People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH Buffalo) is a membership-based community organization fighting to make affordable housing a reality on Buffalo’s West Side. Founded in 2005, PUSH Buffalo was established to: create strong neighborhoods with quality affordable housing; decrease the rate of housing abandonment by reclaiming empty houses from neglectful public and private owners and redeveloping them for occupancy by low-income residents; and develop neighborhood leaders capable of gaining community control over the development process and planning for the future of the neighborhood.
The mission of PUSH Buffalo is to mobilize residents to create strong neighborhoods with quality, affordable housing; to expand local hiring opportunities; and to advance economic justice in Buffalo.
PUSH seeks an organizing director. The successful candidate must have a strong commitment to social and economic equity; collaborating with diverse community and worker organizations; and conducting effective organizing, outreach and the promotion of a comprehensive organizing agenda.
Reports to: Director of Programs
Location: Buffalo, NY
The Organizing Director will:
- Lead efforts for community outreach, recruitment, education and grassroots politicalaction.
- Identify and develop community leaders: Organize and conduct one-on-one meetings to build relationships with potential leaders identified during recruiting measures. Training and inspiring leaders to do the same.
- Provide leadership development training to build the capacity of grassroots leaders.
- Lead campaign efforts, including developing collective goals, leading strategic planning, connecting organizing work with research and public policy.
- Build strong coalition relationships among diverse groups of organizational stakeholders and neighborhood leaders. Conduct base building with community leaders, through training and inspiring leaders to do recruitment. (canvassing, meetings, tabling, phone banking, etc.)
- Monitor and evaluate community organizing program, practices, and initiatives to ensure quality and effectiveness
- Supervise and provide leadership development opportunities for organizing staff.
- Communications: Prepare messaging and talking points, write press releases, media advisories, public statements, recruit media to events, organizer press conferences, prepare press packets, write editorials and letters to the editors, write web posts and e-mail updates. Train and inspire leaders in media and communications work.
- Running Campaigns: Facilitate PUSH Buffalo leaders in a campaign planning process through trainings. (Issue cuts, power analysis, develop campaign demands, research, escalations strategies, execution of plan/tactics/strategies,etc..) Through trainings we inspire leaders to facilitate the campaign development process.
- Leadership Development: Prepare and facilitate meetings, speak on behalf of PUSH Buffalo, set-up and coordinate lobby visits, organize public events like meetings, actions, marches, rallies, etc. Train and inspire leaders as they develop new skills. Through trainings we inspire leaders to facilitate the campaign development process.
Applicants should have the following qualifications:
- Minimum 5+years of experience in labor, community, political, or faith-based organizing Ability to think strategically and creatively about organizational development, program design and implementation.
- Experience working with communities of color, immigrant communities, and/or people whose first or only language is other than English is highly desirable.
- Experience leading multiple components of a campaign from beginning to end
- Bilingual in English and Spanish with good written and oral communication skills highly desirable
- Able to manage multiple campaigns on different timelines and with different objectives
- Experience supervising other staff or leaders in projects or campaigns
- Experience working on economic justice, energy democracy and social justice issues.
- Knowledge of national, state-wide, local and coalition based context of issues, campaigns, and work of grassroots movements.
RELATIONSHIPS
- Internal: Maintain productive working relationship with organizing and other key staff, PUSH membership and leaders.
- External: Build and maintain powerful relationships with community members, groups, partners, collaborators, and targets as required.
SALARY AND BENEFITS:
This is a full-time, salaried position. Salary is competitive, based on experience, with generous benefits. Benefits include healthcare and 401(k).
To Apply: Interested candidates should submit their resume, cover letter and two references to Rahwa Ghirmatzion at rahwa@pushbuffalo.org with [Organizing Director] in subject line. Position available immediately.
PUSH Buffalo is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenderindividuals to apply.
