Climate Defiance, an organization working to fight climate change, is seeking an Organizing Director to lead our organizing work. We work to elevate climate change as a top political issue in the US through direct actions, such as creative protests, disruptions, and sit-ins, to put grassroots pressure on political leaders and generate critical visibility around the urgency of the climate crisis.

As the Organizing Director, you will manage a team of organizers and volunteers across the country. You will be responsible for our effort to build deep grassroots engagement and shake people in power to their core.

More about Climate Defiance:

We humiliate climate criminals in order to strip them of their power, shake society awake, and end the era of fossil fuels.

We don’t do petitions. We don’t do coalition letters about net-zero by 2050 goals. We don’t do bus stop ads.

We do direct actions. And we get results.

We’ve made leaders in the highest echelons of business and government resign in shame from their positions of power. We’ve played a crucial role in successful fights to protect public lands and halt fossil fuel infrastructure. And we’re just warming up.

Climate Defiance is a group of staff and volunteers who are deeply concerned about the climate crisis and fed up with our leaders failing us. We come from many walks of life, but all know we are facing an existential crisis, with no time to lose. We are done waiting for our leaders who compromise, drag their feet, and are, all too often, in the pockets of the fossil fuel industry. We seek to make climate change a top-3 issue in American politics. We seek to end the era of fossil fuels. We will do this through direct actions that break through the noise and make politicians act with the urgency this moment deserves.

We’ve already seen success. We played a prominent role in halting drilling on tens of millions of acres. We helped win a pause on fracked gas exports. The return of the Trump Presidency presents a major challenge, but we are ready to rise up and resist with the intensity that this crisis demands.

The role:

As the Organizing Director, you will supervise all organizers and work closely with volunteers.

Your responsibilities will include:

Managing up to five organizing staff members in cities across the country; and working closely with volunteers as well.
Hiring and training new organizers as the organization expands;
Providing regular check-ins, coaching, and training support around organizing skills,  planning, and strategizing to help the organizers be effective in their work;
Supporting the organizers to organize successful direct action events;
Guiding organizers around key tactics, including partnership work and media outreach;
Traveling to chapters to provide in-person training and support and participate in direct actions;
Supporting Climate Defiance’s fundraising work by participating in events and stepping in as needed.
Helping design and manage our pipeline of online-to-real-life volunteers.

What we’re looking for in you:

Key qualifications:

You have a minimum of three years of organizing or campaigning experience;
You have at least two years of management experience, ideally in a campaign, advocacy, or grassroots organizing setting;
You have experience managing teams of volunteers and believe in the power of collective action;
You have participated in and/ or have led nonviolent direct actions (disruptive actions such as creative protests, strikes, sit-ins, or blockades) and are interested in its importance in climate change work;
You have strong communication skills;
You are a strategic thinker who can help staff and volunteers push through challenges and come up with successful plans;
You have the flexibility and readiness for actions and site visits. The travel expectation for this role is 25%.
Preferred qualifications:

You have managed staff or volunteers outside of the city you are based in;
You have experience in leading systematic conflict resolution;
Your convictions align with the principles of nonviolent confrontation, direct action, and disruption.
You have experience in climate change advocacy (though organizers from other causes will definitely be considered!)
Details:

Candidates can be based anywhere in the U.S., with a preference for large cities. Due to the travel involved, it’s helpful to be based near a major airport.
The salary for this position is $62,400 with additional benefits, including unlimited vacation time (with 20 days plus Christmas week encouraged), group health care, and a 401(k) with a 3% employer contribution. Climate Defiance has a flat salary structure where all employees are paid the same.
You will report to our Executive Director and work closely with staff across the organization, including our communications, development, and people and culture teams.
Note: For more senior candidates who have operations and/or organization-wide management experience, we are open to a role with a wider set of responsibilities and with a different title, such as Deputy Director. We are happy to explore this possibility in the interview process and encourage candidates with this type of experience to indicate interest in their application. Salary and benefits would be the same.

To apply: Please visit https://www.climatedefiance.org/jobs and click on the Organizing Director job and choose “Apply To Position” to apply. (If you choose another apply button, your application will be incomplete.) Thank you!

Climate Defiance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and impassioned team, with a special emphasis on encouraging applications from women, gender non-conforming individuals, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, individuals with disabilities, and other individuals from historically marginalized communities. We uphold a policy of non-discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or medical condition. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

About Population Connection:
Population Connection raises awareness about the impacts of global population growth on the environment and human well-being. We make the connection between advancing reproductive rights and health and preserving the natural world.

We work to ensure that every woman around the world who wants to delay or end childbearing has access to the health services and contraceptive supplies she needs in order to do so. Our advocacy team builds grassroots support for universal access to voluntary family planning services.

#Fight4HER is our grassroots campaign focused on expanding access to safe, affordable, and comprehensive reproductive health care worldwide.

We are seeking Regional Field Organizers to serve as local #Fight4HER community organizers in one of four locations. There 4 open positions. One each in Tucson, AZ, Las Vegas, NV, Southern New Hampshire, and Raleigh-Durham NC. Candidates must live in or be willing to move to one of the locations.

How you will contribute:

You will support the #Fight4HER campaign’s efforts to educate and mobilize voters to reach out to their elected government officials and encourage them to support pro-choice policies and increased funding for international planning programs.

You will build long-term partnerships with student and community groups and various social justice organizations to build support for Population Connection’s legislative agenda. This outreach is conducted through email and phone calls to the general public – from college students to senior citizens – with the goal of generating a large and diverse grassroots force in support of international family planning and reproductive health and rights.

Through this work, you will recruit a volunteer base with whom you will execute campaign goals. You will coordinate with these advocates to set up speaking engagements, meetings with members of Congress, volunteer activities, and other events.

Other responsibilities include monitoring current events, building relationships with pro-choice, progressive community organizations, providing existing members and volunteers with materials and information for local advocacy efforts, and supporting Population Connection Action Fund’s electoral efforts. This is intended to be a year-round organizing position and is not cyclical.

Location: Hybrid, with significant in-person time; must be willing to organize and attend in-person events, such as weekly meetings, petitioning/canvassing events, door knocking, etc.; evening and weekend work required. Must live in or be willing to move to one of four locations (Tucson, AZ, Las Vegas, NV, Southern New Hampshire, or Raleigh-Durham, NC)

Key responsibilities

●     Serve as local #Fight4HER community organizer

●     Ensure local field program reflects #Fight4HER’s national priorities and messaging while remaining locally relevant

●     Provide weekly reports to Senior Director of Advocacy and Outreach and National Field Director

●     Identify and recruit volunteers through direct outreach, relational organizing, and digital platforms

●     Develop and maintain systems to track volunteer engagement and growth

●     Conduct advocacy and organizing trainings for volunteers

●     Train and mentor volunteers to take on organizing activities and leadership roles

●     Canvass neighborhoods, make phone calls, and text supporters to build support and collect data

●     Lead various direct action and volunteer mobilization efforts as required, including but not limited to petitioning, Letters to the Editor, and local lobbying efforts

●     Support digital organizing efforts in EveryAction platform, such as data entry and email distribution

§  Maintain and update contact lists, calendars, and internal databases, including volunteer and activist notes

●     Represent #Fight4HER at public-facing events, meetings, and community forums

§  Deliver clear, values-based messaging that resonates with community members

§  Act as a spokesperson or liaison when needed, helping translate the campaign’s goals to the public (including to local media as necessary)

●     Think creatively about opportunities to grow #Fight4HER campaign and bolster efforts

●     Maintain confidentiality and ensure secure handling of sensitive volunteer or community data

Additional responsibilities

●     Monitor supply levels (e.g., canvassing materials, swag, flyers) and submit purchase or replenishment requests

●     Track, collect, and submit expense reports, receipts, and reimbursements in a timely manner

●     Organize and archive photos, testimonials, and event documentation for future communications use

Requirements:

●     3-5 years of relevant work experience (e.g., community organizing, campaign organizing, political organizing)

●     Pro-choice: candidates must support every individual’s right to determine their own pregnancy and childbearing outcomes

●     Must live in or be willing to move to one of four locations (Tucson, AZ, Las Vegas, NV, Southern New Hampshire, or Raleigh-Durham, NC).

●     Must understand and appreciate the connection between population dynamics and reproductive health advocacy

●     Experience with social media management and best practices for each platform (Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, Threads)

●     Independent, curious self-starter who requires minimal day-to-day oversight

●     Detail-oriented, organized, efficient, and flexible

●     Must have a valid driver’s license and access to a reliable car

●     Willing to travel, sometimes on short notice

Desired Qualifications

●     Strong proficiency in digital organizing tools, including EveryAction, Mobilize, and Hustle

●     Familiarity with Canva design tool

●     Fluency in Spanish is a bonus but not required

Travel

●     Regular domestic travel

●     Potential large international conferences, not more than once per year

●     Annual staff retreat in Virginia in June

Compensation
Population Connection will provide a salary commensurate with experience, ranging from $80,000 to $85,000. Benefits include generous annual and sick leave; 12 paid holidays plus winter break; medical, dental, and vision insurance; life and disability insurance; and 401K match. A professional development budget of $2,000 a year will be provided to support continuing education.

To apply

Please email the following documents in one file to [email protected]. Please reference Regional Field Organizer and the location in your subject line.

●     Resume and cover letter

●     One writing sample (campaign materials preferred)

●     Contact information for three professional references, preferably those who have managed your work in the past