Community Organizer

Rooted in the Bronx, New Settlement stands with community members to break systemic barriers, advance justice, promote leadership and strengthen neighborhoods. By ensuring agency around education, employment, housing, wellness and creative expression, we help cultivate an equitable society where individuals and families have the power to use their voice to create the change they wish to see.

Since New Settlement's inception in 1989 as a settlement house rooted in the Bronx, our organization has been a responsive community partner. Originally established to revitalize abandoned buildings into affordable housing, New Settlement has since evolved into a multi-generational, forward-looking organization. We support 15,000 members of the community annually by providing organizing in housing and schools, and programs in education, college access, youth development, arts, workforce development, wellness, and more. EEO/AA

JOB SUMMARY: Guided by the Director and in coordination with other organizers and interns, the Community Organizer will work to strengthen CASA's broad base of members, who are committed to housing justice, understand what it takes to build a movement and are prepared to take bold action to transform the quality and affordability of housing in the Southwest Bronx.

Job Duties include but not limited to:

• Supports and enhances a culture that respects and honors diversity, invests in professional development and encourages self-care.
• Building a Strong Base of Engaged Community Members through:
• Outreach and Base-building: conduct outreach weekly via door knocking, flyering, and tabling to educate community members about their rights as rent-stabilized tenants and recruit to be active participants in CASA's campaigns. Conduct weekly phone-banking: CASA has weekly membership events for our members to engage in which include workshops, General Membership Meetings, Campaign Meetings, etc. You will have weekly call lists and make on average 100 calls per week.
• Organizing 5-6 Tenants' Associations: We organize so that landlord harassment stops, repairs are done, people can stay in their homes, communities are stabilized, and ultimately so that people know and claim their own power. Our model is to develop steering committees of community members that work collectively based on people's skills, interests and time. We teach leaders how to facilitate meetings, make flyers, write letters, run press conferences, pressure the banks, meet with their landlords and lobby resources like HPD. Our goal is to develop tenants' associations that can ultimately operate independently of our support while bringing members of tenants' association into our organization and developing them as leaders to lead our campaigns.
• Leadership Development: The organizer will constantly work to develop the skills, capacity and analysis of our members through informal and formal leadership development work. The organizer will work to encourage participation and a sense of ownership among members through relationship-building and recruitment for training and leadership development activities.
• Administrative: Using various and creative methods to recruit new members, keeping accurate records, assessing potential members, and effectively meeting goals to turnout members to key actions and events.
• Actively Participate in and Develop our Organizational Capacity: This includes participating in and prepping members one-on-one and in group settings to facilitate our monthly CASA Membership Meetings, providing monthly narratives and statistical reports on work accomplished, creating and facilitating regular workshops specific to housing rights, laws and processes, seeking out training and learning opportunities, actively participating in staff retreats, keeping up with database and reporting requirements and thinking through ways to develop CASA into the organization it can and should be. Remaining flexible and responsive to changes in campaign goals and organizing conditions to continue work toward our goals.
• Perform other duties as reasonably requested.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• Ability to relate to persons of diverse backgrounds
• Bachelor's Degree or three to five years of progressive experience; Tenant organizing experience is a plus
• Strong track record of a commitment to social justice; demonstrated commitment to leadership development, community building, and community organizing as strategies for social change; direct communication and conflict resolution, listen and motivate people to action from diverse backgrounds
• Ability to facilitate, train and develop leaders
• Excellent writing and public speaking skills
• Must be computer literate
• Must be able to work nights and weekends as necessary
• English/Spanish bilingual skills required

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be cleared and maintain clearance throughout the duration of employment by NYC DOE fingerprinting screening.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.

• The ability to sit, stand, walk and use hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and telephone to talk and hear.
• The ability to frequently sit and reach with hands and arms.
• The ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.

Working Conditions: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

• Must be able to utilize office equipment such as desktop/notebook computers, copiers, printers, scanners, telephones, and calculators.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Employment is at will and employees will undergo 45- and 90-day check-ins during their 90-day probationary period.

NOTICE: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature of the environment and level of work being performed by this job. This job description in no way states or implies that the duties and responsibilities listed are the only tasks to be performed by the employee in this job. The employee will be required to follow other instructions and to perform other job-related duties requested by their supervisor. This job description supersedes prior job descriptions. When duties and responsibilities change and develop, the job description will be reviewed and subject to changes of business necessity.

New Settlement is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, and considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected factor under federal, state or local law.

This job description indicates in general the nature and levels of work, knowledge, skills, abilities and other essential functions expected of an employee. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of you as an employee. You may be asked to perform other duties as required.