Job Title: Associate Organiser (West Yorkshire)

Salary: £24,696

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (some unsociable hours)

Contract: Permanent

Based: West Yorkshire

Application Deadline: 15 November 2021

Interview Date: 24th November 2021      

Citizens UK

Citizens UK organises communities to act together for power, social justice and the common good.

We are the home of broad-based community organising in the UK, with 11 diverse civil society alliances across England and Wales. We build powerful alliances that develop the leadership capacity of our members so they can hold politicians and other decision-makers to account on the issues that matter to them. Citizens UK also creates systemic change through projects such as the Living Wage Foundation and Sponsor Refugees. Please visit our website at: www.citizensuk.org 

Purpose

The principal responsibility of an Associate Organiser is their own specific development within Citizens UK: learning the craft of Community Organising under the guidance of an experienced Community Organiser. They work intensively with a small number of member organisations under close supervision, growing their experience, skill and responsibility incrementally. An Associate Organiser is working towards becoming a competent practitioner of the craft of broad-based community organising methodology, and focuses on the building of relational power, the recruitment and retention of dues-paying institutions, the development of leaders, the strengthening of member institutions, leader-led public actions, and the winning of systemic change.

This Associate Organiser role is to help develop Citizens UK alliances in West Yorkshire, particularly Leeds and Bradford. Using the methodology of community organising, the organiser will support local leaders from civil society organisations (incl. schools, faith organisations, charities, and community groups) to build teams and run campaigns.

The Associate Organiser will be trained and supported by a senior Community Organiser and will participate in regular group learning through the Citizens Guild of Community Organisers. The successful candidate will be an avid learner, be able to manage competing priorities and hold a great passion for people-led movements for change. A belief in the power of ordinary people to make extraordinary change is essential.

Main Responsibilities:

Working as an Associate Organiser in West Yorkshire for Citizens UK, your main responsibilities will include:

Build relational power to further the goals of CUK:

• Actively participate in the development of a comprehensive power analysis appropriate to the desired sphere of influence for each project/assignment

• Establish working relationships with identified leaders and demonstrate ability to move them into action, including as part of the wider alliance; taking the initiative to establish new relationships as required

• Conduct one-to-ones in order to develop relationships with leaders and understand their concerns.

• Tell a wide range of Community Organising stories effectively in order to influence others and achieve CUK’s goals

Identify and develop relational leaders prepared to act with others for the common good:

• Identify and discern actual and potential leaders with the passion and ability to drive change

• Proactively create opportunities for leaders to develop, in particular tertiary or new leaders; nominate for training on the core taster curriculum

• Successfully deliver training workshops in local institutions and on the core taster curriculum at a local level

Strengthen institutions and develop BBOs:

• Ensure good understanding of the basic interests and traditions of typical member institutions

• Organise a small cluster of up to 5 standard member institutions or 1 strategic partner to work together for the achievement of common goals

• Support pre-existing core teams and create/develop new core teams to provide leadership at institutional and cluster levels

Support leaders through the Cycle of Action in order to create change:

• Support member institutions in running listening campaigns

• Organise neighbourhood actions; demonstrating increasing independence in working without the need for close supervision

• Take the lead in supporting groups of leaders through the cycle of action on neighbourhood issues; aiming to achieve neighbourhood wins

• Evaluate the effectiveness of actions; demonstrating ability to incorporate lessons learned into future actions

Contribute to CUK’s financial viability through effective fundraising & financial management

• Recruit new dues paying institutions; work together with a more senior Organiser to negotiate annual membership fees and letters of understanding

• Contribute substantively to fundraising by securing £20k pa overall, at least half of which should be ‘hard money’ from retention and recruitment of member institutions.

• Liaise with the Finance & Operations team to update the membership database and ensure timely invoicing and fee collection

Contribute to effective teamwork:

• Be proactive concerning personal professional development and wellbeing, i.e. by reading widely, developing a healthy work-life balance and demonstrating ability to reflect on own organising craft & improve on self-identified weaknesses

• Demonstrate ability to work effectively with colleagues and participate in a team

• Produce all required reports and follow CUK’s procedures on time and to the required standards

Participate in the development of the craft of Community Organising and play a role in the Guild of COs:

• Schedule an average of at least three 1-2-1 relational meetings into your daily schedule as a core part of your professional practice

• Commit 10 working days pa (pro rata for part-time staff) to the preparation, delivery and evaluation of Citizens UK National Community Leadership Training or other local or regional trainings

• Participate in a Guild Team and help it develop as a Community of Practice that enables Organisers across the UK to develop their skills and experience.

Person Specification (E=Essential, D=Desirable)

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in any subject (D)

• Subject of relevance to community work or community organising is desirable (D)

Experience:

• Previous campaign experience (D)

• Evidence of having acted in a leadership role with peers or in local community activities (e.g. organising clubs or societies) (E)

• Experience of project management; evidence of having delivered work on time and to standard (E)

• Able to demonstrate previous experience of ‘learning by doing’ in a work or project environment; evidence of being open to feedback and comfortably coachable (E)

Key Skills & Knowledge:

• Excellent interpersonal awareness – ability to listen well and appreciate a viewpoint or opinion that is different from one’s own (E)

• Excellent concern for impact – ability to adapt own behaviour in order to address the needs or concerns of someone else (E)

• Good communication skills – able to speak with conviction and passion; and to make a logical argument (E)

Personal Qualities & Values:

• A self-starter with ability to take initiative and work independently (E)

• A passion for justice (E)

• A good sense of humour (E)

• A positive enthusiasm for working with faith congregations, trade unions, schools and other community organisations (E)

• An interest in and experience of politics and public life (E)

• Able to work in a team (E)

• Willingness to work within accountable relationships (E)

• Self-motivated and adaptable (E)

The successful applicant will need to take a satisfactory Enhanced DBS check. DBS checks are renewed on a 3-year cycle.