Director of Organizing and Systems Change

Bread For The City•Washington, DC

About The Position

The Director of Organizing & Systems Change works with clients, community members, and staff to lead the Advocacy & Organizing Department's work. This leader is responsible for building out and shaping the direction of the Advocacy & Organizing Department in partnership with client leaders. Additionally, this person is responsible for base building among clients and community members, and supervising the incoming Advocacy & Organizing staff member who will focus on supporting Bread’s organization-wide and departmental advocacy efforts. The ideal candidate will have deep experience in local community organizing and demonstrated expertise in driving social change. Preferred candidates will bring lived experience relevant to the work and a strong understanding of the DC governmental and organizing landscape. The candidate is expected to excel in building trusting relationships with community members experiencing poverty and in coaching and developing leadership among individuals who have accessed social services in the DC metro area.

Requirements

Demonstrated commitment to social, economic, and racial justice.
Demonstrated ability to build and manage large-scale campaigns.
Minimum of 5-7 years of relevant experience in organizing, coalition building, implementing direct actions, and/or leadership development with people living on low incomes.
Minimum 3-5 years of supervisory experience.
Innovative, creative thinker who likes to move theory into action.
Excited by teaching political theory in ways that are easy to understand.
Reliable, with a high degree of follow-through.
High degree of flexibility.
Strong organizational, oral and written communication skills.
Inclusive people, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills.
Ability to work collaboratively with other staff & volunteers and interact with a wide variety of people in a professional manner.
Willingness to work flexible long hours, sometimes weeknights and weekends.
Willingness to learn and carry out Bread for the City's commitments to social justice and racial equity.
Proficient with email and web-based technology for organizing and communication purposes; Google Organization & Productivity Tools (Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar) and/or ability to learn new technology systems in the first 90 days.
Demonstrated facilitation skills.
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
Sense of humor.
Understanding of DC governance and politics.

Nice To Haves

Lived experience relevant to our work.
Strong understanding of the DC governmental and organizing landscape.
Intimate knowledge of Black and Brown communities in DC preferred.
Black people in DC are strongly encouraged to apply.
Understanding and / lived experience in public housing.

Responsibilities

Develop a map of the Advocacy & Organizing (Systems Change) department's scope of work.
Set up systems and processes to bring this scope of work to life, aligned with the commitment to anti-racism and systems reform as articulated in Bread for the City’s Strategic Plan.
Participate in and build relationships with Bread’s team of leadership Directors, Bread staff who participate in Advocacy & Organizing, Client Advisory Council (CAC), Client Organized for Racial and Economic Equity (COREE) members, and key partners and coalitions to deepen the commitment to educating through advocacy, organizing and systems reform.
Support COREE team members in planning and running organizing campaigns, guiding them through campaign phases of visioning, strategy, planning, executing tactics, debriefing, and learning.
Support the COREE team to organize community members into campaign roles and tasks, track team member roles and tasks, and support follow-through.
Recruit and support client leaders to recruit and outreach to peers and community members to join COREE and base building for organizing work at Bread for the City.
Support the COREE team to strengthen their overall cohesion and personal leadership skills, facilitating strategy for recruitment, supporting participation in organizing trainings (e.g., TMOI), and structuring learning plans for individual growth areas.
Share meeting facilitation responsibilities (e.g., rotating or scheduling) for BFC client leadership bodies (COREE and CAC).
Work with assigned members to plan COREE and CAC team meeting agendas.
Coach members to improve their facilitation skills.
Conduct retreats for relationship building.
Identify training and funding opportunities for client leaders.
Support COREE leaders to facilitate Terrence Moore Organizing Institute (TMOI) classes.
Help lead the CAC initiatives and planning events such as Juneteenth, and facilitating community partnerships between CAC & BFC.
Hire (within six months of taking on the role) and supervise a Staff Advocacy Manager.
Offer effective support and accountability through active supervision.
Practice giving and receiving feedback to cultivate a strong working relationship and effective work outcomes.
Facilitate collaboration meetings and mechanisms between the COREE and Bread staff members who engage in Systems Change work (with the Staff Advocacy Manager).
Organize political, personal, and skill development of COREE members, CAC leaders, and engaged Bread staff (with the Staff Advocacy Manager).
Perform other duties as assigned, e.g., CAC support and Fair Budget Coalition.