Community Organizer

As a Community and Advocacy Organizer, you will support Local 509 in building sustainable
relationships with community allies to help support labor-organizing campaigns and forge long-
term partnerships within the communities where our members work and live.
The ideal candidate will be a self-starter who instinctively takes initiative and proactively
identifies opportunities for impact. This role is for a dynamic individual who excels at forging
collaborative relationships with a wide range of grassroots groups and creating and executing
comprehensive work plans.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
● Identify potential allies among labor, religious, ethnic, immigrant, advocacy,
patient/client, disability, environmental, senior, neighborhood, and other appropriate
community organizations and leaders;
● Develop relationships with potential allies, educate them on SEIU Local 509 campaigns
and objectives, and organize them to support those campaigns and objectives;
● Attend meetings of allied community organizations when appropriate to maintain
effective relationships and build support for union campaigns;
● Identify opportunities for Common Good organizing;
● Coordinate SEIU Local 509’s participation in activities in support of community allies;
● Maintain database and other records on community organizations and leaders in the
area;
● Track 509 member activity in community organizations that may be potential allies;
● Develop, recruit, and train 509 members to represent the union in community
organizations effectively;
● Develop expertise in trends and changes within the Massachusetts Human Services
System and its stakeholders.
● Effectively communicate the interests of union members to community organizations and
vice versa

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
The ideal candidate will bring previous experience in community organizing within a labor union
context. While no one candidate will possess every quality outlined for this position, the
successful candidate will bring many of the following professional skills and personal attributes:
● Full-time paid experience in community organizing;
● Familiarity with the operations and ecosystem of the human services sector;
● High-level ability to communicate orally and in writing;
● Ability to establish, maintain rapport, and work in mutually beneficial coalitions with
widely varied ethnic, social, and philosophical groups;
● Ability to work under pressure and with minimal supervision;
● Ability to plan strategically, follow a plan, and be accountable to a team in carrying out a
plan;
● Ability to work independently and as part of a diverse team;
● Dedication to building power for workers and a willingness to participate in a wide field of
activities towards that objective;
● Freedom and willingness to work irregular and long hours and attend required evening
and weekend meetings;
● Strong planning, time-management, and problem-solving skills;
● Bilingual skills in English and another language such as Hausa, Swahili, Spanish, or
Haitian Creole are preferred but not required

WORK ENVIRONMENT:
● This is a full-time position that often requires long and irregular hours, including some
nights, weekends, and holidays;
● This position requires travel within the state of Massachusetts;
● This job requires the ability to work both independently and in collaboration with a
diverse team of other staff members;
● A valid driver’s license and a car with insurance are required;
● While some aspects of the job can be performed from home, this is NOT a remote job
and in-person work is mandatory

SUPERVISION:
● Works under the supervision of the organizing director (or their designee) who reviews
work for effectiveness, timeliness, scope, and accuracy per the needs of the campaign.
Works collaboratively across departments with Communications, Political, Field Teams,
etc.