MOVEMENT BUILDING DIRECTOR

MOVEMENT BUILDING DIRECTOR

THE ORGANIZATION: TakeAction Minnesota is a multiracial people’s network that brings democracy alive in communities across our state. We connect individuals and organizations to each other, creating a powerful force that makes change happen where it wasn’t possible before. Since its founding 14 years ago, TakeAction Minnesota has grown its breadth and depth. Our membership has grown 10-fold and touches every legislative district in the state. Our social media presence is robust. Our grassroots leadership is well-trained and shapes and implements the strategy of our various campaigns. As a result, TakeAction Minnesota has a track record of shifting the political landscape, advancing democracy and justice through bold policy campaigns, grassroots organizing, leadership development, movement politics, and strategic communications. 

POSITION SUMMARY: This position is responsible for engaging and mobilizing tens of thousands of Minnesotans for issue and electoral campaigns that make real change in their lives. They lead our individual member mass base-building work, with an eye to developing our organizational muscle for efficient, strategic, and creative outreach, engagement, and activation of a statewide power base on an unprecedented scale. They bring a race, class, and gender lens to all of our organizing, and they work to develop shared ideology across Minnesota and within our movement. This role has a laser-focus on scale, innovation, and impact.     

PRIMARY FUNCTIONS — Essential duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Deliver a scaled base of tens of thousands of Minnesotans. Build a base of tens of thousands of Minnesotans whose ideological alignment results in critical action on issue and electoral campaigns. This base will engage and activate on an ongoing basis and at a scale that leaves no doubt about our movement’s power. People in this base will identify with TakeAction as a political home and will recognize their role’s impact. This position will design and execute scaled base-building strategies and tactics independently, as well as with the organizing, politics, and communications teams.  
  • Lead our organization in developing and aligning around an organizing methodology that gets our base to scale. Build and manage the infrastructure, including data, integrated digital strategies, outreach tactics, and distributed organizing. designing strategies and tactics, and managing projects within this body of work.Develop and organize a collective framework and vision for our mass base. Build and manage organizational infrastructure to support our mass base. Invest in staff development on mass base strategies and tactics through training and coaching. Participate on leadership teams of key organizational campaigns (issue and electoral) to ensure our campaigns build and wield our full power. Collaborate deeply with our communications and development staff.  
  • Be a leader on the organizing team.  Serve as an excellent supervisor for organizers. Ensure that organizers show up with our values and enact our operating principles: being people-centered, acting with integrity, and working with determination and hustle. Ensure that organizers deliver on their goals and outcomes, and get investment and development as they organize. 
  • Identify and build on innovative, cutting edge strategies and tactics that get us to scale. Stay up to date on the most effective strategies and tactics for mass base-building. Excellently operationalize a variety of these strategies and tactics, and make decisions about when and how to experiment, expand, and stop these initiatives. 
  • Data management and oversight. Act as a leader on data throughout our organization, ensuring the various teams and needs are represented in our data infrastructure. Through close collaboration and/or direct supervision of our data staff, provide oversight to our data systems and practices to ensure we are able to effectively track and build our base, measure and evaluate our success, and report on our work as needed. 

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

  • At least three years of experience in organizing, digital, and/or data roles within movement
     organizations.
  • At least one year of supervision experience with proven results, and a deep investment in staff growth and development.
  • A vision for scaled movements that can make a real impact. Tangible examples of experience operationalizing visions with colleagues, partners, and members.
  • A proven track record of delivery and ability to work in a fast-paced environment. This person will find energy in the opportunities that come as the political landscape shifts.
  • A natural sense of curiosity about people and the ability to relate to them, and a willingness to name a vision for others and hold them accountable to it. Experience organizing colleagues, staff at partner organizations, community members, elected officials, and government staff around their stories, hopes, fears, and challenges via organizing work.
  • Excellent facilitator of meetings and trainings, including agenda-setting, landing lessons and objectives, and moving participants into deeper engagement.
  • Proficiency with VAN and VAN-related data systems, and an aptitude for picking up new systems, understanding the data big picture, and connecting it to the weeds.
  • High-capacity, high-impact team leader who can manage multiple projects simultaneously, sees and seizes strategic opportunities and intersections, and brings their team along with them.
  • Ability to pay attention to the details, be vigilant about tracking goal progress, and meet deadlines. Computer literacy and experience with MS Office Suite.  
  • Willingness to speak up, suggest new ideas, receive feedback, adjust plans to ensure successful completion of goals, and be part of the solution. 
  • Excellent communications skills through a variety of channels, including written and oral. 
  • A demonstrated commitment to economic, racial, and gender justice and commitment to progressive political change. 
  • Enthusiastically promote TakeAction Minnesota’s goals and priorities in compliance with all policies and procedures, and have a deep investment in our shared agenda for change. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT: 

Work will be temporarily performed from home, due to the current COVID crisis. A job in this category may require walking or standing to a significant degree or may involve sitting most of the time with long periods of computer work and heavy phone usage. Flexibility to work outside normal business hours that include evenings and weekends, and work extended hours to accomplish requirements of the position. 

SALARY/BENEFITS/OTHER INFORMATION 

  • Salary starting at $65,000 a year, dependent on experience. Category: Director 1. 
  • Full medical insurance, dental insurance, retirement packages. 
  • Ongoing leadership development of staff, including access to relevant trainings and conferences. 

REPORTS TO & LOCATION 

  • This position reports directly to the Deputy Director. 
  • Position is located in St. Paul, but will be temporarily performed from home due to COVID-19 and will require occasional travel.  

HOW TO APPLY  

Send electronic cover letter, resume and three references (at least one of whom is a current or former supervisee) attention Amanda Otero, Deputy Director, care of workwithus@takeactionminnesota.org with the subject line MOVEMENT BUILDING DIRECTOR by no later than 11:59 pm on August 30th, 2020.

NO PHONE CALLS or EMAILS WILL BE ACCEPTED. 

TakeAction Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, LGBT individuals, and women.