JOBS

Posted March 13, 2023

STATE ORGANIZING DIRECTOR
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JOB TITLE:    State Organizing Director
TYPE:    12-Month, Full Time, Contracted Position
LOCATION:    Primarily remote work with travel as needed 
REPORTS TO:    Founding Director
RATE:    $5,000-$6,250 per month, based on experience
AVAILABILITY:    Monday-Friday, weeknights and weekends as needed 

​About Honesty for Ohio Education
Established in the summer of 2021, Honesty for Ohio Education is a nonpartisan, statewide coalition that believes every student deserves an honest high-quality education grounded in truth, facts, and diverse perspectives regardless of race, identity, background, or zip code. The coalition serves as a centralized network to educate, advocate, and build community around honest education; the affirmation of all identities, cultures, and lived experiences; and protecting the rights and safety of all students, families, and educators.  We do this important work at three critical access points to education: the Ohio Statehouse, the State Board of Education, and local school districts. Our mission is guided by shared values and community agreements, and rooted in a Race Class Narrative framework. Born from a grassroots effort to combat extremist censorship legislation imported into the Ohio Statehouse, today, Honesty partners with more than 50 organizations and thousands of students, families, educators, and stakeholders to advance an honest, inclusive education agenda and build a multiracial democracy.

About the State Organizing Director Role
Since its inception, the coalition has been growing a statewide education movement while prioritizing extremist attacks at the Statehouse and State Board of Education. The State Organizing Director will grow the movement into local communities by launching and leading a statewide local community organizing plan in school district communities across Ohio. This role will build on the foundational work of the coalition as they co-design and operationalize the organizing plan, and hire and lead a statewide organizing team as the program grows. Successful experience in statewide organizing, a demonstrated record of multicultural collaboration and networking, and excellent team-building skills are essential for this role. The State Organizing Director will work closely with the Founding Director, Communications Manager, and key coalition partners.

​Essential Duties And Responsibilities

The role is organized into three phases:

1. Prepare and launch a statewide local community organizing plan in targeted regions across the state 
2. Hire, train, and lead the organizing team and collaborate with field organizers 
3. Provide ongoing leadership, campaign development, and strategic direction that ensures the viability and sustainability of organizing plan

Job Responsibilities

• Works closely with the founding director, key partners, and support team to design, develop and implement the community organizing campaign infrastructure, including technology platforms, communications platforms, and organizing manual
• Oversees the hiring, training, and management of field organizing teams
• Works with organizing staff to establish team structure, roles and duties, and meeting schedule
• Trains the organizing staff on the organizing manual, technology platforms, launching local teams, and power mapping local communities 
• Provides ongoing, hands-on support for organizing staff during and after the initial launch
• Manages state-level organizing technology platforms and state-level data collected from field organizers
• Provides ongoing support for organizing staff to leverage digital outreach & engagement, coalition partners, and in-person outreach for the field organizers
• Provides thought leadership and support for organizing staff around community advocacy, actions, and events addressing school district issues
• Works with organizing staff to ensure local teams are upholding the coalition's mission and values while advancing honest education, Whole Child framework, DEI, and best practices for school districts
• Provides regular reporting and updates about the community organizing campaign, and local-level trends and patterns to the founding director and Honesty working teams
• Collaborates with Honesty working teams to respond to state-level issues, as appropriate​​

Desired Qualifications

• Deep and active commitment to Honesty values and community agreements
• 2-3+ years/cycles of political/electoral, labor, or community organizing experience
• Experience hiring and managing a team of organizers
• Experience designing and implementing an organizing program
• Experience training and supporting volunteers 
• Experience building diverse and inclusive teams and organizations
• Experience working across intersectional groups (race, class, gender, orientation, religion, ability, national origin, culture, etc.) to achieve common goals
• Strong understanding of the internal, interpersonal, and institutional impacts of oppression, especially as they relate to educational institutions and a demonstrated commitment to equity  
• Digital platform proficiency and experience

​Desired Qualities

• A Leader Who Develops Others: You take responsibility for motivating others, coordinating effective collective action, and building powerful teams -- even in the face of obstacles. You seek to unleash leadership in others, igniting responsibility and ownership in those around you.  
  
• Courageous and Determined: You draw from deep values and beliefs so you continue to take action towards goals, even in the face of change, fear, loss, conflict, and uncertainty. 
  
• Ambitious and Creative: You are someone who takes initiative, and someone willing to try, fail, learn, and try again. When things get difficult you get creative and continue trying and learning until you succeed.
  
• Emotionally Intelligent: You connect with people naturally and are able to see people as full human beings. Your understanding of others’ needs, desires, and interests makes you an effective organizer.    ​​

The State Organizing Director will be a contracted position, billing for no more than 40 hours per week. This position will report to the Honesty for Ohio Education founding director and work in partnership with the Core Team, Communications Team, Advocacy Team, and Honesty coalition partners.   ​

How to Apply
​Interested applicants should submit a job-specific cover letter highlighting their skills and interests, an updated resume, and a list of three current references (name, role & contact information) in an email to info@honestyforohioeducation.org. Indicate “State Organizing Director” in the subject line. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
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Honesty for Ohio Education is committed to providing equal opportunity and building an inclusive and equitable work environment. All qualified candidates will be considered without regard to race, religion, sexuality, gender, national origin, disability, or age.