COMMUNITY ORGANIZER (SAN JOSE, CA)

Primary Responsibilities

• Identify, recruit, train, and develop leaders from among Pangea clients, former clients, and other directly-impacted individuals and their families in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties;
• Support campaigns directed at Legalization For All/Papeles Para Todos, preventing the expansion of/shutting down ICE detention centers, and in support of sanctuary laws in San Mateo County;
• Lead and support individual anti-deportation campaigns for clients, in partnership with the attorney representing the client, to release a detained person, stop a person’s imminent deportation, call on ICE to use discretion in an individual case, etc.
• Facilitate regular organizing meetings/calls among clients and other directly affected community members;
• Plan and coordinate events and actions in support of campaigns;
• Mobilize community members and leaders to participate in actions and events;
• Help to maintain and grow Pangea as a democratically-run organization, and actively participate in an organizational “hub.”

Required Skills And Experience

• Fully fluent in spoken Spanish and English;
• Experience working as an immigrant rights organizer or other labor or community organizing (3+ years);
• Experience doing base building and leadership development with directly affected communities;
• Highly detail oriented, meticulous, self-organized, and self-motivated;
• Experience creating online petitions, using social media as well as traditional media for public campaigns;
• Able to balance organizing and organizational responsibilities;
• Has access to a vehicle and can work some evenings and weekends to be accessible to clients and community members.

Bonus Skills And Experience

• Fully fluent in written Spanish and English;
• Experience with popular education pedagogies;
• Experience doing policy advocacy;
• Experience doing communications work;
• Experience working for a horizontal worker-led organization;
• Experience working with survivors of trauma.

Alignment With Pangea’s Points of Unity

We are looking for someone who can relate to and embody our Points of Unity. These are the internal organizational principles that our team created together in 2015, and we frequently turn to them when making difficult decisions. We believe that all people are equal in rights and should be free to move. We dream of a world without borders. We were created to fill a gap in free and low fee deportation defense services. We recognize that education, legal empowerment, and policy advocacy are essential to changing perspectives around migration and migrants’ rights. We believe in the oneness of all people and we embrace the common humanity of every person; our interactions are guided by love. We treat every person we meet as an individual with a unique story. We are committed to excellence and providing high quality services. The law is a living document. Its flaws do not constrict us. We use it strategically to ask boldly for the best for our community. We are positive and solution oriented. We value fresh attitudes, innovation, and creativity. We challenge conventional thinking in order to redefine what is possible. We practice humility. We listen, learn, reflect, evaluate, and grow. We value our team’s individual and collective well-being. We create mechanisms to support well-roundedness and our team’s mental, physical, and spiritual health. We recognize a tension between serving as many people in need as possible, taking challenging, legally complex cases, and valuing our own health and well-being. We strive to maintain a balance between these three goals. We are committed to equity regarding compensation, responsibilities, and shared ownership. We strive to create an organization that is both financially sustainable and autonomous.

Benefits And Compensation

• First 9 months: The first 9 months at Pangea are considered a “sponge” period. During this time, an employee receives and absorbs significant training and orientation around our horizontal model. During the sponge period, an employee is a non-voting member of the team, and receives the same salary as all other teammates (currently $85,000/year).
• After 9 months: After successfully completing the sponge period, an employee is voted on as a full member of the team. Their title is updated to that of Co-Director, and they get voting rights. In Terms Of Benefits Staff have a 4-day work week (Mon-Thurs) and our physical office is closed Fridays. We offer health insurance through Kaiser (Silver Plan) at no cost to staff, and cover 50% of dependent premiums. We offer up to $4,400 per year in health reimbursements for things like glasses, therapy, or co-pays. We offer up to $5,000 per year in childcare reimbursements. We have a Simple IRA plan with an automatic 2% employer contribution. We pay for professional membership fees, trainings, coaching, and staff development. Our vacation benefits start at 12 days in the first year and increase with tenure up to 20 days per year. We close our office for 13 holidays a year, as well as a week over the winter holidays.

Application Instructions

The Start Date Of This Position Is Flexible. Applications Will Be Accepted On a Rolling Basis. We Will Start Evaluating Applications On August 17, 2026. Please Submit a Cover Letter, Resume, And Three References To Jobs@pangealegal.org. In Your Cover Letter, Please Answer The Following Three Questions: How has your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, prepared you for the kind of immigration work Pangea does? What experiences do you have with collectively run organizations, or what draws you to a non-hierarchical organization? What makes you a perfect fit for the Community Organizer position? Please indicate “Community Organizer” in the subject line of your email. We encourage immigrants and those directly impacted by Pangea’s work to apply. Pangea is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.