OAT Rural Strategies Organizer Central Oregon

Oregon Food Bank Inc•Portland, OR

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Rural Strategies Organizer will contribute to the organization’s success through cultivating long-term relationships with community organizations and building an ever growing base of community leaders in rural and small town Oregon. This role supports OFB’s strategic priority to bridge the rural/urban divide and “build a bigger we” by expanding community power in rural and small-town communities. You will organize community leaders and strategic partners in key regions through increasing levels of commitment and a strategic partnerships continuum respectively. From recruitment, to political education, non-partisan electoral organizing to leadership development, the Rural Strategies Organizer ensures that we are building political power to advance systems and policy change to end hunger and its root causes. The organizer works directly with the Strategic Partnerships Manager and in consultation with the Statewide organizing team to contribute to advancing a strategic movement building framework that increases the power of the Food Justice Movement across Oregon. Success in this role will be measured by growth in community leadership, strengthened rural partnerships, and increased participation in organizing and advocacy efforts.

Requirements

Deep passion for eliminating hunger and its root causes.
Strong preference for candidates who live in or have deep ties to Central or Southwest Oregon communities.
Experience living and/or organizing in rural, small town communities.
Excellent relationship-building skills. Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain values-based relationships with a variety of multicultural and multi-sector partners.
Experience working in formal and/or informal coalition spaces.
2-3 years experience in community engagement.
Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing with a range of audiences.
Fluency in community organizing skills and ability to apply skills in a range of contexts. Demonstrated ability to use these skills to center and elevate the leadership of BIPOC community members.
Strong public speaking and facilitation skills, including presentations and trainings to a wide range of audiences.
Self-directed; able to take initiative and maintain a high level of accountability
Process-minded; excels at managing and improving processes.
Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive information effectively and confidentially.
Exceptional interpersonal skills with high degree of emotional intelligence; possess cultural agility skills to work effectively with diverse groups of individuals and communities.
An unwavering commitment to racial justice.
Disposition and willingness to maximize multiple perspectives to innovate, problem solve and seek creative solutions.
Experience in modeling intercultural competence and demonstrated commitment to equity and social justice.
Demonstrated ability to think strategically, collaborate, take initiative, and to maintain confidentiality.
Project coordination and organization skills; ability to manage multiple projects with attention to detail; ability to handle interruptions, and produce timely, accurate work.
Ability to both work independently and as part of a team; comfortable working in an office environment and offsite.
Ability to thrive in a diverse, creative, responsive, mission-driven, and fast-paced work culture.
Experience of successful multicultural immersion working and/or living within OFB's Equity Constituencies: BIPoC, Immigrants & Refugees, Single Mothers, Trans and Gender-Non-Conforming folx.
Multicultural Immersion defined as: Actively integrated in one or more communities, interacting with individuals and groups, and seeking to understand the diversities within and between communities by being there and engaging in daily life activities.

Nice To Haves

Multilingual skills at a minimum professional level of proficiency or greater in English and any additional language/s, defined as being able to speak the languages with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical and professional topics.
Multicultural skills of adaptation and integration are strongly preferred. Adaptation is defined as the capacity to communicate and interact with people of multiple cultures, backgrounds, and styles by incorporating and adapting to the world view and perspectives of others. Integration is defined as being able to “code-switch” or move in and out of one's worldview and help others understand different cultures, backgrounds, and styles to promote diversity and inclusion.
Commitment to continued professional development to strengthen capacity to work through an equity lens for equity and racial justice.
Strong capacity to consider multiple perspectives, to pivot to respond to emerging needs and lead through organizational changes.
Years of successful multicultural immersion either working with and/or living within one or more of OFB’s Equity Constituencies at the time of hire. An additional step for at least 10 years above minimum required of successful multicultural immersion working with and/or living within one or more of OFB’s Equity Constituencies at the time of hire.

Responsibilities

Develops and cultivates long-term, interdependent relationships with community-based organizations and leaders.
Build and support a community leadership team that co-creates and implements grassroots and grasstops organizing strategies & tactics in support of our priority policy change campaigns.
Engage community members and organizational partners in all aspects of our statewide field organizing program, including Ending Hunger Power Nights, 1 on 1s, Leader Camps, phone banks, relational organizing and other analysis, skills building and action tactics that increase levels of commitment and leadership.
Lead and/or participate in programmatic elements of statewide field organizing program such as Ending Hunger Power Nights, community forums, and educational workshops and other community-building events & activities with a focus on building political power.
Mobilize people to actions and events through phone banking, texting, canvassing (door-to-door), & digital organizing, etc.
Participate in and support rapid response organizing efforts aligned with statewide campaigns and coalition priorities.
Participate in co-leading organizing trainings within OFB, with our organizational partners or with community members.
Represents Oregon Food Bank at various coalition spaces and tables aligned with our food justice priorities, including active participation, strategy contribution, and accountability to shared coalition goals.
Identify leaders who want to participate in sharing their stories and expertise in media, legislative testimony or other communications and advocacy strategies.
Based on capacity and as assigned, provide on the ground support to local organizing campaigns & coalitions aligned with our priorities.
Participate fully in cross-department teams as assigned or as critical to position responsibilities.
Participate fully in OFB’s Organizing and Advocacy Team, share leadership across the team in peer to peer collaboration and team development.
Participate fully in OFB’s organizational planning processes, data and technology systems, lobbying and finance tracking processes and organizational equity journey.
Travel within the region on a regular basis and to Portland and/or Salem 2-3 times per year.
To be an ambassador and a leader for OFB’s vision and mission, a cross-departmental collaborator, and an active contributor to building a movement to end hunger for good by addressing the root causes of hunger: systemic oppressions such as racism, xenophobia, sexism, and cisexism.
In consultation and coordination with the supervisor, actively contribute to cross-departmental efforts, work culture activities and programming, advisory and consultative groups such as the compensation committee, affinity groups, Equity Ambassadors, Equity Think Tank meetings, among others.
Plan and engage in professional development activities that strengthen your capacity for your specific role as well as your capacity to contribute and advance organizational goals, OFB’s vision and mission.
Identify, share, engage in, and collaboratively adjust and make necessary changes to this description of duties according to the inevitable evolution of the role over time.