Jobs & Internships

CVH would like to share two exciting job announcements and information about the 2013 summer internship program. We now have openings for Director of Organizing and NYC Chapter Lead Organizer!

DIRECTOR OF ORGANIZING

[Download Director of Organizing description in PDF.]

Organization Description:

Community Voices Heard (CVH) is a member-led multi-racial organization, principally women of color and low-income families in New York State that builds power to secure social, economic and racial justice for all. Founded in 1994 by welfare recipients in New York City working to fight unjust welfare policies, we have since expanded our organization to include working on multiple issues in three additional communities in the Hudson Valley. Our long-term vision is to build statewide power to win important political and policy wins at the state level. Our core organizing issues include fighting for a just social safety net, good jobs and access to them, truly affordable housing, a participatory democracy, and a fair share tax system. We have a strong electoral program that is run by our affiliated 501c4 organization, CVH Power. We recently completed our third strategic planning process where our leadership strengthened our commitment to building a large base of low-income members and leaders working together to win concrete campaign victories at the local, state and federal level.

Job Description:

CVH is seeking a highly experienced Director of Organizing to manage and build CVH’s organizing and campaign work. This position will manage the base building and campaign work in our four Chapters in New York City and the Hudson Valley. We are looking for someone who will be both a senior strategist in the organization as well as work intensively with our organizing team to help them reach their fullest potential in base-building, leadership development and winning strategic issue campaigns at the local, state and federal levels. The ideal candidate for this position will be someone who has a vision and strong desire to build CVH’s statewide power, but also loves to implement program work at the local level and to work directly with organizers and leaders to build a strong powerful base. This position is for someone who prefers being in the field, working with organizers and leaders to get them to be the best organizers and leaders possible, rather than someone sitting at coalition tables and in meetings or in an office.

The primary responsibilities of the position are to:

• Provide strategic vision and direction (along with staff and leaders) for building CVH organizing department with a particular eye and focus on building power at the state level to win state level policy and administrative campaigns.
• Develop and supervise a team of 3 organizers in the Hudson Valley area and manage a senior level NYC Lead Organizer who will be responsible for leading NYC’s campaign and base-building work.
• Intensive site based work in the Hudson Valley Chapters including supervising base-building and campaign organizers across multiple chapters (including field supervision: shadowing organizers and observing/ supporting meetings) to win local and regional campaigns.
• Supervising and managing the NYC Lead Organizer to ensure that NYC campaigns and base building are producing strong results in terms of campaign wins, base-building and leadership development metrics and helping them manage citywide coalitions, campaigns and special projects.
• Advance CVH’s vision to engage more directly in the state capital (both in the community and in the halls of power).
• Manage CVH’s Leadership Development, skills building and political education work and ensure that all organizers are integrating and executing CVH’s nationally recognized leadership development model on a regular and consistent basis.
• Encourage the use of direct-action, as necessary and appropriate, to advance campaigns.
• Integrate community organizing with long-term, sustainable community-driven policy change efforts and be interested in integrating policy research and advocacy with grass roots organizing.
• Work with the CVH Political & Communications Director and Executive Director to manage statewide and national alliances and partnerships and advance state level policy and issue campaigns.
• Oversee special projects and temporary enhancement teams connected to the organizing work (e.g. targeted outreach for Participatory Budgeting NYC, Organizer Trainee Programs, etc.).
• Support overall organizational development and implementation of the Strategic Plan (including playing a supportive role in fundraising efforts).
• Work with Political and Communications Director to better integrate on-line platforms and an online organizing component into CVH campaign work.
• Set up, manage and hold staff accountable to organizational wide organizing systems and a culture of database (PowerBase) usage to enhance effectiveness of organizing.
• Play a partner role with the ED and Directors of Individual Giving and Institutional Giving in fundraising with donors and foundations.
• Prepare written reports, meetings summaries, and related materials as required.

This is a full-time position that begins on or around May 1st, 2013. The position will report to the Executive Director and will be part of the Senior Staff Team. The Director of Organizing will work collaboratively with the Political and Communications Director on implementing CVH’s and CVH Power’s
electoral program and issue campaigns. The Director of Organizing could be based out of any one of our 4 chapters, but will be required to be in
NYC a minimum of 2 days a week. It will require regular travel to our different chapters in the Mid-Hudson Valley, as well as Albany. It will also require other out-of-state travel, and occasional overnight travel for national meetings and conferences, as well as attendance at evening and weekend meetings.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate is a seasoned organizer, a strategic campaign planner, and an experienced staff manager and leader with grassroots, labor, or political organizing experience, and experience building, leading, and managing teams.

• Applicants must be committed to an ideology of building community power & share our commitment to membership grassroots decision-making, progressive politics & our theory of social change that is tied to a metrics and measurable campaign wins that deliver concrete improvements to CVH members and communities.
• At least 7-10 years community organizing, union organizing, political organizing, and/ or legislative issue advocacy experience required.
• Strong track record of winning concrete campaign victories, mobilizing large numbers of people into action, and building community leadership.
• Experience with power analysis/ power mapping, strategy and campaign development.
• Ability to work independently, yet collaboratively, according to goals of the organization.
• Experience supervising &/ or managing other at least five organizers and working in and managing work teams.
• Function well as part of a team that shares strengths and maintains consistent standards.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks & responsibilities, while remaining focused on overarching goals.
• Familiarity with use of databases to enhance organizing.
• Spanish language skills are strongly desired, but not required.
• Knowledge of the political landscape in New York State politics is a plus, but not required.
• Access to car to ease regular chapter-to-chapter travel is preferred.

To Apply:

Please send resume, a one page writing sample (preferably an old campaign plan or training curriculum), salary history & requirements, and cover letter to Sondra Youdelman, Executive Director, Community Voices Heard, 115 East 106th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10029 or email cvh@CVHaction.org. If sending an email, make sure to put “Director of Organizing” in the subject line.

NYC chapter lead organizer

[Download NYC Chapter Lead Organizer description in PDF.]

Organization Description:

Community Voices Heard (CVH) is a member-led multi-racial organization, principally women of color and low-income families in New York State that builds power to secure social, economic and racial justice for all. Founded in 1994 by welfare recipients in New York City working to fight unjust welfare policies, we have since expanded our organization to include working on multiple issues in three additional communities in the Hudson Valley. Our long-term vision is to build statewide power to win important political and policy wins at the state level. Our core organizing issues include fighting for a just social safety net, good jobs and access to them, truly affordable housing, a participatory democracy, and a fair share tax system. We have a strong electoral program that is run by our affiliated 501c4 organization, CVH Power. We recently completed our third strategic planning process where our leadership strengthened our commitment to building a large base of low-income members and leaders working together to win concrete campaign victories at the local, state and federal level.

Job Description:

CVH is seeking an experienced lead organizer who wants to build and strengthen CVH’s New York City Chapter organizing, base-building, and campaign work. We are seeking a mid to senior level community organizer who wants to play a critical part in taking CVH to a new level of power and influence in the New York City progressive movement and in the political sphere. The ideal candidate will have experience managing a team of organizers working across a variety of communities and issues, developing and managing winning campaigns, and have a proven track record of developing community leaders and mobilizing large numbers of community members to actions, meetings and other campaign activities. The ideal candidate for this position will understand the importance of integrating strong leadership development with the development of bottom up organizing structures that will engage and mobilize large numbers of CVH members (over 1,000 individuals) in our work each year.

The NYC Lead Organizer will work with the Director of Organizing, the Executive Director and the Political Communications Director and with a team of community leaders to identify, build and win citywide and local campaigns that deliver concrete improvements in the lives of CVH’s members and lowincome communities. The NYC Lead Organizer will also be involved with helping to integrate the NYC Chapter into state level campaigns and national work. The NYC Lead Organizer will work with and manage NYC Chapter Organizers (approximately 3-5), helping them to build strong bases of leaders and members, represent CVH along with the ED and Political & Communications Director in NYC Coalitions and alliances, and staff special citywide projects and programs that develop over time. For example, CVH’s current Hurricane Sandy Recovery and Rebuilding work.

The primary responsibilities of the position are to:

• Provide strategic vision and direction (along with staff and leaders) for building CVH’s NYC power and influence on citywide policy issues and politics.
• Develop and supervise a team of 3-5 organizers working on CVH’s core issues areas around economic justice, welfare, workfare and jobs, public housing, participatory budgeting and any other issue campaigns that may develop in the future.
• Supervise and manage the NYC Chapter Organizers to ensure that NYC campaigns and basebuilding are producing strong results in terms of campaign wins, base-building and leadership development metrics and helping them manage local, campaigns and special projects as needed.
• Encourage the use of direct-action, as necessary and appropriate, to advance campaigns.
• Work with the CVH Political & Communications Director, Director of Organizing and ED to manage citywide and national alliances and partnerships and to be lead staff on NYC policy and issue campaigns.
• Ensure that all NYC organizers are integrating and executing CVH’s nationally recognized leadership development model on a regular and consistent basis.
• Oversee special projects and temporary enhancement teams connected to the organizing work (e.g. targeted outreach for Participatory Budgeting NYC, Organizer Trainee Programs, etc.).
• Play a partner role with the ED and Directors of Individual Giving and Institutional Giving in fundraising with NYC based donors and foundations.
• Work with Political and Communications Director to better integrate on-line platforms and an online organizing component into CVH campaign work.
• Implement and hold NYC staff accountable to organizational wide organizing systems, a culture of database (PowerBase) usage to enhance effectiveness of organizing.
• Prepare written reports, meetings summaries, and related materials as required.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate is a seasoned organizer, a strategic campaign planner, and an experienced staff manager and leader with grassroots, labor, or political organizing experience, and experience building, leading, and managing teams.

• Applicants must be committed to an ideology of building community power & share our commitment to membership grassroots decision-making, progressive politics & our theory of social change that is tied to a metrics and measurable campaign wins that deliver concrete improvements to CVH members and communities.
• At least 4-6 years community organizing, union organizing, political organizing, and/ or legislative issue advocacy experience required.
• Strong track record of winning concrete campaign victories, mobilizing large numbers of people into action, and building community leadership.
• Experience with power analysis/ power mapping, strategy and campaign development.
• Ability to work independently, yet collaboratively, according to goals of the organization.
• Experience supervising &/ or managing other at least three organizers and working in and managing work teams.
• Function well as part of a team that shares strengths and maintains consistent standards.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks & responsibilities, while remaining focused on overarching goals.
• Familiarity with use of databases to enhance organizing.
• Spanish language skills are strongly desired, but not required.
• Knowledge the political landscape in New York City politics is a plus, but not required.

This is a full-time position that begins on or around May 1st, 2013. The position will report to the Director of Organizing. The NYC Chapter Lead Organizer will work collaboratively with the Political and Communications Director on implementing CVH’s and CVH Power’s electoral program and issue campaigns.

The NYC Chapter Lead Organizer could be based out of our East Harlem office, but will spend a considerable amount of time in the field shadowing and supporting organizers. The position will require occasional travel to our Chapters, as well as Albany. It will also require other out-of-state travel, and occasional overnight travel for national meetings and conferences, as well as attendance at evening and weekend meetings.

To Apply:

Please send resume, a one page writing sample (preferably an old campaign plan or training curriculum), salary history & requirements, and cover letter to Sondra Youdelman, Executive Director, Community Voices Heard, 115 East 106th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10029 or email  cvh@CVHaction.org. If sending an email, make sure to put “NYC Chapter Lead Organizer” in the subject line. CVH is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, LGBTQ individuals, and people with current/ past experience on public assistance or residency in public housing are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information please check out our web page at: www.CVHaction.org.

Resumes will be accepted until the position is filled, but it is strongly encouraged that resumes be submitted by April 1st for initial consideration. Interviews will begin starting in April.

Salary / Benefits:
Salary depends on experience (DOE). Excellent benefits include health insurance (medical, dental, vision), short- and long-term disability insurance, sabbatical policy, 403(b) retirement program, personal & sick days, generous vacation leave, and holiday time off.