Community Organizer

About the role

The Community Organizer will work collaboratively and cultivate relationships with refugee and immigrant leaders, refugee resettlement agencies, faith communities, immigrants’ rights groups, civic engagement organizations and other partners to increase refugee and immigrant civic participation and build a sustainable organizing infrastructure in target areas of Virginia.

Responsibilities

• Recruit, develop and support a diverse network of active refugee and immigrant leaders with a core leadership team committed to advancing community-led social change throughout the state of Virginia.
• Maintain and engage a leadership base through in-person engagement and virtual organizing platforms.
• Organize and facilitate events and meetings that promote the welcome of refugees and immigrants in Virginia.
• Request and coordinate meetings and events with policy makers involved in discussions about refugee resettlement and/or immigration issues at the national, state, and local levels of government, in partnership with the CWS Policy unit of the Advocacy team.
• Work with refugee and community leaders, resettlement office staff, volunteers, supporters, faith communities and allies to develop informed policy goals, objectives, and priorities to share with national, state, and local policy makers, in partnership with the CWS Policy unit and Advocacy team.
• Connect and establish relationships with faith-based organizations, faith communities and immigrants’ rights organizations and collaborate around shared goals.
• Cookordinate and facilitate leadership development trainings focused on community organizing, public narrative and storytelling, advocacy, , voter registration, civic engagement, media outreach, messaging, “Know Your Rights” and campaign strategy.
• Increase civic participation among newly naturalized citizens and immigrant communities through education and leadership opportunities.
• Aid in connecting refugee leaders with education efforts among ally communities in the surrounding rural and suburban regions.
• Participate in coalition and issue campaign meetings on behalf of CWS, as appropriate and in coordination with CWS Virginia.
• Participate with state civic engagement tables.
• Work with CWS communications staff to elevate refugee and immigrant voices, increase visibility and awareness of support for refugee resettlement through traditional and social media.
• Help direct issue identification and strategy campaign management for welcoming policies at the local and state level.
• Support refugee and immigrant leaders in participating in advocacy meetings, legislative visits, public testimony, and engaging media outlets.
• Collaborate with local immigrant led faith communities and ally faith communities around community protection efforts.
• Travel to target areas of Virginia to meet and strategize with community members about welcoming refugees.
• Track campaign progress, leadership engagement, and advocacy outcomes using organizational databases and reporting systems.
• Participate in CWS meetings, trainings, retreats, and organizational initiatives.
• Support cross-departmental collaboration across the Immigration & Refugee Program and Advocacy Team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a social science field, certification in related fields or equivalent experience and demonstrated success organizing alongside refugee or immigrant populations required.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in community organizing, advocacy, civic engagement, leadership development, or related work.
• Experience working with immigrant or refugee communities at the grassroots level.
• Understanding of and commitment to social change through building the capacity and power of refugees and community leaders.
• Experience conducting training and developing resources, planning events, and working with partners from diverse backgrounds, faith traditions, immigrant and human rights organizations, and service providers.
• Experience working collaboratively across diverse coalitions and community partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to work collegially and collaboratively with community leaders, other staff and other organizations.
• A broad understanding of national, state, and local policies that pertain to refugees and immigrants.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial equity, immigrant justice and community-led social justice.
• Experience tracking projects, maintaining databases, and reporting measurable outcomes.
• Well organized, with excellent communication, writing, and speaking skills.
• Communications experience working with local print, radio, TV and social media (preferred).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, Zoom, CRM/database systems, and social media platforms.

Skills

• Ability to work and thrive in a multicultural environment required.
• Self-starter capable of working independently, and team-oriented, with a high level of self-motivation and ability to meet goals and manage time in a fast-paced environment.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including the ability to listen, communicate effectively, and build lasting relationships with refugee leaders, IRP+ program staff, and IRP+ advocacy staff.
• Ability to collaboratively support diverse colleagues from a variety of professional, cultural, and educational backgrounds.
• Hightly organized, with proven skills in project management or business operations.
• Ability to educate, mobilize and organize immigrant and refugee communities to move forward strategic campaigns.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Integrity, professional discretion, and ability to handle sensitive or confidential matters.
• Must possess dedication to the human rights of refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers, displaced people and/or other vulnerable populations.
• Fluency in English and at least one additional language commonly spoken by refugee and immigrant communities, including Spanish, Arabic, Dari, Pashto, French, Swahili, Somali, Nepali, or other relevant languages.