Lead Campaign Organizer/Campaigner

The Opportunity

Essie Justice Group (Essie) is building grassroots power to dismantle the US incarceration system, the most egregious creator of racial and gender injustice of our time. We are a loving and powerful community of women with incarcerated loved ones. Our community includes cisgender women, transgender women, formerly incarcerated women, gender nonconforming (GNC) people, elders, and young people.

 

After eight years of building an active membership across California and beyond, Essie is deepening its base-building and leadership development strategies with the 1 in 4 women with incarcerated loved ones to propel bold decarceration agendas across the nation. We seek to transform the criminal legal system and create a Black feminist future rooted in care, equity, community safety, and liberation. As the opportunities to build upon our advocacy work continue to grow, we are seeking an experienced, people-oriented Lead Campaign Organizer to help develop and run campaigns that leverage our collective power and transform systems of control and confinement. 

 

The Lead Campaign Organizer is a powerful strategist and inspiring leader who is passionate about campaigning and believes deeply in leveraging people power to move campaign targets. As a valued member of the Campaigns & Advocacy team, the Lead Campaign Organizer collaborates on long-term and near-term strategy development, and leads on the development and implementation of member-focused campaign tactics that will best position us to win on policy demands that impact the lives of our members.

Start date: July 24, 2023

 

 

Core Responsibilities

Campaign Development & Implementation – Collaboratively contribute to campaign development and guide partner & member participation in campaigns.

• Participate in the overall development of campaign strategy and tactics, contributing knowledge and specific expertise from experience, learnings, and field assessments from issue area work, as well as sourcing and cultivating ideas from the experiences and expertise of Essie’s membership.
• Conduct strategic research related to campaign targets and the power analysis necessary for effective campaigning, and help lead and participate in related strategy sessions with members and staff.
• Plan, develop, and coordinate strategic tactics that demonstrate power to our campaign targets and engage and build the power of our membership base to advance goals in key issue areas and campaigns.
• Work effectively within coalitions to build and hold relationships with coalition partners and to advance and resource campaign goals that strengthen our movement broadly.  Enlist and coordinate the participation of internal & external partners to ensure campaign cohesion and success.

 

Member Engagement & Training – Inform, train, collaborate with, and advance the leadership and expertise of Essie members to navigate policy and develop skills that will drive Essie’s campaigns and advocacy work forward.

• Develop and lead training opportunities for Essie members that offer political education on key issue areas, as well as an opportunity to weigh in on campaign strategy and tactics for active campaigns.
• Prepare and deliver presentations, agendas, materials, and activities that resonate, are deeply relevant, and engaging to Essie members and help ensure they can make critical campaign and policy decisions through voting.
• Build excitement and reduce barriers for members participating in campaign tactics, and help grow and track data around the number of members actively engaging in our campaigns and advocacy work.

 

 

Who We’re Looking For 

Ideal Qualifications

• 4+ years of campaign organizing and tactical planning experience at either federal, state, or local level. Previous experience in decarceration advocacy is a strong plus.
• Experience leading staff and volunteer teams to participate in issue-based, policy change campaigns, including meeting facilitation, coaching, and training.
• Commitment to supporting the leadership of women and gender non-conforming people with incarcerated loved ones and our families.
• Compelling and detail-oriented writing, editing, and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to make accurate and clear assessments about campaign strategy and, with foresight, make determinations, produce insightful ideas, and align with a team on impactful next steps.
• Excellent time-management, organizational, and event planning skills.
  Track record as a collaborative teammate who can also thrive in independent projects.
• ​​Adept at computer programs including Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and Google Suite.
• Commitment to the beliefs and values of Essie with a demonstrated passion for progressive politics, specifically in gender justice, race justice and ending mass incarceration.

 

Qualities

• People-focused, power-based campaigning is your superpower. You find tremendous joy in figuring out how we activate the leadership of the people most impacted to move decision-makers to pass legislation.
• A determined, methodical executor. You are extremely organized and coordinate meetings and events with skill, grace and inspiration, especially in a fast-paced, focused environment. You relish strong work plans and time management tools to support your and the project’s success. You anticipate needs and take initiative to address them. “I persist despite obstacles” is one of your mottos.
• Committed to evolution. You are committed to continuously deepening and evolving your own understanding of systems of oppression through study, openness, and humility. And you easily recognize your own relationship to privilege and power, examining and shifting your behaviors as appropriate.
• Values people, process, and results. You are an exceptionally hard worker. You have an uncanny ability to create an inspiring environment in which stuff gets done with speed, great impact, and focus.
• Discernment and honesty we can trust. You are a thoughtful team member who acts in alignment with your integrity and are unfailingly trustworthy. You earn rather than demand the trust of people by listening and making decisions thoughtfully.
• Uplifting and additive. You see mistakes as opportunities for growth; problems as catalysts for solutions, and inspire others along the journey. You carry a positive approach, can-do attitude, a sense of humor, and authentic kindness wherever you go.

 

The Position

The Lead Campaign Organizer is a full-time exempt position. This position is supervised by the Senior Strategist. The salary for this position is between $85,000-$95,000 depending on experience with full medical, dental and vision benefits, optional 401(k), a substantial vacation package, and a monthly personal wellness stipend. The position will be based in either Los Angeles or Oakland. All Essie staff are required to be vaccinated against Covid-19, with limited exceptions for medical or religious reasons.

 

To Apply

Please address a personal, specific, and thoughtful cover letter to the “Essie Hiring Committee” and submit along with a resume through our hiring portal (https://essiejusticegroup.bamboohr.com/jobs). Your resume tells us what you can do; your cover letter should tell us who you are and why you want to work with Essie.

 

Essie Justice Group provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all staff members. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and skills. Essie does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, immigration status, socioeconomic status, ancestry, age, size, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, familial status, veteran status, disability, AIDS/HIV status, medical condition, prior conviction, arrest history, traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Essie values and specifically seeks applicants who are people with incarcerated loved ones; formerly incarcerated people; people of color; women; queer, transgender, gender non-conforming (GNC), and gender fluid people.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, performance assessment, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

About Essie Justice Group

Essie Justice Group is a non profit organization of women with incarcerated loved ones taking on the rampant injustices created by mass incarceration. Our award-winning Healing to Advocacy Model brings women together to heal, build collective power, and drive social change. Essie is Great Place to Work-Certified™ by Great Place to Work.

Learn more at www.essiejusticegroup.org.