Climate Action Coordinator

Citizenactionwi; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 58,372 - 71,343; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care and dental

401(k) with employer contribution

Paid time off

Mobile phone allowance

Job summary

Citizen Action of Wisconsin seeks a Climate Action Coordinator to lead climate campaigns and build grassroots power across Wisconsin. This full-time position involves collaboration with diverse stakeholders, training local leaders, and managing grants. The ideal candidate has organizing experience, a commitment to racial justice, and strong leadership skills. A competitive salary of $64,858 is offered with opportunities for increases. This role supports the organization's mission to achieve social justice and engage in community organizing.

Qualifications

• Experience in labor, community, political or faith-based organizing.
• Strong interest in relational organizing.
• Ability to lead teams of volunteers effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead climate justice campaigns.
• Conduct power analysis for campaign strategies.
• Support membership base building across the state.

Skills

Labor organizing

Community organizing

Political organizing

Fundraising

Public speaking

Bilingual/multilingual

Tools

Database management

Social media management

Job description

Citizen Action of Wisconsin seeks applicants hungry for the opportunity to lead power building campaigns to achieve the sweeping changes Wisconsin needs to become a just, equitable, and sustainable multiracial democracy. This position is best suited for creative and effective out‑of‑the‑box thinkers who are deeply committed not only to being on the right side, but effectively building the grassroots power to make tangible progress on the big challenges confronting the multiracial working class.

The Climate Action Coordinator reports to the Managing Director and is a critical part of our Senior Staff Team. They get to contribute to and be a part of building a positive and high performing organizational culture that makes Citizen Action an exciting and joyous place to work and organize.

Citizen Action of Wisconsin is an affiliate of two national organizing networks, People’s Action and Power Switch Action. Citizen Action WI is working with both networks on an Organizing Revival which seeks to extend the reach and effectiveness of community organizing as an antidote to authoritarianism.

Description of Work

The Climate Action Coordinator is the lead organizer and strategist for our climate campaigns, ensuring a strong and equitable climate plan for the state of Wisconsin. Our strategy is based on a deep investment in robust grassroots organizing that shifts power away from the profit‑crazed utility corporations to the public. We also lean into the electoral power of climate to elect candidates who are progressive on all major issues.

The coordinator supports our organizing and electoral work on climate issues and our membership base building across the state, building a powerful multiracial working‑class movement for social change. The coordinator leads our statewide climate action team that includes existing member leaders from each of our organizing regions, our governance boards, and our climate organizing work. The team is where the coordinator develops top member leaders in our climate strategy and organizing campaigns. The coordinator is responsible for training regional organizers on campaigns and collaborating with them on larger event planning and lead generation.

The coordinator works effectively on grant management with our current climate funders and works with the Managing Director and Executive Director on unlocking new climate funding opportunities.

Primary Job Responsibilities

• Lead Citizen Action’s recognized climate justice campaigns.
• Lead our statewide Climate Action Team that includes existing leaders from our governance boards, member leaders from each region of the state where we have permanent organizers, and from our permanent climate organizing work.
• Play a leadership role in our electoral programs in collaboration with our movement politics team.
• Conduct power analysis and work with the staff and statewide Climate Action Team to develop cutting‑edge issue campaign strategies.
• Participate in Citizen Action’s leadership development programs to build the capacity of our organizers, member leaders, and endorsed candidates for public office.
• Lead training to develop climate‑focused issue strategic capacity of Citizen Action organizers and members.
• Translate public policy into educational and motivating materials for the Climate Action Team, elected officials, general membership, and the public.
• Serve as Citizen Action’s connection to the climate campaign of our national network, People’s Action.
• Represent Citizen Action at state and local climate coalition tables when it advances our program and power building.
• Support Citizen Action earned media efforts in major issue and other communication strategies and mass engagement techniques to augment the power and influence of our grassroots organizing.
• Maintain relationships with large donors to Citizen Action’s climate campaigns, prospect for new funders, develop funding proposals, and report grants to existing program funders.

Desired Experience

• Experience in labor, community, political or faith‑based organizing, and a strong interest in relational organizing.
• Experience leading issue campaigns, corporate accountability campaigns, and election campaigns.
• Experience working with a broad array of organizations and coalitions.
• Deep commitment to working on racial justice issues, working with communities of color, and with a multicultural base of individuals.
• Experience with policy creation and grassroots lobbying.
• Experience with planning earned media events, direct action, marches, rallies, and other social movement tactics.
• Experience with large and/or small dollar fundraising, grant writing, and grant management.

Required Qualifications

• Ability to lead a positive and authentic multiracial staff culture that meets rigorous standards of performance.
• Ability to lead teams of volunteers and develop effective core teams that share responsibility for executing programs.
• Philosophical commitment to progressive values of economic, gender, racial, anti‑oppressive, and environmental justice.
• Commitment to unwinding structural racism and other inequality built into local, state, and national policies and governance structures.
• Ability to understand public policy issues and translate them into organizing issues that motivate average people to act.
• Strong creative and strategic thinking skills and willingness to innovate in fast‑moving issue campaigns and meet deadlines.
• Good written and verbal communication skills, including ability to produce effective flyers, email alerts, coalition reports, blogs, social media posts, and campaign plans.
• Excellent listening, interpersonal, and problem‑solving skills; ability to work under pressure and build and maintain effective relationships.
• Intermediate computer skills including document creation and formatting, working with databases, and social networking (familiarity with VAN/EveryAction and management of social media accounts is a plus).
• Public speaking and networking skills.
• Bilingual/multilingual a plus.

Organizational Background

Citizen Action of Wisconsin is an issue‑focused non‑profit membership organization committed to achieving racial, gender, economic, and environmental justice. We bring together thousands of activists and allied groups across Wisconsin to deepen democratic participation that advances a strongly progressive public policy agenda. Citizen Action of Wisconsin is an affiliate and a major leader within People’s Action, a network of 41 independent social justice organizations in 26 states, and an affiliate of Power Shift Action, a network of 20 multiracial power‑building groups focused on economic and racial justice.

Position Details

This is a full‑time senior, union‑represented position that includes comprehensive gold‑plan health care and dental with additional reimbursements for co‑pays, 401(k) with direct employer contribution and a match, life insurance, disability insurance, mobile phone allowance, computer allowance, travel reimbursements, substantial paid time off, and other benefits. Some weekend and evening hours are required. The position is represented by OPEIU Local 9, AFL‑CIO. Starting salary is $64,858, higher for exceptionally qualified candidates based on our union scale. Generous automatic cost‑of‑living and seniority increases are available annually. Eligibility for merit‑based promotion is based on demonstrated performance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Citizen Action of Wisconsin is an equal‑opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on age, gender, gender identity, sex, sexual preference, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, or former incarceration status. Women, people of color, formerly incarcerated individuals, individuals from the LGBTQ+ community, and individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to apply.