Regional Organizer, Southern California

Regional Organizer, Southern California

Organizing - United States (Remote)

ABOUT HOUSING CALIFORNIA

Since 1988, Housing California (Housing CA) has worked to create a California (CA) with homes, health, and prosperity for all in thriving, sustainable communities. We bring together a diverse, cross-sector network to prevent and end homelessness, increase the supply of safe, stable, affordable homes, and reverse the legacy of systemic racial and economic inequities by building power among the people most impacted by housing injustice, shaping the narrative, and advocating for the passage of transformative statewide policy solutions. Learn more about our strategy here and explore more about Housing CA.

About Residents United Network (RUN): Launched in 2014 by Housing CA, RUN organizes affordable housing resident leaders historically excluded from decision making processes. We unite these leaders with nonprofit housing developers and service providers to create a powerful and influential force for housing justice in CA’s state capitol. Learn more about RUN here. Housing CA seeks applicants for our Southern CA Regional Organizer position. Successful candidates will have the proven ability to build a powerful, diverse grassroots base, create clear leadership development structures, and collaborate with others through relational and coalition organizing to advance transformative statewide policy. POSITION SUMMARY

The Southern CA Regional Organizer will help advance Housing CA’s mission and vision by growing and strengthening RUN’s member base and network, alongside Housing CA partners, in order to increase RUN leaders’ impact on state-level homelessness and affordable housing policies. The position will report directly to the Power Building Director and will serve as a thought partner and a collaborative member of the Power Building Team.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Under the guidance of the Power Building Director, the Southern CA Regional Organizer will:

Leadership Development, Base Building, & Organizing

• Work closely with the Statewide Organizer and Power Building Team to strengthen RUN’s member chapters and achieve their regional goals in Southern CA and parts of the Central Valley.

• Identify and develop relationships with new housing developers and other potential partners to expand RUNs active membership base of residents of affordable housing in Southern CA and parts of the Central Valley.

• Strengthen Regional Organizers (ROC) and RUN resident leaders' grassroots base building skills and practice to grow their regional membership, primarily by modeling alongside leaders (e.g. phone banking, tabling, and other base-building tactics) and train-the-trainer workshops.

• Develop regional leadership development structures, trainings, and resources, aligned with the statewide network, that identify, retain and engage RUN members in support of their efforts to take action at state and local levels.

• Work in collaboration with the power building team, and other Housing CA teams, to develop, implement, monitor, and improve day-to-day organizing activities and work of RUN (such as annual goals, workplans, training, data collection, etc.)

• Support Southern CA and parts of the Central Valley regions to develop, refine, and strengthen RUN’s regional governance and decision-making processes aligned with RUN’s statewide Steering Committee and Housing CA’s broader work.

• Plan and co-facilitate RUN regional meetings and working groups in partnership with ROCs, RUN leaders, and regional affordable housing developments, homeless and housing service providers, and other Housing CA partners.

• Coordinate and initiate regular 1 on 1 meetings with RUN leaders and partners in Southern CA and the Central Valley region to strengthen relationships and assess individual strengths, needs, and interests.

• Maintain close working relationships and provide support for Southern CA and Central Valley ROCs to reach their goals.

• In collaboration with the Power Building Team and members of the Steering Committee help plan parts of RUN’s Annual Summit, regional convenings, Housing CA’s Advocacy Day, and other statewide actions and events.

Policy Advancement & Coordination

• Lead on regional trainings and 1-1 support to develop the capacity of RUN’s Southern CA/Central Valley leaders to engage in RUNs issue campaigns, legislative and electoral advocacy, and participate in committees, coalitions, and public or media appearances.

• Represent RUN on regional coalitions aligned with RUN’s statewide priorities, as needed. Build and sustain relationships with local and regional nonprofit affordable housing developers, power building organizations, and other housing advocates in the Southern CA region to advance RUN’s racial and housing justice work.

• Build and maintain relationships with in-district legislative staff in RUN member districts, in collaboration with RUN leaders, ROCs, Housing CA staff and local partner organizations.

Strategic Communications & Narrative Change

• Contribute to regular RUN communications. This may include the RUN newsletter, narrative campaign efforts, and statewide campaigns that lift up local stories, highlight RUN’s successes, and advance a shared policy agenda.

• Support the Power Building Director and the narrative and strategic communications team to develop RUN spokespeople and advance resident stories through earned media, op-eds, press events, social media, and other communication strategies.

• When needed, represent Housing CA on power building, organizing, and community engagement issues at local and regional public events.

Capacity Building & Organizational Support

• Support cross-departmental collaborations and assist with other organizational responsibilities that further the strategic goals of the organization.

• Assist in contributing to organizational planning, Power Building Team goals and workplan, grant reports, and cross team projects.

• Identify opportunities for professional development and learning to strengthen organizer role and teamwork.

WHO YOU ARE

• Justice-Oriented: You have a demonstrated commitment to racial, gender, disability, economic, and housing justice in California and work to uphold these values in your organizing work.

• Organizing in Impacted Communities: You have a minimum of 3 years of relevant organizing experience, preferably in CA, working with historically marginalized communities, especially in immigrant, Black, indigenous, Latinx, Low-income, LGBTQIA , and/or among disability and other communities facing housing instability (including the unhoused).

• Mission-Aligned: You have professional experience in a field that intersects with racial justice work (e.g., health equity, criminal justice reform, education, labor, community organizing, disability justice, food insecurity, climate justice).

• Grassroots Organizing Track Record: You have a demonstrated track record of building a base of grassroots leaders through relational and coalition organizing.

• Strategic Implementer: You are a strategic, relational, creative thinker who is able to effectively workplan and execute on the day-to-day details of your work with clarity about how it advances a project’s goals or big picture vision.

• Highly Collaborative: You have a track record of collaborating with others across lines of difference to build shared goals, and to develop and maintain strong working relationships that produce justice-oriented outcomes.

• Strong Group Facilitator: You are a highly capable facilitator with a proven track record of moving groups to share, learn, struggle through difficult conversations, and make strategic decisions with a high level of group buy-in.

• Clear Communicator: You have a proven ability to communicate (written and verbally) persuasively with clarity and brevity with a variety of audiences. (Including groups such as policymakers, media, community-based organizations, people who

live in affordable homes or are currently unhoused, cross-sector practitioners, advocates, and funders.)

• Problem Solver: You are tenacious and committed to moving change through ambiguity and challenges to find a path forward.

• Agile and Team-Oriented: You embrace learning and adapting as part of your work, thriving in an environment where continuous improvement and flexibility are valued.

• Strong Project Management Practices: You have a demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and thrive in fast-paced, collaborative environments with high-pressure periods (e.g., legislative deadlines, advocacy campaigns, events)

• Willing to Travel: You are willing and able to travel and attend evening obligations.

Additional experience that would be welcomed, but is not required:

• Lived experience with housing instability or homelessness.

• Bilingual Spanish/English.

• Understanding of California’s housing and political landscape.

• Experience with public policy analysis and advocacy. Ideally, you have experience working in California’s legislative and electoral process.

• Experience using online advocacy, data tracking, and project management tools.

Our ideal candidate may have experience that doesn’t directly match the qualifications above, we encourage people with equivalent experience to apply.

COMPENSATION, BENEFITS & LOCATION

This is a full-time position that reports to the Power Building Director. The salary range is between $75,000 - $80,000, depending on experience.

Benefits package includes fully paid medical, dental, and vision for employee and 25% paid medical, dental and vision for dependents, paid parental leave, long-term disability and group life insurance coverage; commuting subsidy; cell phone subsidy; stipend for at

home internet connection; 403(b) retirement plan with 3.5% employer contribution; generous vacation (3 weeks, depending on tenure), sick leave (8 hours per month employees start with 8 hours of leave), 12 paid holidays; closure during the last week of December and a shortened workweek during the summer legislative break; and professional development opportunities. This is a remote position based in Southern CA (within 30 minutes of major airport) and is expected to participate in regular travel (mostly in CA) of an estimated 25%.

OUR CULTURE

Housing CA is committed to creating a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace that fosters a culture of belonging, ongoing learning and collaboration, and supports, stabilizes, and incentivizes people to join the Housing CA team and stay for the long game. We value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by the issues we address. We especially encourage Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and people of color; people from families that have immigrated to the U.S.; people who have been unhoused or experienced housing instability; women; LGBTQIA people; system-impacted people; and people with disabilities to apply for these positions. We aim for our work to be both effective and sustainable; we balance required travel during some parts of the year and the fast-paced legislative calendar with a commitment to our team’s mental and physical health.

HOW TO APPLY & HIRING PROCESS

We will accept applications until the position is filled. The interview process may include two to three rounds of interviews. If you have questions regarding your qualifications for this position, compensation or benefits, our process or internal timeline for hiring, or suggestions for how to improve this announcement or the opportunity itself, please email Jenny Welch (jwelch@housingca.org).

To apply, please go to: https://housingcalifornia.bamboohr.com/careers/39 to be directed to the application.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $75,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 403(b)
• 403(b) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Work Location: Remote

Salary : $75,000 - $80,000