HR & Operations Assistant

HR & Operations Assistant

We’re looking for emerging leaders who are passionate about strengthening capacity in local communities to sustain powerful grassroots movements for social change at the local, state and federal levels!

About Black Voters Matter (BVM): 

Our goal is to increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities. We agree with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he said, “Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” We operate with the following 5 core beliefs: 

1. The key to effective civic engagement and community power is understanding, respecting and supporting local infrastructure. 
2. Black voters matter not only on election day, but on all 365 days of the year. This means we must support individuals and organizations that are striving to obtain social justice throughout the year. 
3. Black voters matter *everywhere*, including rural counties and smaller cities/towns that are often ignored by candidates, elected officials, political parties and the media. 
4. In order for Black voters to matter, we must utilize authentic messaging which speaks to our issues, connects with our hopes and affirms our humanity. 
5. The leadership, talent and commitment demonstrated by Black women in particular must receive recognition and, more importantly, *investment* in order to flourish and multiply. 

POWER

At BVM, we often explain to friends and stakeholders that we are NOT an electoral organization. We are first and foremost, a power building organization, and while we firmly believe that voting and electoral organizing is one way to build power, it is by no means the only way. Within the space of electoral organizing, we do not measure our success on electoral “wins”. We take this position not only because of our status as a 501c4 organization, but because philosophically we strongly believe that in order to truly build power, we must begin to redefine what a “win” is. The traditional approach of defining wins based on whether a particular person has won a certain office is far too limited given the obstacles that our communities face. Instead, we believe in centering a community-defined agenda and the process by which a community seeks to implement that agenda. With this in mind, we seek to increase the capacity of community-based organizations working on a wide range of issues: from mass incarceration to gentrification, from health care to education and more.

Intersection of Political and Economic Power

We believe that independent political power requires independent economic power, and we are sensitive to the many forms of economic coercion which often discourage community members from fully participating in civic life. We also believe that political victories that lack a strong economic base are simply not sustainable. As we explore the intersection of political and economic power, we strive to uplift economic models and policies which support the equitable distribution of wealth rather than deepening economic disparities.

MOVEMENT BUILDING

Relational Organizing and What’s Left After Election Day

An important aspect of BVM’s core beliefs (mentioned above) is an approach that emphasizes relational organizing. We prioritize local infrastructure because we know existing organizations have authentic relationships with community members in general, and voters more specifically. While some experts look at communities critically for lacking infrastructure, our approach is that relationships are infrastructure. For these reasons, BVM seeks to intentionally build on existing relationships via our door-to-door canvassing, texting, phone banking, social media, and radio messaging.

Similarly, while organizational relationships are important, so are the relationships that each community member has with other friends and family members. We regularly incorporate efforts to have each person contacted to reach five other friends/family, and to then ask those five contacts to each reach five more. Our emphasis on relational organizing and local organizations has several long-term effects. First, by investing in local organizations instead of working around them, we build capacity, introduce tools, and connect them with partners (national, state, and other counties) in ways that benefit their ongoing work throughout the year. Second, by enabling local organization to hire local canvassers themselves (rather than simply extracting their local knowledge to hire through outside organizations), we strengthen their relationships with community members rather than undermining those relationships. And third, using a relational organizing approach inherently poses greater potential for accountability, compared with the results of a transactional process.

Position Description:

Black Voters Matter Fund is seeking an HR & Operations Assistant to be responsible for assisting the day-to-day operations and human resource functions of Black Voters Matter Fund. This role’s responsibilities include completing various administrative tasks, assisting with recruitment and onboarding of new employees and maintaining the office. Our successful HR & Operations Assistant will ideally have experience in human resources and office management, has the ability to take initiative, be a self-starter, is highly organized, process-oriented and people savvy.

Principal Responsibilities:
 

HUMAN RESOURCES

• Maintain human resources databases by maintaining personnel records ensuring all necessary documentation is kept up to date;
• Assist with recruitment efforts by posting job openings, tracking applicants and scheduling interviews;
• Assist with candidate vetting by initiating references and background checks; 
• Assist with onboarding by working with new hires to ensure completion of new hire documentation; and
• Assist the Sunshine Committee by helping to plan quarterly “team culture events” i.e., team building, staff lunches, etc., and creating recognition programs for special staff events i.e., celebrating a staffer’s promotion, work anniversary, birthday, “intern appreciation day”, etc.

OPERATIONS

• Retrieve mail and maintain mail log of all incoming BVM mail, distribute mail to all relevant staff;
• Maintain the office by keeping a current and accurate inventory of office supplies and resources and placing orders for new supplies when needed, distributing supplies to staff, ensuring equipment is in working order, all workstations are set up, and working with building management to ensure office cleanliness;
• Maintain office workstation schedule; 
• Assist with planning staff retreats by ensuring travel and accommodations are booked, meals are catered and supporting documentation such as agendas or training materials are printed; and
• Assist the human resource and operations team by performing other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications:

• At least 2-3 years of professional experience, including human resources and administrative office management.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize, and execute at a high level.
• High standard of professionalism and personal integrity.
• Ability to communication effectively.
• Ability to work well in a dynamic, fast-paced and collaborative team environment; ability to adapt quickly.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly excel.
• Commitment to progressive causes is a plus.

This position reports to: Human Resources Manager

Travel Requirements: Ability and willingness to travel approximately 0% of the time (based in Atlanta, GA)

Salary & benefits: Annual range of $42,000 – $47,000, depending on experience, plus unlimited PTO, 401K medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, long-term disability, $25,000 life insurance benefits.

BVM is an equal opportunity employer. BVM prohibits unlawful discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, age, national origin, genetic characteristics, disability, status as a special disabled veteran or veteran, marital status, sexual orientation, sexual identity or any other basis prohibited by law.

This position also supports BVM Capacity Building Institute (BVM), an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization. While motivated by the same core values – power building, equity and justice – BVM and BVMF operate independently of one another and each organization has its own board of directors.