OVERVIEW:
Reclaim The Block seeks a Policy Organizer for a full-time position. This individual will support our campaign to defund the Minneapolis Police Department and chart a new path for building a safe community.
The ideal candidate has experience working on an “inside-outside” campaign involving local elected officials, is movement-oriented and committed to Black liberation and police abolition. They have some familiarity with the Minneapolis City Council, are skilled with policy/budget research and experienced at organizing elected officials.
Candidates should be excited about joining a team in significant growth and in the process of developing core structures.
ABOUT RECLAIM THE BLOCK:
Reclaim the Block is a campaign focused on defunding and dismantling the Minneapolis Police Department and building up the resources that keep communities safe. The campaign is anchored by leadership from Black Visions alongside a multiracial group of community members.
ABOUT THE POSITION:
Compensation: $60,000/annually, full time salaried, qualifies for a full package of benefits.
This position will be supervised and funded by Reclaim the Block, and hired through our anchor organization Black Visions through their fiscal sponsor, TakeAction Minnesota.
JOB EXPECTATIONS:
- Create and implement campaign plans to win policy and budget changes in Minneapolis around safety and policing
- Analyze the Minneapolis City Budget
- Lead trainings and produce materials for community members, breaking down municipal policy and budgeting in an accessible way
- Build and maintain relationships with city council members, mayor, and city staff, while staying rooted in community
- Connect with national defund campaigns to share lessons learned about policy possibilities
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- 3+ years experience working directly on policy and organizing campaigns
- Familiarity with the Minneapolis Council and overall political/movement ecosystem
- Experience and commitment to training fellow staff and community members in policy advocacy strategies
- Experience organizing legislators
- Policy research experience
- Comfort in reading and interpreting municipal budgets
- Experience engaging with community members and organizations to identify policy priorities
- Understanding of police abolition, and ideas of what defund and abolition can look like in action
- Commitment to movement work and police abolition
- Deep work/relationship experience in Black communities, communities of color and Indigenous communities
VALUES:
- Commitment to racial, economic, gender, LGBTQIA+, and disability justice.
- Understanding of and commitment to abolitionist principles, including transformative justice, mutual aid and community defense
- Working in collective or cooperative settings
- Experience or interest in consensus-based decision making frameworks
- Comfort communicating needs and boundaries as they arise
TO APPLY:
Email reclaimtheblock@gmail.com with a resume and either a cover letter or a 3-5 minute video describing your qualifications. Interviews will happen on a rolling basis, and preference will be given to candidates who apply by Monday, February 15.
Reclaim The Block is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage those with experience working within Black and LGBTQ communities to apply.
