic oppressions. People with disabilities, with past criminal convictions, without formal education, or with diverse immigration statuses are encouraged to apply.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

This position may require sitting at a desk for an extended period of time. It will also require being on site or to engage in local travel for organizational events, actions, and activities. There may be a hybrid work schedule between work from home and work out of the office. Some weekend and evening work will be required. The candidate should be able to work on a computer including sitting at a desk for extended periods of time with or without reasonable accommodation; manual dexterity to operate a keyboard; able to see or read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids; able to speak clearly and in audible tones on the phone and in-person and be understood by others; able to hear and understand speech, including on the phone; able to understand and follow oral and written instructions; able to occasionally lift objects weighing up to 10 pounds.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Employment Terms

This position is 40 hours per week. This position has an hourly rate of $65-75K annually. This position is non-exempt. We offer a competitive health benefits package that includes: medical, dental, vision, a generous paid time off schedule, and other perks.

How to Apply

Submit resume, cover letter, and references to jobs@araborganizing.org with subject line: COMMUNITY ORGANIZER. Applications will be reviewed as received.