National Organizer

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Housing Works was founded in 1990; With a long-term commitment to AIDS advocacy. Housing Works established New York State's first harm reduction-based, OASAS-licensed outpatient drug treatment program. Other services include Health Home care management, behavioral health, and syringe exchange programs. A pioneer in the social entrepreneurship movement, Housing Works operates 10 high-end thrift shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn and a much-loved Bookstore Cafe in Soho. For more information, visit www.housingworks.org
Housing Works fights for funding and legislation to ensure that all people living with HIV/AIDS have access to quality housing, healthcare, HIV prevention, and treatment, among other lifesaving services.
 
Benefits:
We have three comprehensive healthcare plans to choose from based on your priorities and budget. Housing Works covers most of the plan; you pay a portion, based on your salary. Staff begins accruing PTO immediately for a total of up to 30 days earned in the first year. We offer employees an educational benefit. This money is available for tuition loan reimbursement, tuition costs, and text books.
Housing Works provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements. Housing Works complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Housing Works also does not request prior salary information during the hiring process. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
This position is included in a bargaining unit of Housing Works' New York City employees represented by a labor union known as the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union ("RWDSU"). Accordingly, the RWDSU has the exclusive right to bargain over the terms and conditions of employment related to this position and this position may become covered by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement (a "CBA") between Housing Works and the RWDSU

Compensation Range: $60,000 - $70,000 annually commensurate with experience
Overview: 
The National Community Organizer is a part of an innovative team that works collectively to identify, plan and deploy strategic community-building and organizing techniques that engage a broad range of community stakeholders to strengthen the voices and political influence of people living with HIV and AIDS (PWHA), people who are unhoused or at risk of being homeless, and other marginalized populations around public health, housing, and human service policies and other social and political determinants of health. National Community Organizer provides direct in-person and virtual capacity-building assistance to Housing Works Advocacy Department in various forms including content development and provision, guidance on community building and mobilization, and leadership development. The Organizer will be responsive to new developments and emerging trends in the aforementioned areas. The Organizer is responsible for building a base of people directly and indirectly affected by the issues and mobilizing the base to engage non-violent direct action to impact policy at the federal level. Supports the mission, vision, and values of Housing Works including our work around Harm Reduction. Complies willingly with all organizational policies and procedures. Supports and facilitates positive interaction with others by exhibiting: Individual maturity, Respect for others,  A team-centered approach, Maintenance of confidential information,  Communicates appropriate information to other departments in a timely and effective manner. Supervision/Training: Regular supervisory meetings with the Vice President for Community Mobilization Maintenance of a work plan which details project goals and outcomes. Participation in organization training programs Maintenance of an ongoing professional development plan
Responsibilities:

• Communicates regularly with activists and coalition members.
• Stays abreast of legislative and organizational developments, building and maintaining knowledge of key Congressional targets as well as elected in assigned regions.
• Developing and implementing an organizing strategy for Housing Works to maintain and grow its base and other community mobilization efforts.
• Building and maintaining strategic relationships with community members, leaders, organizations, elected and appointed officials, etc.
• Developing staff and client members into leaders that can play prominent roles in community education and mobilization.
• Working with the team on mobilization and training of staff, clients, community stakeholders, and partners to effectively implement action strategies for: Implementation of plans to end AIDS as an epidemic, The National HIV/AIDS Strategy; including social drivers of HIV as it relates to goals to end AIDS as an epidemic in the United States, Housing and homelessness, National politics and administrative maneuvers around HIV and AIDS, homelessness and housing, budget (mis)management and related issues, and the activities of the Executive and Legislative branches, HIV primary and secondary prevention issues and efforts at the federal level, Public benefits and entitlements issues, Drug policies and harm reduction issues, Criminalization issues, including arrest, incarceration, and discharge, Implementation of equitable approaches and strategies to promote and amplify anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-stigma, anti-heterosexism, anti-sexism, anti- biphobia, anti-transphobia heterosexual, and anti-discrimination in governmental institutional and organizational setting,  Additional issues as they appear on the landscape.
• Coordinating staff, clients, and partner participation in public forums, coalition meetings, conferences, and elected official engagements.
• Planning, organizing, and facilitating advocacy meetings and activities.
• Identifying and advancing connections between issue-based campaigns and Housing Works policy priorities, including local issues and issues which affect our staff, clients, and partners on a national level. Advocacy
• Coordinating tailored activities to reach national decision makers, including state and local stakeholders that would support amplifying national efforts.
• Recommending advocacy and policy positions to the Advocacy department
• Attending and tracking allied coalition and meeting spaces
• Conducting leadership development training with staff and constituents to advocate with elected officials.
• Working with the Advocacy Department in maintaining regular in-services to keep all Housing Works abreast of pertinent policy issues.
• Prepping staff, clients, and partners for meetings with elected officials and other policy stakeholders. Partnership Development
• Organizing, attending, and presenting with various partners regarding programs and their impact.
• Attending and participating in relevant community meetings, councils, roundtables, and committees. This includes represent Housing Works in Act Now: End AIDS, the Public Policy Committee of AIDS United, the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership, and other national coalitions.
• Developing and maintaining relationships, partnerships, and coalitions with organizations, community members/leaders, and public officials to advance Housing Works' goals.
• Maintaining systems to keep pertinent team members aware of coalition conversations.
• Reporting and tracking progress of organizing and field efforts and other projects.
• Collaborate with communications, marketing staff, policy consultants to proactively use data to improve outreach, messaging, and tactics.
• Participating in monitoring & evaluation and other meetings to assess outcomes of advocacy, mobilization, and organizing efforts.
• Assisting in ensuring updates on the department's database of interested parties and issues.
• Participate in screening and interviewing job candidates.
• Attend regular Advocacy Team meetings.
• Supports functions of the other organizers that are at the local and state level.
• Participates in appropriate professional development programs to attain and maintain competency.
• Working with the staff on training(s).
• Use organization's resources in a manner that demonstrates responsibility and good stewardship, including submitting corporate credit card receipts on time, completing timesheets on time, submitting personnel documents on time, and making choices regarding travel arrangements, meals and lodging that are consistent with Housing Works values.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Minimally a high school diploma or GED certificate. Bachelor's degree or Masters in community development, social justice, social work, public administration, government relations or related field.
• The following additional competencies are viewed as important to success in this position:
• Self-motivated and creative.
• Demonstrated understanding of the structural and cultural issues related to HIV/AIDS prevention among Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), women, and MSM.
• Strong familiarity with DC politics and dynamics including relationship-building with elected officials and key decision-makers
• Demonstrated understanding of barriers and inequities related to marginalized communities, especially for one or more of the following populations: people who use drugs, people who are unhoused, justice-involved, LGBTQAI+, immigrant (documented or undocumented), etc.
• Ability to exercise discretion and tact in all interpersonal contacts and always maintain confidentiality.
• Exemplary ability to manage multiple tasks using independent judgment and discretion.
• Ability to work independently and accurately in a high-paced, deadline-oriented environment.
• Ability to work under pressure while exercising discretionary judgment; make decisions, when necessary, with minimal direct supervision; work remotely without supervisory accompaniment.
• Reside in New York City with significant travel- primarily to Washington, DC, and on occasion other locations around the US.
• Some evening and nighttime meetings, weekend, and overtime hours.
• Some labor-intensive and hands-on physical work (i.e. event set-up; standing long-hours for activities/rallies; weather)
• Position when required does provide employee with additional expensed benefits, ie. food, and travel stipend/reimbursement.