Teachers Unite (TU) is an independent membership organization of public school educators in New York City, collaborating with youth and parents to transform public schools. We resist institutions that segregate and criminalize Black and Brown youth, such as the school-to-prison pipeline, by organizing educators to work as allies in campaigns for social and economic justice. We develop and share resources for restorative justice and school-based power-building that promote grassroots leadership in public education, and we conduct collaborative research on pressing educational issues. We believe that schools can only be transformed when educators work with and learn from parents and youth to achieve social and economic justice.

TU seeks an experienced organizer to join our team and grow a powerful and strategic base of educators as allies to NYC communities of color in the fight for social justice. The Organizing Director will oversee, implement, and carryout a wide range of organizational activities related to base-building, leadership development, and campaign development, including: one-to-one meetings with members, prospective members, and allies; coordination of members’ activities in our coalition campaign; communications development and management; coordination of TU leadership cohorts and political education trainings; community event planning. The Organizing Director will work with the Executive Director, TU leaders, and allies to develop a campaign that demands the Department of Education divest from NYPD and invest in school staff hires that support positive school climates.

We are seeking a candidate who can work in a consultant capacity for two months (within a mutually agreed upon scope of work and budget), with the opportunity for being hired January 1st as full-time staff with salary in the range of $55K-$65K.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate TU members to lead 3-4 borough-based cohorts where educators develop school-based organizing projects that interrupt the School to Prison Pipeline.
• Develop political education and organizing training series for members and allies
• Grow TU’s dues-paying membership by planning and executing strategic outreach and recruitment campaigns (including email, text, phone calls, school-site meetings, one-to-one meetings)
• Coordinate TU member representation and leadership within Dignity in Schools Campaign-New York
• Attend monthly DSC-NY Steering Committee meetings
• Attend monthly DSC-NY Campaign Meetings
• Recruit and prepare TU membership in DSC-NY meetings, public actions, op-eds, meetings with decision-makers, etc.
• Recruit and support TU participation in occasional DSC National activities and meetings
• Support participatory campaign research as needed: identify key questions from members and support any necessary data analysis
• Manage administrative tasks including updating calendar, collecting and submitting receipts, data entry and organization, correspondence, note-taking, Google Drive document organization, etc.
• Support social media, website, and other digital content development
• Coordinate community-building events including support with grassroots fundraising event planning, particularly as pertains to TU member participation in, and leadership of, those events.
• Attend Board meetings and prepare discussions relevant to Organizing Director’s scope of work

Requirements

➢ Minimum three years experience in community, school, and/or labor organizing including: member outreach and recruitment, leadership development, and issue campaign development

➢ Demonstrated commitment and passion for social justice and understanding of grassroots organizing approach to social change

➢ Knowledgeable about issues pertaining to the Prison Industrial Complex; prison abolition; school-to-prison pipeline; and transformative justice

➢ Direct experience with New York City public schools (Experience as a public school educator a plus!)

➢ Curious, inquisitive, and demonstrates a love of learning

➢ Self-starter and self-directed leader with a proven ability to envision new possibilities, think strategically, work collaboratively, and take initiative

➢ Experience with (and willingness to) work within small staff team; willingness to roll up sleeves and manage minor organizational and technical tasks as necessary

➢ Have strong written and verbal communication skills

➢ Strong interpersonal skills; positive attitude, team-player; proven ability to share leadership, delegate appropriately, develop shared accountability structures, be held accountable to agreed upon outcomes, and hold others accountable to agreed upon outcomes as well

➢ Excellent ability to work with diverse groups

➢ Ability to work some evenings and weekends as necessary

We see structural racism and capitalism as the core of the problems in public education. These roots manifest in a wide range of issues in our school system including the disappearance of Black and Latinx educators, criminalization and police in schools, funding disparities, culturally unresponsive curriculum and pedagogy, and so much more. These issues directly impact people of color, people from working class backgrounds, women and LGBTQ people in detrimental ways. We believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.

How to Apply