Citizen Action of Wisconsin: Climate Action Coordinator

Climate Action Coordinator

Citizen Action of Wisconsin seeks applicants hungry for the opportunity to lead power building campaigns to achieve the sweeping changes Wisconsin needs to become a just, equitable, and sustainable multiracial democracy. This position is best suited for creative and effective out-of-the-box thinkers who are deeply committed not only to being on the right side, but effectively building the grassroots power to make tangible progress on the big challenges confronting the multiracial working class.

The Climate Action Coordinator reports to the Managing Director and is a critical part of our Senior Staff Team. They get to contribute to and be a part of building a positive and high performing organizational culture that makes Citizen Action an exciting and joyous place to work and organize.

Citizen Action of Wisconsin is an affiliate of two national organizing networks, People's Action and Power Switch Action. Citizen Action WI is working with both networks on an Organizing Revival which seeks to extend the reach and effectiveness of community organizing as an antidote to authoritarianism.

Description of Work:

The Climate Action Coordinator is the lead organizer and strategist for our climate campaigns, making sure we have a strong and equitable climate plan for the state of Wisconsin. Our strategy is based in a deep investment in robust grassroots organizing that shifts power away from the profit-crazed utility corporations to the public. We also lean into the electoral power of climate to elect candidates who are progressive on all the major issues.

The Climate Action Coordinator plays a critical role in supporting our organizing and electoral work on climate issues, and our membership base building across the state to build a powerful multiracial working class movement for social change. The Coordinator leads our statewide climate action team that includes existing member leaders from each of our organizing regions, from our governance boards, and from our climate organizing work. This statewide action team is where the Coordinator develops our top member leaders in our climate strategy and organizing campaigns. The Climate Coordinator is responsible for training regional organizers on campaigns and collaborating with the regional organizers on larger event planning and lead generation.

The Climate Action Coordinator works effectively on grant management with our current climate funders, and works with the Managing Director and Executive Director on unlocking new climate funding opportunities.

More on Citizen Action's cutting edge progressive structural reform agenda, which is the basis for all our candidate endorsements, can be found here. For Citizen Action's articles and resources on Citizen Action's theory of change read here.

Primary Job Responsibilities:

• Lead Citizen Action's recognized climate justice campaigns.
• Lead our statewide Climate Action Team that includes existing leaders from our c3 and c4 governance boards, member-leaders from each region of the state where we have permanent organizers, and from our permanent climate organizing work.
• Working with our movement politics team, play a leadership role in our electoral programs.
• Conduct power analysis and work with the Citizen Action staff and statewide Climate Action Team to develop cutting-edge issue campaign strategies.
• Play a role in Citizen Action's leadership development programs to develop the capacity of our organizers, member-leaders, and endorsed candidates for public office.
• Lead training to develop climate-focused issue strategic capacity of Citizen Action organizers and members.
• Navigate public policy and effectively translate it into educational and motivating materials for Climate Action Team, elected officials, general membership, and the general public.
• Serve as Citizen Action's connect to the climate campaign of our national network, People's Action.
• Represent Citizen Action at state and local climate coalition tables, when it advances our program and our power building.
• Support Citizen Action earned media efforts in our major issue and other communication strategies and mass engagement techniques, to augment the power and influence of our grassroots organizing.
• Maintain relationships with large donors to Citizen Action's climate campaigns, prospect for new funders, develop funding proposals, and grant reporting to existing program funders.

Desired Experience:

• Experience in labor, community, political or faith-based organizing, experience with or a strong interest in learning relational organizing.
• Experience leading issue campaigns, corporate accountability campaigns, and election campaigns.
• Experience working with a broad array of organizations and coalitions.
• Deep commitment to working on racial justice issues, working with communities of color, and with a multicultural base of individuals.
• Experience with policy creation and grassroots lobbying.
• Experience with planning earned media events, direct action, marches, rallies, and other social movement tactics.
• Experience with large and/or small dollar fundraising, grant writing, and grant management.

Required Qualifications:

• Ability to be a leader in further developing a positive and authentic multiracial staff culture which strives to meet rigorous standards of performance in achieving our campaign goals.
• Ability to lead teams of volunteers and develop effective core teams that share the responsibility to develop and execute the program.
• Philosophical commitment to progressive values of economic, gender, racial, anti-oppressive, and environmental justice.
• Commitment to unwinding the structural racism and other structural inequality built into local, state, and national policies and governance structures.
• Ability to understand public policy issues and translate them into organizing issues that motivate average people to act
• Strong creative and strategic thinking skills and willingness to innovate in fast moving issue campaigns and meet deadlines.
• Good written and verbal communication skills, including ability to produce effective flyers, email alerts, coalition reports, blogs, effective social media posts, and campaign plans.
• Excellent listening, interpersonal, and problem solving and organization skills, the ability to work under pressure, and the ability to build and maintain effective relationships.
• Intermediate computer skills including, composing and formatting documents, working with databases, and social networking (Familiarity with VAN/EveryAction, as well as managing social media accounts are a plus).
• Public speaking and networking skills
• Bilingual/multilingual a plus.

Organizational Background: Citizen Action of Wisconsin is an issue focused non-profit membership organization committed to achieving racial, gender, economic, and environmental justice. We bring together thousands of activists and allied groups across Wisconsin to deepen democratic participation that advances a strongly progressive public policy agenda. Citizen Action of Wisconsin is an affiliate and a major leader within People's Action, a network of 41 independent social justice organizations in 26 states which is playing a growing role in national progressive politics. We are also an affiliate of Power Shift Action, a network of 20 multiracial power building groups focused on economic and racial justice. More information on current Citizen Action of Wisconsin programs can be found at citizenactionwi.org.

Position Details: This is a full-time senior, union-represented, position which includes comprehensive gold-plan health care and dental with additional reimbursements for co-pays, 401K with direct employer contribution and a match, life insurance, disability insurance, mobile phone allowance, computer allowance, travel reimbursements, substantial paid time off, and other benefits. Some weekend and evening hours are required. This is a union position, represented by OPEIU Local 9, AFL-CIO.**** This position has a starting salary of $64,858, higher for exceptionally qualified candidates based on our union scale. Generous automatic cost of living and seniority increases annually. Eligibility for merit-based promotion based on demonstrated performance.

The Climate Action Coordinator is a member of the Program Team and reports to the Managing Director. This position could be based anywhere in Wisconsin, but preferably within the geographic footprint of one of our 6 organizing co-ops (our member chapter system). Citizen Action has staff who live in Milwaukee, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Wausau, and Green Bay. The position includes frequent travel within Wisconsin, and occasional out-of-state travel.

Women, people of color, formerly incarcerated individuals, individuals from the LGBTQ+ community, and individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Application Process: Email cover letter explaining your interest in the position and rsum to the Hiring Team: hiring@citizenactionwi.org

Citizen Action of Wisconsin and Citizen Action of Wisconsin is an equal opportunity employer, and does not discriminate based on age, gender, gender identity, sex, sexual preference, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, or former incarceration status. Women, people of color, formerly incarcerated individuals, individuals from the LGBTQ+ community, and individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to apply.