Justice Reform Organizer

Justice Reform Organizer Job Description 

Location: Maryland

Summary: Progressive Maryland was founded to empower communities to act for social and economic justice by developing leaders and cultivating allies in order to build a grassroots movement with the power to advance economic, racial, and environmental equity. We are made up of over 125,000 individual members and supporters and dozens of affiliated religious, community and labor organizations statewide. 

Campaign Organizer: Under the supervision of our Campaigns Director, the Organizer will sustain and expand our criminal justice reform campaign by developing grassroots leaders to take on key roles as decision-makers and drivers of the campaign. The Organizer collaborates with our team of regional organizers to build a statewide grassroots base supporting their issue from across Maryland as well as on meeting additional organizational programmatic and electoral goals. They also seek out and build partnerships with potential ally organizations.

Responsibilities 

● Build a base of members, volunteers, and grassroots leaders in support of criminal justice reform

● Recruit, develop and train Progressive Maryland members to take positions of leadership on their campaign

● Recruit, manage, and train Progressive Maryland members to canvass and phone bank before, during, and after election season

● Mobilize our base to take action (turning out to events, submitting testimony during legislative session, signing petitions, etc.)

● Use phones, social media, and community outreach techniques to recruit and identify prospective members 

● Invite folks to become dues-paying members of Progressive Maryland

● Meet base building and outreach goals, which are tracked and reported in an accurate and timely fashion each week  

● With the support of the Campaigns Director, develop and implement campaign plans

● Represent Progressive Maryland and/or lead in coalition spaces related to their issue campaign

Qualifications 

● Experience leading on a social justice issue and/or progressive electoral campaign 

● Direct experience in grassroots community organizing, canvassing, and phone banking

● Basic computer literacy and a willingness to quickly learn and use new digital platforms 

● Ability to meet deadlines under pressure while handling multiple projects 

● Ability to work independently, as a member of a team, and a team lead 

● Ability to train and manage member volunteers

● The ability to think, reflect, communicate, challenge the conventional wisdom, make judgments in complicated situations, and show flexibility.

●  A clear sense of the challenges our communities face, impatience in the face of those wrongs, and a drive to address them

● Residence in or a willingness to relocate to Maryland or DC

Pluses (but not required) 

● Familiarity with Maryland political systems on the city, county, and state level 

● Experience with Votebuilder/VAN and other campaign platforms 

● Experience working on and/or understanding of criminal justice reform and progressive approaches to drug policy reform

Travel: All positions require reliable access to a vehicle and a valid driver’s license, laptop, phone, and willingness to travel throughout your region regularly and elsewhere in Maryland as needed.

Salary, Benefits, and Position Details: Salary is commensurate with experience between $50,000-$65,000. Benefits include 100% employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance, a 403(b) retirement plan with an employer match, 2 weeks paid vacation, 6 personal days, 15 sick days, and holidays. Progressive Maryland is a proudly unionized workplace. This position is in the bargaining unit, which is represented by UFCW Local 1994.

To Apply: Please send a 1-page or less story of self that tells us why you want to be or became an organizer, resume, and three professional references. Only complete applications submitted by email will be considered. Complete applications will be considered on a rolling basis until all positions have been filled.

Progressive Maryland is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, People of Color, LGBTQ people, Returning Citizens, and Immigrants are strongly encouraged to apply.