Catch Together Regional Ownership & Organizing Lead

About the role

Catch Together is a nonprofit building community ownership in commercial fishing across the U.S. We partner with fishermen’s organizations in New England, the Gulf of America, and Southeast Alaska to create ownership models that put power, wealth, and decision-making in the hands of working people. This role will work alongside the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, Gulf of America Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance, Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, and Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association to launch a cooperative ownership system that transitions capital from extractive to regenerative and invests collectively in coastal communities.

What We Can Achieve Together

We seek dynamic, relationship-driven leaders who can earn trust, build bridges, and mobilize people around a transformative vision. You will not sit behind a desk—you’ll be on docks before sunrise, on boats, in leadership meetings, and in the field building institutions that determine the future of fishing communities. The systems you help create can influence coastal communities nationwide.

Responsibilities

• Build strong, trusting relationships with and between people
• Bridge and activate stakeholders to align around transformative goals
• Identify leaders and strengthen local leadership capacity to build power
• Innovate and launch new institutions, initiatives, and ownership structures alongside fishermen
• Design creative financing and ownership models for strong businesses, cooperative ownership, and sustainable growth
• Coordinate campaigns, gatherings, and collaborative initiatives
• Tell powerful stories across multiple mediums

Who Thrives In This Role

The strongest candidates may come from startups, organizing, entrepreneurship, community development, conservation, labor, or other fields. What matters most is a demonstrated ability and passion to lead, build trust, and bring people together.

Ideal candidates will be:

• Experienced in building organizations, businesses, campaigns, coalitions, or movements bigger than themselves
• Energized by genuine human connection and creating authentic, trusting relationships across diverse communities
• Solutions-driven with comfort working in ambiguity
• Self-starters who can launch and lead initiatives from concept through execution
• Superb communicators comfortable working with multiple audiences and bridging individuals, participants, and organizations
• Optimistic, humble, and joyful in working with people
• Energized by travel, new experiences, and spending time where people live and work
• Comfortable navigating conflict, competing interests, and difficult conversations
• Familiar with or interested in cooperative models, community-based work, or rural community organizing
• Storytellers with experience conducting interviews, producing podcasts, taking photos, or film (a plus)
• Experience in fishing or existing relationships with commercial fishermen and fishing communities (welcome but not required)

What We Offer

• Significant responsibility from day one to shape strategy and execute
• Extensive mentorship and leadership development through an incubator program covering organizing, leadership development, conflict resolution, fisheries knowledge, catch share and quota systems, and cooperative governance
• Connection to a national cohort of organizers and leaders
• The opportunity to shape a growing national effort to strengthen ownership, stewardship, and self-determination in commercial fishing communities

Structure

Full-time, exempt hybrid roles based in New England, the Gulf of America, or Southeast Alaska. Extensive travel within the region is required, including occasional longer stays (1–2 weeks) and evenings or weekends to align with the rhythm of fishing communities. The organizer does not need to be from the region of work; we seek the most qualified candidates regardless of location.

This position works closely with:

• Alaska Region — Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (Sitka, AK)
• Gulf Region — Shareholders’ Alliance (remote, members span Texas to Florida)
• New England Region — Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (Brunswick, ME) & Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance (Chatham, MA)

Compensation

Competitive salary of $70,000–$100,000 based on experience. Responsibility levels and leadership scope may vary depending on background, demonstrated leadership, and regional needs.