Thriving Neighborhood Organizer

Action Council of Monterey County; Salinas (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision benefits

403(b) retirement

Paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Paid holidays twice yearly

Job summary

The Action Council of Monterey County is seeking a Neighborhood Organizer to empower residents and lead the BHCMC Thriving Neighborhoods Action Team. You will coordinate cross-sector partners, facilitate inclusive discussions, and advance land-use equity and policy change with a healing‑informed frame.

You will supervise staff, build organizational capacity, and connect residents to technical assistance and statewide partners while reporting to the BHC Lead Organizer / Program Director.

Qualifications

• Bilingual English and Spanish required for engagement with diverse residents.
• 3+ years of experience in community organizing and leading teams.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate, convene, and facilitate the Thriving Neighborhoods Action Team and Housing Coalition.
• Oversee organizing activities and support resident leadership pathways.
• Provide supervision and day-to-day support to organizing staff.

Skills

Bilingual English and Spanish

Facilitation skills

Staff supervision

Project management

Communication

Stakeholder engagement

Public speaking

Time management

Adaptability

Team leadership

Tools

NationBuilder

Google Suite

Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)

Job description

The Action Council of Monterey County was created in 1994 to address unmet needs of

low-income residents due to welfare reform. It has since evolved into a hub for social

innovation, incubation, and cross-sector collaboration. Action’s mission is to empower

people to transform their communities by incubating leaders, ideas, organizations, and

collaborative action. It has incubated Building Healthy Communities (BHC), Mujeres en

Building Healthy Communities Monterey County (BHCMC) engages and develops

community leadership to achieve equitable outcomes in health, education, and economic

opportunity. Coordinated through Action Teams, BHCMC works towards policy and systems

change grounded in a healing-informed racial justice framework.

Position Overview

The Neighborhood Organizer is dedicated to ensuring residents have a voice and

leadership in setting local land use priorities and addressing race and health equity issues

related to economic development, economic prosperity, and neighborhood planning.

Candidates will be committed to developing a working knowledge of land use related issues

including but not limited to: economic development, housing, transportation, parks and

open space, and local politics, as needed to effectively engage multiple partners to advance

a healing-informed racial and health equity agenda with a policy or systems change

outcome.

The Neighborhood Organizer will lead and help oversee the BHCMC Thriving

Neighborhoods Action Team, made up of multiple partners dedicated to race and health

equity within land use planning and solutions. This role plays a leadership role in co-op

strategy and provides direct support and supervision oversight for organizing activities. The

Neighborhood Organizer connects organizing work to technical assistance, statewide

partners, and systems navigation to ensure the community’s voice is reflected in policy and

practice. This position reports directly to the BHC Lead Organizer / Program Director.

Primary Job Functions

Coordination and Facilitation of the Action Team:

• Coordinate, convene, and facilitate the Thriving Neighborhoods Action Team & the Housing Coalition composed of organizers, resident leaders, and collaborative partners
• Chair Action Team meetings and provide follow-up communication on decisions, next steps, and tasks
• Help to uphold the goals and vision of the team and maintain active communication between members and collaborators
• Support the Action Team with strategy building, cross-team capacity building, and communication
• Maintain progress of Action Team and resident committee policy and systems change goals
• Identify opportunities to link the BHC Action Teams to each other and to external partners
• Play a leadership role in co-op strategy development and implementation in collaboration with directors and partners
• Work collaboratively with the Communications Coordinator to share progress of the Action Team externally

Organizing, Base-Building, and Oversight:

• Oversee and provide direct support for organizing activities, ensuring community organizing strategies and tactics are implemented with fidelity and care
• Support the Economic Justice Organizer to recruit, sustain, and organize a resident base to lead and advance the work
• Facilitate the leadership of a resident committee and support residents in advancing along a leadership pathway
• Support organizers (as applicable) in developing strategy, individual work plans, and leadership opportunities
• Commitment to deepening healing-informed organizing practices among residents and partners
• Expand resident engagement opportunities within land use related issues

Supervision and Staff Support:

• Provide supervision and day-to-day support to the Economic Justice Organizer and interns as assigned
• Support the personal and professional development of the Economic Justice Organizer through regular check-ins, feedback, and reflection
• Maintain a supportive learning environment that centers equity, healing, and growth
• In collaboration with the Directors, contribute to staff capacity building and onboarding

Administrative Skills and Project Management:

• Collaborate with coordinators to secure logistical functions of the Action Team including scheduling, agendas, meeting notes, and follow-up
• Manage multiple projects and tasks simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail and deadlines
• Develop outreach and education materials including handouts, presentations, matrices, and briefings on policy and best practices
• Use organizational platforms (NationBuilder, Google Suite, etc.) to track engagement, progress, and reporting
• Provide regular progress reports to the Action Team and relevant stakeholders

Strategic Relationships, Systems Navigation, and Statewide Connections:

• Cultivate and maintain working relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders including residents, CBOs, government agencies, elected officials, and funders
• Build pathways between system leaders, collaborative partners, and residents
• Navigate systems and partnerships to advance land use equity goals and connect community voice to decision-making tables
• Connect with technical assistance providers and statewide partners to maintain up-to‑date knowledge of land use policy as needed to support local goals
• In collaboration with Directors, play a role in statewide coalitions and networks aligned with the work
• Conduct ongoing research and analysis of local, statewide, and national policies (with the support of technical assistance) impacting BHCMC priority land use issues
• Represent the community and BHCMC at events, on decision-making tables, and in the media as needed

Leadership for Racial Equity & Systems Change:

• Maintain a working knowledge of racial equity practices to engage system leaders in modifying practices to advance racial equity and justice
• Engage a framework for understanding and disrupting structural bias and inequities and actively apply it to the work in the community
• Engage system leaders in modifying practices to advance race and health equity
• Offer analysis to support a shift towards equitable land use planning and decision making
• Participate in BHCMC events, trainings, and activities and attend BHCMC staff meetings and professional development trainings

Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bilingual English and Spanish
• 3+ years of experience in community organizing
• 3+ years of experience of supervising staff
• 2+ experience in land use and policy advocacy
• 1+ years of experience facilitating meetings and/or workshops using collaborative and participatory methods
• 1+ years of experience managing projects
• 1+ years working with community members and with systems leaders
• Experience as a lead organizer and experience working with government preferred
• Must reside in Monterey County and have the ability to travel across Monterey County

Skills/Abilities

• Active knowledge and interest in racial equity, public policy, and systems change
• Strong facilitation skills; comfortable convening diverse partners and leading
• Administrative skills including the ability to manage logistics, documentation, and
• Ability to connect with technical assistance providers and statewide partners
• Skilled at navigating complex systems and building productive cross-sector partnerships
• Basic computer skills (Google Applications, NationBuilder, social media – FB, Twitter, Instagram)
• Flexibility of schedule; ability to work some nights and weekends
• Friendly communication skills in person and over phone
• Comfortable and skilled at facilitating difficult conversations and managing conflict
• Active listening skills, including the ability to summarize or articulate key points
• Ability to give, receive, and incorporate constructive feedback
• Ability to translate complex information to diverse audiences
• A willingness to deepen healing-informed practices
• Must possess a valid California Driver’s License and verifiable automobile insurance and have the use of a reasonably reliable automobile for use on the job

Benefits include Medical, Dental, Vision and 403(b). We also provide competitive vacation, and sick leave. We value the well-being and health of our employees, which is why our benefits package also includes two yearly office closures of the organization mid-year and at the end of the year that will be considered paid holiday time off. Benefits are available when an employee completes the introductory period and meets eligibility.

Physical Demands

• The employee should be able to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, talk and hear, use hands, handle, feel or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to walk.
• Able to lift a 30-pound box and carry it 100 feet; push a hand truck/ dolly with a load of 150 pounds a distance of 100 yards; and access items on shelves in files located 0 to 60 inches above the floor.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Values:

Resident centered / Resident voice, Power building, Equity, Compassion, Healing, Dignity, Authenticity, Love, Unity, Solidarity, Justice, Affiliation, Inclusion and People matter and are valued.

Values:

Resident centered / Resident voice, Power building, Equity, Compassion, Healing, Dignity, Authenticity, Love, Unity, Solidarity, Justice, Affiliation, Inclusion and People matter and are valued.