Civic Engagement Specialist

QUICK FACTS

Position: Civic Engagement Specialist 
Department:  Movement Building
Supervisor: Deputy Director of Movement Building

Salary: $ 50,000 - 60,000

Benefits: Full medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance covered at 100%; flexible work schedule; flexible paid time off with approval from supervisor; paid holidays; phone and travel allowance; child and pet-friendly workplace.

Position & Status: Full-Time, exempt
Estimated Start Date: February 2022

Hours: 40 hours per week; occasional evenings and weekends
Location: Temporarily remote (based in Oregon) but eventually Portland, OR; ability to work from home up to 3 days/week once it’s safe to return to office. May work extended hours in Salem during legislative sessions. See below for details.

Physical/Cognitive Details: Regularly required to use a computer and phone to perform work and communicate with others for several hours each day. Occasionally required to travel throughout Oregon. Noise level in the office is moderate.

ABOUT IMAGINE BLACK

Imagine Black (formerly known as PAALF Action Fund) helps our Black community imagine the alternatives we deserve and build our political participation and leadership to achieve those alternatives. Since our start in 2009, we have envisioned a world where people of African descent enjoy the rights, resources, and recognition to be a thriving, resilient, and connected community.

At Imagine Black, we have strengthened our commitment to a Black Queer Feminist (BQF) theory and practice. BQF provides a more holistic understanding of our conditions and connectedness as Black people. As a result, we understand that liberation for all Black people can only be realized by lifting up the voices, experiences, and prioritizing the issues of historically silenced and vulnerable groups within Black communities – specifically, queer, trans and GNC, femme, poor, disabled, working, and undocumented people (adapted from BYP100).

Imagine Black is a 501(c)(4) multi-issue grassroots organization in partnership with our sibling 501(c)(3) organization, Imagine Black Futures. We are a staff of six with an operating budget of around $1M. This represents a 400% budget growth in the past four years. 

More information about Imagine Black can be found at imagineblack.org.

POSITION SUMMARY 

Imagine Black is looking for a Civic Engagement Specialist to support our organizing goals. This position will support a formalization of the Multnomah County Civic Engagement project which will build self-determination, leadership, and community among Black residents in East Multnomah County. These efforts will also support education and deeper knowledge across the Black community around key issues such as transportation equity and safety, climate justice, public safety, housing, and anti-displacement.
 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Civic Engagement (90%)

• Implement a comprehensive framework for local civic engagement efforts for Black Oregonians.
• Represent Imagine Black at civic engagement meetings, coalitions, and tables.
• Build strategic partnerships with organizations to meet civic engagement goals.
• Develop strategic alliances with BIPOC-led community-based organizations, neighborhood leaders, community residents, and others.
• Send out civic engagement updates and action alerts to Kinfolk members, volunteers, partners, and the community at large.
• Coordinate civic engagement efforts for community members and other interested parties on how to effectively advocate for dismantling anti-Black racism within local and state policies.
• Work to increase the number of Black community leaders and members attending meetings with government decision-makers across sectors and jurisdictions .
• Lead the creation of a new East Multnomah County Civic Crew to inform and activate the community around geographic-specific civic participation. This crew will leverage the organizing snowflake model to support crew leaders in mobilizing their community.
• Educate members on impact and opportunities for deeper involvement related to dismantling the school to prison pipeline, and anti-displacement, transportation, climate and environmental justice.
• Coordinate and host civic participation workshops – such as testimony 101, government committee 101.
• Work directly with government partners to find open seats for leaders to boards, commissions, and policy-making roles, then recruit Black leaders to fill those roles.
• Participate in the implementation of field campaign efforts during election cycles.
• Collaborate with other movement building staff on short-term campaigns and projects as needed.

Organizational Support (10%)

• Collaborate with the Development and Communications Department in identifying and editing grants as needed, providing content for social media, and attending events.
• Work with staff to integrate the civic engagement and communications strategies.
• Attend internal staff and department meetings, and collaborate with other staff as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 2 years of experience in a field such as civic engagement, campaign management, community or grassroots organizing, coalition management, lobbying, political staffing, and/or community engagement experience. This experience may be met by volunteer activities or internships.
• Knowledge of movement building and of approaches to increase community power.
• A passion for the mission and vision of Imagine Black, which includes electoral organizing, advocacy, and organizing.
• A passion for how self-determination and radical Black imagination can directly influence policy.
• Proven skills working and communicating with communities within the African diaspora, especially with descendants of enslaved Africans, African immigrants and refugees, and Caribbean immigrants and refugees.
• A commitment to applying a BQF lens (see above) to organizing, leadership development, and civic and political participation.
• Ability to self-motivate, self-direct, and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Thorough knowledge of strategies and tactics used to organize, including managing data, organizing reports, digital organizing, and organizer turf.
• A drive to try innovative tactics and experiment with new forms of campaign organizing.
• Superb writer; skilled at making complicated ideas (complex laws, policies, and legislative initiatives) accessible to the general public through policy one-pagers, briefs, and reports.
• Proficient computer skills.
• Ability to work effectively with elected leaders and members in complex, political situations.
• Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly (around 3 times per month).
• Must be willing and able to work evenings/weekends about 2-3 times per month.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bi- or multi-lingual.
• Lived experience with Black community issues, particularly in the Portland, Oregon metro area.
• Extensive knowledge of voter databases (VAN).
• Experience with tools such as online policy resources, online statistical research, policy research and analysis, techniques of online advocacy, and polling.
• Experience working with the press, as well as with social media and email communications.
• Knowledge of political strategy and political landscape on local and state levels.
• Comfortable with Google applications, MS Office, Asana, Slack, and similar systems.

TO APPLY

Please submit a resume and cover letter describing your interest in this position and how well you meet the stated qualifications. Materials should be sent to hr@imagineblack.org with the subject line: Civic Engagement Specialist 2021. No phone calls, please. 

Racial and gender equity is of utmost importance for our search. If you do not meet all of the required qualifications for this role but feel you can be a great addition to our team, please apply and let us know why we should meet you! 

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled, with priority given to those received by December 20, 2021.

Imagine Black embraces diversity in a profound way. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool - because we know the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.