Chispa Nevada Organizing Director

Title: Chispa Nevada Organizing Director

Department: Community & Civic Engagement

Status: Exempt

Reports to: Chispa National Director

Positions Reporting to this Position: Chispa Nevada Community Organizers

Location: Las Vegas, NV

Union Position: No

Job Classification: M-I

Salary Range (depending on experience): $79,000-$108,000

General Description:

LCV believes our earth is worth fighting for because everyone has a right to clean air, water, and a safe, healthy community. To ensure those rights are protected, we help people use their power to shape policy, hold politicians and polluters accountable, and influence elections.

LCV launched Chispa in 2014, a grassroots community organizing program to ensure the voice and power of Latinx communities influence the environmental policies and decisions that impact our health and environment. Currently, Chispa has programs in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, and Texas.

Through our programs in six states, our members have taken leadership in the fights to keep rooftop solar affordable and accessible and convert dirty diesel school buses to clean electric fleets, developed Latinx and other people of color policymakers as champions on environmental issues, demonstrated to Spanish-language media that the environment is a priority issue for Latinx families, and built strong relationships with social justice and environmental groups alike.

LCV is hiring for a Chispa Nevada Organizing Director who will lead a team of experienced organizers in building and implementing issue organizing campaigns, grounded in a community centered theory of change, and focused on environmental justice priorities of the Chispa Nevada program. The ideal candidate is a senior-level organizer with extensive experience in project management, staff development and supervision, base building, and leadership development training. The Organizing Director must be a compelling coach with experience training and supporting a team of organizers and community leaders of color.

Responsibilities:

• Work with the Chispa National Director and Chispa NV Program Director to develop programmatic priorities and plans that are inclusive of the rest of the staff and community.
• Develop, implement and evaluate issue organizing campaigns that build a strong base of active volunteers and develop leadership.
• Coach and manage community organizers including mentorship and support with drafting and implementing individual work plans.
• Lead the Chispa NV organizing team to build strong and effective grassroots strategies that recruit new members and develop them into strong community leaders that drive issue campaigns focused on local environmental priorities and racial justice.
• Ensure that organizers and community leaders have the necessary tools, training and support to design, implement and adjust campaigns rooted in traditional grassroots community organizing strategies as well as digital organizing and online engagement, grounded in community centered theory of change.
• Support the organizing team in coalition building efforts, including identifying and developing relationships with local NV organizations (e.g. cross movement organizations, faith-based groups, environmental justice groups, etc.) and leaders who can become effective partners in campaigns.
• Develop and use tracking systems, tools, and structures that provide clarity, and accountability for organizers, promotores, comites, and issue campaign implementation including using VAN effectively to set, track and achieve organizing goals.
• Work with organizers, the LCV communications team and outside consultants to develop and implement creative strategies for organizing and campaign efforts. 
• Work with the Chispa National Director and Chispa NV Program Director to provide timely reports on issue campaigns and organizing progress to national Chispa staff, funders and others as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Work Experience: Required - Minimum of 5 years experience working on community or labor organizing movement building efforts. 2+ years of direct supervisory experience, including staff and volunteer leadership training experience. Must also have experience in issue organizing campaigns with communities of color, and working with coalition partners. Experience developing and overseeing issue campaigns driven by community organizing, including campaign planning, accountability measures, and tracking progress.
  • Preferred - Previous experience working in Nevada. Experience in curriculum development.
• Skills: Required - Exceptional supervision and coaching skills, including managing staff. Knowledge of community organizing, civic engagement, and movement building. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write and implement campaign and organizing plans. Ability to partner and collaborate with the existing Chispa NV team and represent Chispa NV and LCV to a variety of audiences and mediums. Work well in a fast-paced environment and be able to multitask without sacrificing the quality of work. Reliable, consistent, detail-oriented and self-motivated. Bilingual in English and Spanish.
  • Preferred - Fluency in VAN, Google and Office Suite. Familiarity with the IRS rules regarding 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations. Understanding of environmental issues and their potential to engage Latinx communities and communities of color.
• Cultural Competencies: Demonstrated awareness of one’s own cultural identity, views about differences, and the ability to learn and build on varying cultural and community norms. A complex understanding of racial justice and the urgency of confronting institutional racism and inequity. Commitment to equity and inclusion as organizational practice and culture. Proven track record of successfully working across lines of race, immigration status, ethnicity, language, class, gender, and other identities and experiences.
• Working Conditions: This job operates both in a professional office environment and in outdoor and indoor public spaces, and the person will be exposed to outdoor elements such as precipitation, wind, and high/low temperatures. This position is occasionally sedentary; however, attending meetings and canvassing out in the communities is also frequently required. The person in the position will frequently be expected to move about to accomplish tasks and move between sites. This position routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and audiovisual systems. The person in this position frequently communicates with community members and must be able to exchange accurate information. Ability to occasionally work evening and weekend hours as needed; ability and willingness to travel in the state and out of state for up to 25% of the time (currently paused due to COVID-19). Position requires a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation. This position is based in Las Vegas, NV. Applicants need to be located in and legally authorized to work in the United States. Please note that most LCV staff are currently working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, through February 28, 2022.

To Apply: Send a cover letter and resume to hr@lcv.org with “Chispa NV Organizing Director” in the subject line by January 2, 2022. No phone calls please.

LCV is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a racially just, equitable and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information, or any other protected status. LCV is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please contact hr@lcv.org.