National Organizer of Membership Engagement

Rhode Island Bar; Connecticut; Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

4-Day Work Week

Paid Time Off

Wellness Fund

Sabbatical eligibility

Job summary

Detention Watch Network in the Northeastern United States seeks a Senior Organizer or Organizing Manager to build power for the Network and its members. You will develop statewide, regional, and national campaigns, engage in education and training, and coordinate membership calls and events.

Travel is required; this is an 18-month position with potential extension. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and communities, including people of color, Indigenous people, immigrants, women,

Qualifications

• Committed to DWN’s values.
• At least three years’ experience in community organizing, immigrant rights, or student organizing; 5 years for an organizing manager.
• Demonstrated success working with grassroots campaigns.
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively with diverse populations. Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Understanding of organizing context in their home state, knowledge of immigrant rights landscape.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to travel at least 30% of the time.
• Familiarity with social justice issues, particularly migrant justice and racial justice.

Responsibilities

• Execute DWN’s campaigns, including campaign coordination, strategy development, outreach, and evaluation.
• Grow and deepen DWN’s base by increasing reach of our campaigns and developing cohesive organizing strategies.
• Co-develop strategy for anti-detention campaigns alongside staff, local and national members, and partners across the country.
• Respond to rapid developments including threats of detention expansion.
• Develop and maintain relationships with movement allies and constituencies to develop collaborative strategies and a grounded abolitionist analysis;
• Build and support local or regional coalitions of organizations that are aligned with DWN’s values and goals to end immigration detention.
• Support with coordination of regional convenings, webinars, and other spaces for members to share skills and strategize.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with DWN’s grassroots member organizations, encouraging participation in DWN’s programmatic activities.
• Regular travel to conduct outreach (at least 30%), meet with members, and support local campaign activities, as well as some travel for staff retreats and campaign work.
• Support onboarding of new members within regional assignments;
• Build connections and relationships with organizations focused on racial justice, decarceration, immigrant justice, and criminal justice.

Skills

Community organizing

Immigrant rights

Grassroots campaigns

Coalition building

Job description

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Preferred Location: Northeastern United States (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT, NJ, NY, PA, DE, MD, VA, West VA, DMV)

Who we are:

Founded by a group of dedicated individuals in 1997, Detention Watch Network (DWN) is a national coalition building power through collective advocacy, grassroots organizing, and strategic communications to abolish immigration detention in the United States. DWN is staffed by a small and growing team committed to a vision of a world where every individual lives and moves freely and a society in which racial equity is the norm and immigration is not criminalized.

Position Summary:

DWN is looking for a Senior Organizer or Organizing Manager that will help build the power of the Network and our members by providing key support to the development and implementation of campaign strategies and growing DWN’s capacity to support local, regional and national efforts challenging detention. The Senior Organizer or Organizing Manager will work with members and DWN staff to draft and implement statewide, regional, and national campaigns; engage in public education and training, outreach, and ally-building activities; and coordinate key membership calls and events.

This position reports to DWN’s Senior Campaign Manager. Travel is required.Please note: This is an 18-month position with the possibility of extension.

Detention Watch Network is committed to the recruitment and retention of staff that is reflective of the communities we work with. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, Indigenous people, immigrants, women, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups.

What you’ll do:

Campaigns and Strategy

• Execute DWN’s campaigns (currently Communities Not Cages, plus any future campaigns developed), including campaign coordination, strategy development, outreach, and evaluation.
• Grow and deepen DWN’s base (organizational members) by increasing the reach of our campaigns and developing cohesive organizing strategies.
• Co-develop strategy for anti-detention campaigns alongside staff, local and national members, and partners across the country.
• Respond to rapid developments including threats of detention expansion.
• Develop and maintain relationships with movement allies and constituencies to develop collaborative strategies and a grounded abolitionist analysis;

Power Building, Coalition Building, and Member Engagement

• Build and support local or regional coalitions of organizations that are aligned with DWN’s values and goals to end immigration detention.
• Support with coordination of regional convenings, webinars, and other spaces for members to share skills and strategize.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with DWN’s grassroots member organizations, encouraging the participation of members in DWN’s programmatic activities.
• Regular travel to conduct outreach (at least 30%), meet with members, and support local campaign activities, as well as some travel for staff retreats and campaign work.
• Support onboarding of new members within regional assignments;
• Build connections and relationships with organizations and groups focused on racial justice, decarceration, immigrant justice, and criminal justice.

You’ll thrive in this role if this sounds like you:

*While no candidate will possess every quality, the successful candidate will possess many of the following qualifications and attributes. Even if you aren’t sure but are excited about the position, we encourage you to apply!*

• Demonstrated commitment to DWN’s values.
• At least three years’ experience in community organizing, immigrant rights, or student organizing strongly preferred. For an organizing manager, at least 5 years of experience is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success working with grassroots organizing campaigns.
• The ability to work effectively and collaboratively with diverse populations. Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Understanding of organizing context in their home state, in particular, knowledge of the landscape as it relates to immigrant rights.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, work well under pressure, and adhere to deadlines while balancing multiple projects.
• Familiarity with social justice issues, particularly related to migrant justice, racial justice, and abolition.
• Ability to travel at least 30% of the time.

We’re hoping you bring 1-2 (or more) of these bonus skills:

• Ability to handle the shifting contexts and nuances coalition building entails.
• Fluent in English and Spanish, or another second language.
• Public speaking and facilitation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to research, synthesize, and cite complex information.
• Successful in building out strategies within regional or local campaigns.
• Familiarity with popular education methodology is a plus.

Why work for DWN?

• 4-Day Work Week: DWN operates on a 32-hour, Monday-Thursday 4-day work week.
• Paid Time Off: Staff are eligible for 3 weeks in their first year of employment; 4 weeks during years two through seven; and 5 weeks after eight years of employment. We close for two weeks at the end of the year.
• Commitment to our staff: DWN invests in staff growth and professional development opportunities and is committed to providing regular feedback and opportunities for advancement.
• Crystal clear focus: Our team gets to work with a dedicated and growing membership committed to the abolition of immigration detention.
• Wellness Fund: We know that this work can be physically and emotionally taxing, so DWN offers a wellness fund to all staff: a stipend of $500 per year to go towards personal health and self-care (yoga classes, therapy co-pays, massages, workout gear—whatever works for you!)
• Added perks: we offer generous benefits and salaries, a monthly cell phone stipend to all staff, plus eligibility for an eight-week sabbatical after three years on staff.

1. What motivates you to work for Detention Watch Network?

2. What specific skills, life and work experiences, and/or interests do you bring that you believe would contribute to and align with our organization's goals and values?

3. Describe a campaign or organizing effort you have been part of that required you to respond quickly to a threat or shift in the political landscape. What was your role, what tactics did your coalition or organization use, and what did you learn from that experience?

Application Process:

• Upload your resume in the indicated section.
• Upload your responses to the cover letter questions and a relevant work sample in the cover letter section.
  • Please note: To upload your documents to the cover letter section, you must combine your cover letter and work samples into a single file.

Detention Watch Network is an “at-will” an equal-opportunity employer. Applicants and employees shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy and gender expression) identity, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other protected classification.

Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application. While performing the responsibilities of the job, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.