Sacred Heart Community Service Careers

Organizing Coordinator

Part-Time ([20] hours per week)

Onsite Position

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Sacred Heart Community Service (SHCS) in San José, CA is seeking a part-time Organizing Coordinator to develop the leadership capacity of neighborhood residents and support families in shaping the decisions that affect their lives.

We believe that economic, political, and cultural systems have too long served to empower some while oppressing many. We seek a world in which all people have the power of self-determination. Reaching that goal requires two things: tapping into the values people use to make decisions, and changing who is involved in making them. Our work is anchored in relationships and bound together by our common values of a community united, social justice learning, and leadership development.

For more than 60 years, SHCS has combined direct services, leadership development, and policy change — rooted in anti-racism and anti-oppression — to address the impacts of poverty while building collective power for systemic change. In fifteen years of organizing, our committees have won local campaigns nearly every year, including stopping construction of a new Santa Clara County jail, strengthening protections for renters facing displacement, and helping make our county's immigration protections among the strongest in the country.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Organizing Coordinator supports SHCS's efforts to drive systemic change through grassroots power-building and to fulfill our vision of a community united to ensure that every child and adult is free from poverty. As a member of the Power and Organizing (PAO) team, the Organizing Coordinator helps grow, implement, and track strategies that develop the skills, leadership, and civic engagement of neighborhood residents, and helps foster a culture of organizing and transformation across SHCS programs.

A core responsibility of this position is supporting community members who lead family plan clinics — trusted, peer-led spaces where families receive assistance with filling out critical documentation and are connected to needed resources through a structured referral system. These clinics serve as an entry point for deeper engagement, with the goal of moving participants toward leadership roles in one of our PAO (Power and Organizing) committees.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Base Building and Recruitment (15-20%)

• Conduct one-on-one conversations with community members to identify interests, values, and potential for leadership, meeting PAO standards of 3 per week.
• Recruit and refer leaders to membership through office visits and phone calls.
• Work with teammates, managers, and leaders to meet PAO standards for leadership development, base building, one-on-one conversations, and campaign development.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of contacts, leaders, and follow-up in the Sacred Heart data system.

Scheduling and Supervision (60-70%)

Leadership Development and Training

• Collaborate with teammates and leaders to plan and deliver an ongoing curriculum joining hard organizing skills with political analysis and an anti-racism and anti-oppression worldview.
• Train leaders in core organizing skills, including member recruitment, meeting facilitation, public speaking, and family plan development.
• Train leaders to recruit and refer other leaders into PAO committees.
• Track leader progression from initial contact through committee involvement.

Family Plan Clinics

• Support the community members who lead family plan clinics, including recruitment, training, and day-of assistance.
• Support the referral system connecting families to internal SHCS programs and community partners.
• Work with staff across programs and with partners to promote clinics and drive participation.
• Follow up with clinic participants to move them toward committee involvement, tracking outcomes in Sacred Heart data system.

Mutual Support and Community Partnerships

• Work with organizers and leaders in other program areas to build a culture of organizing and transformation with a broader definition of what it means to build power, including mutual support.
• Contribute to joint work plans on projects that promote leadership development, base-building, mutual support, and meaningful policy change tied to PAO's core issues.
• Help identify and build collaborations with key community partners.

Agency Participation and Leadership (10-20%)

• Support the planning and implementation of SHCS programs, events, trainings, and outreach efforts.
• Attend staff meetings, retreats, and mandatory organization events, engaging in continuous learning, evaluation, and professional development.
• Participate in trainings that enhance the ability to train other leaders on organizing issues.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Strong commitment to our vision of a community united to ensure every child and adult is free from poverty.
• Demonstrated commitment to strength-based, social justice, anti-racism, and anti-oppression frameworks.
• Ability to work with diverse people, communities, and cultures, with understanding of culturally competent practices.
• Bilingual and biliterate in Spanish and English, including the ability to facilitate meetings in both languages.
• At least 1 year of community outreach and recruitment experience, such as door-to-door canvassing, personal visits, social service agency outreach, house meetings, or phone banking, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated ability to motivate and inspire members to take action.
• Meeting planning and facilitation skills.
• Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• Detail-oriented, self-motivated, and highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and provide timely responses.
• Ability to thrive in a flexible, fast-paced, community-based environment while maintaining a positive, solution-oriented approach.
• Availability for approximately [X] evenings per month, with occasional weekend work during peak campaign periods.
• Computer literacy with proficiency in database systems (e.g., Salesforce or similar relationship management software), web-based communications, and Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
• Valid CA driver's license, reliable transportation, and vehicle insurance.
• Must complete and pass a background check.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and lived or professional experience.
• 1–2 years of experience in community organizing, public affairs, or comparable grassroots leadership work; lived experience organizing in one's own community will be considered.
• Experience with grassroots leadership development programs, including curriculum development, training, and tracking systems.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and success in public policy advocacy and coalition building.
• Knowledge of resources and service providers in Santa Clara County.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP

This position is part-time, non-exempt, and reports to the Director of Power and Organizing.

COMPENSATION

This is a part-time, non-exempt position that pays $27 per hour.

Part-time employees are eligible for benefits, including pro-rated paid medical insurance for employees and a prorated portion of paid medical insurance for qualified dependents, dental insurance, vision insurance, 12 paid holidays, 10 paid sick days per year, paid vacation starting at 10 days per year, additional wellness benefits, basic life and long-term disability insurance, professional development and more.

Sacred Heart Community Service is proud to be an Equal Opportunity workplace and an Affirmative Action Employer. SHCS is committed to building a team of people of diverse ethnic, cultural, and experiential backgrounds. We especially encourage members of historically underrepresented and marginalized communities, people of color, women, people living with disabilities, veterans, and LGBTQ+ people to apply. It is the policy of Sacred Heart Community Service to prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type and to afford equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants, without regard to race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, pregnancy, medical condition or genetic information, veteran status, national origin, disability, marital or other protected status. SHCS will conform to the spirit, as well as the letter of all applicable laws and regulations.