OOC seeks a AOK (All In For Ohio Kids) Lead Parent Organizer

AOK Lead Parent Organizer

Ohio Organizing Collaborative The Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OOC) is an innovative statewide organization that unites community, faith, and student organizing groups with labor unions and policy institutes across Ohio. It is our mission to organize everyday Ohioans, building transformative power for racial, social, and economic justice in our state. For more information, please visit www.ohorganizing.org. 

Parent Organizer

The OOC seeks a community organizer to build a grassroots base of parents working to improve public education in Ohio. This position will be part of the All in for Ohio Kids coalition focused on fully and fairly funding Ohio’s schools so that every kid can get a great education no matter their race, income or zip code.

Candidates will be focused on recruiting parent leaders across Ohio in communities hit hardest by economic distress and will work on a range of issues connected to supporting and funding public education. This person should have either personal experience as a public-school parent or professional experience working with schools and communities. Candidates should be committed to building community power through grassroots organizing, movement building, and civic engagement. 

Required Skills & Abilities The Lead Organizer is a self-motivated and detail-oriented critical thinker with a strong track record of successfully and concurrently managing a variety of initiatives. They are committed to the principles of social justice and diversity, equity and inclusion, have a leadership background, and know how to manage a large volume of relationships and solve problems quickly and efficiently. An OOC Organizer possesses strong planning and organizational skills, strong time management skills, strong relational and interpersonal skills, and strong written and oral communication skills. Ideally, they have at least five years of related experience and are proficient in office and database software, and social media platforms. 

Job Responsibilities 

  • Able to work effectively with diverse staff, leaders, partners, and the general public.

  • Works closely with the team and supervisor to develop and implement campaign and work plans, and a yearly professional development plan.

  • Able to work with leaders across race, class, and gender to align different interests towards the common goal of building community power to win progressive reforms. 

  • Identifies and develops community power building relationships with a broad leadership base of grassroots groups, faith-based institutions, and social/economic justice advocates. 

  • Recruit parents into volunteer teams to educate and motivate people to take action around local and statewide education related issues.

  • Identifies issues and works with teams to strategize and implement short- and long-term campaigns at the local, regional, and statewide levels.

  • Trains grassroots leaders and groups to identify issues with attainable goals through engaging leadership base in participatory research and political education.

  • Organizes [a] outreach activities with volunteers including canvassing, phone/texting banking, and tabling, [b] leadership development and organizing activities such as training, leadership and committee meetings, and [c] large-scale public events including community conversations, town halls, public meetings, and demonstrations. 

  • Integrates community organizing with long-term, community-driven policy change efforts. 

  • Participates in campaign framing and messaging, including collaborating on talking points, press releases, reports, social media, and other communications materials as necessary. 

  • Attend and actively participate in team and statewide meetings, meet regularly with supervisor, submit all reports in a timely manner, and attend professional organizer training as required. 

  • Has some understanding of the intersection between race, class, and gender’s effect on socio economic policy and believes in progressive values.

Please note: This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities are based on campaign needs and may change.

Position Details The Lead Organizer is a full-time salaried position. A Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience is preferred but persons meeting the skills listed above should still apply. Benefits include health/dental insurance, vacation, and retirement match. The organizer must possess a cell phone, an Ohio driver’s license and have access to a reliable automobile. In-state and national travel is required. Some weekend and evening hours will be required. Work-related expenses are reimbursed according to policy.  Physical requirements include frequent standing, walking, ability to sit in meetings and lift moderate weight for supplies. Columbus based candidates are preferred but not required.

Classification Ohio Organizing Collaborative recognizes a staff bargaining unit with the Ohio Organizing Collaborative Staff Union. This position is included in the Ohio Organizing Collaborative’s bargaining unit and covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

Experience and Salary Range Previous experience is preferred but not required. Lead organizer salaries start at $60,000 and can be increased commensurate with experience.  People with more organizing experience should still apply and can be considered for Lead Organizer. Lead Organizer positions begin at $60,000-$75,000.

EEO/AAP Policy Statement The Ohio Organizing Collaborative provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, criminal history, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. 

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

Application Instructions: Priority deadline ends January 20th but applications will be accepted until the position is filled. To apply, please submit a brief cover letter explaining why you are interested in the position, your resume and professional references to ooc_hr@ohorganizing.org.