Citizens UK 

Citizens UK is a people power alliance of diverse local communities working together for the common good. Our mission is to develop leaders, strengthen civic organisations and make change. Our 550 member communities are deeply rooted in their local areas and connect every day to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Through the method of community organising we enable people experiencing powerlessness to develop their leadership and come together with the power and strategy to make change.  

This leads to hundreds of neighbourhood improvements - from zebra crossings outside primary schools to renovated public toilets in cemeteries. And it leads to some of the biggest campaign impacts in the UK, such as winning over £2 billion of wages through the UK Living Wage campaign, securing a legal cap on the cost of credit to control exploitative lending, and ending the detention of children for immigration purposes. We enable local campaigns to grow into large-scale social change projects such as the Living Wage Foundation, Parents and Communities Together (PACT), and Sponsor Refugees, that form an integral part of our theory of change. The most prominent of these is the rapidly growing Living Wage Foundation with a network of over 12,000 accredited Living Wage Employers across the UK.  

Purpose 

The principle responsibility of an Associate Organiser is their own development: learning the craft of Community Organising under the guidance of an experienced Community Organiser. They work intensively with a small assignment 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 identification and development of leaders, the strengthening of member institutions, leader-led public actions, and the winning of systemic change. 

This role will have a specific focus on organising in Caerau and Ely in Cardiff’s west, and in particular to develop campaigns to tackle the adverse impacts poor housing can have on people’s mental and physical health. We are prioritising candidates who currently reside in Caerau and Ely. 

Main Responsibilities 

Working as an Associate Organiser at Citizens UK and  your main responsibilities will include: 

Contribute towards the goals of the Homes for Health project 

• Build relationships with people who are experiencing the impacts of poor housing on their mental and/or physical health 

• Build relationships with leaders in civil society organisations in Caerau and Ely who want to improve issues around housing in the area 

• Build relationships with other key players and stakeholders in the housing sector in Wales 

• Work to build an Action Team in West Cardiff that includes those directly affected by poor quality housing to create change  

• Support a cycle of action of the Action Team around a housing campaign 

• Continue to build relationships with key housing decision-makers including Cardiff Council and local health structures to tackle housing issues in Cardiff 

• Support the work of the Citizens UK General Election Housing and Homelessness Action Team 

Build relational power to further the goals of CUK 

• Conduct 121s to learn how to make things happen; and to develop relationships with leaders and understand their concerns 

• Demonstrate understanding of the self-interest of leaders.   

• Develop your ‘story of self’ 

• Establish working relationships with leaders and demonstrate ability to move them into action, incl. as part of the wider alliance.  

• Contribute to a power analysis.  

• Learn to tell Community Organising stories 

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

• Begin to identify and discern secondary and primary leaders 

• Understand the needs and potential development opportunities for leaders 

• Deliver training workshops in local institution successfully 

• Deliver training on core taster curriculum at a local level 

• Nominate 5-10 leaders for training on the core taster curriculum. 

Strengthen institutions and develop BBOs 

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

• Organise a small cluster (e.g., up to 5 member institutions or 1 strategic partner) 

• Organise with leaders from different kinds of institution to work together for the achievement of common goals 

• Support a pre-existing core team within an institution or campaign 

• Help contribute to the strengthening of the local chapter through organising both people and money 

Support leaders through the Cycle of Action to create change 

• Support member institutions in running listening campaigns 

• Start to organise neighbourhood actions with support 

• Work with a more experienced Organiser to support a group of leaders through the cycle of action on a small neighbourhood issue 

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the action. 

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

• Make a significant contribution to a neighbourhood win 

• Work with a senior organiser on securing any additional funding needed for campaigns (whether existing campaign or new) 

• Support the maintaining of a hard money base in the funded area 

• Support the recruitment of new member institutions in the specified area 

Contribute to effective teamwork 

• Develop a habit of reading widely to help your work 

• Develop a healthy work/life balance  

• Develop a habit of regular reflection and report-writing to discuss with your line manager. 

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 121 relational meetings into your daily schedule as a core part of your professional practice 

• Commit 10 working days pa 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 

Requirements 

(E) Essential 

(D) Desirable 

QUALIFICATIONS 

• 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 (D) 

• 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 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 AND VALUES 

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

• A passion for justice (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 be required to undertake a satisfactory Enhanced DBS check. DBS checks are renewed on a 3-year cycle.