Seattle Community Organizer
Xochitl Maykovich
Washington CAN is hiring a community organizer to organize around tenant rights and housing justice in Seattle! Join us!
Who we are:
Through local, state, and national level organizing, Washington Community Action Network organizes to advance policies that will transform the lives of low-income people and people of color, including: quality, affordable healthcare that leaves no one behind; freedom from pernicious debt in its various forms; a criminal justice system that uplifts rather than punishes communities of color; an immigration system that supports human dignity and keeps families together; a housing market that ensures everyone has access to safe, accessible, and affordable housing; and economic security in our communities, .
Position:
The purpose of this position is to further housing justice, dismantle institutional racism, and strengthen tenant rights in Seattle. Through our work, we have successfully passed tenant rights legislation and led direct actions to hold landlords accountable. The Seattle organizer will recruit, train, and develop a diverse team of low-income renters to advocate for stronger tenant rights. The community organizer motivates and empowers people to be effective advocates for housing justice in their communities. Your goal will be to organize renters who have not previously been civically engaged.
Example tasks of position:
In this position, you will doorknock apartment buildings 2-3 times a week in the evenings, talking to renters throughout the city. You will generally meet with at least 5 tenants one-on-one throughout the week. You will plan monthly community meetings. Occasionally, you will support other organizers throughout the region with their events in a variety of ways, such as helping drive members to community meetings. You will work with partner organizations on different issues and campaigns. Many of the tenants you will work with have problems with their landlords, ranging from substandard living conditions to eviction, so you will need to feel comfortable working with people who have experienced or are experiencing trauma. The overall goal of your work is to build towards systemic change on the city and state level through policy.
Qualifications:
- Demonstrated commitment to fighting for racial, gender, and economic justice.
- Experience in community or labor organizing desired, but not required.
- Ability to develop and implement goals based on critical thinking about grassroots organizing strategy and tactics.
- Ability to work as part of a team, commitment to pitching in to help others.
- Good sense of humor because the work is intense
- Experience working in an environment where diversity based on race, nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation and physical ability is an important value.
- Ability to speak a second language strongly preferred. Desired languages include Spanish, Somali, Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Vietnamese. Even if you do not have experience, but you have native/bilingual fluency in a language other than English, please apply!
- Self-motivated, resourceful, and creative.
- Effective oral and written communicator, values and fosters open communication, uses and understands the importance of active listening skills.
- Values self-improvement, able to accept praise and critical feedback and seeks evaluation.
- Experience with and commitment to working on racial justice issues and / or working in communities of color.
- Strong personal time management skills and the ability to work under pressure.
- Bachelor’s Degree not required.
- A valid driver’s license and access to a car.
The Seattle Community Organizer position is a full-time position with health and dental coverage after 90 days, 401(k) pension plan, and paid holiday, vacation, and sick leave. Pay will be $35,000 - $37,000. Some evenings and weekends will be required. Organizers work a forty hour work week and are eligible for overtime. Organizers will be part of a community organizing team that works in unison to support local, state, and national campaigns on a range of issues. We are a child-friendly workplace.
Washington CAN is an aggressive affirmative action employer. People of color, women, immigrants, people with disabilities, LGBTQ people, and people with low-income backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
BENEFITS
Health and dental coverage after 90 days, 401(k) pension plan, and paid holiday, vacation, and sick leave. Overtime eligibile, but most weeks will be 40 hours.
LEVEL OF LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
Spanish, Somali, Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, or Vietnamese [bilingual/native fluency] strongly desired, but not required.
PROFESSIONAL LEVEL
Entry level
MINIMUM EDUCATION REQUIRED
No requirement
HOW TO APPLY
xoc...@washingtoncan.org
http://www.washingtoncan.org
Send your resume, cover letter, and three references to xoc...@washingtoncan.org
In your cover letter, please detail any personal connections/experiences you have with the issues we work on.
Please apply by 5pm on August 17th. We will do two rounds of interviews and then make the hiring decision. We anticipate a month-long interview process starting after we close the application window. We are open to out-of-state applicants.