Bargaining for the Common Good Director

About the position
The Bargaining for the Common Good Director will convene and grow the Illinois Bargaining for the Common Good (BCG) table and advance the adoption of BCG practices in union contract campaigns and related coalition policy and organizing campaigns. This will include cultivating alliances between labor and community organizations, aligning campaign strategies within those alliances, and expanding the table’s strategic and organizing capacities to win demands such as affordable housing, investments in public schools and the care economy, and progressive revenue. The BCG Director will report to the Executive Director.

Responsibilities/Outcomes:

• Coalition Building: Expand the set of organizations and constituencies engaged in BCG campaigns in Illinois. Raise awareness of BCG among possible future allies through presentations, workshops, and consultations.
• Strategy Development and Support: Assist IL BCG partners in planning their campaigns and integrating BCG elements by contributing models, lessons, and resources from the national BCG network.
• Capacity Building: Co-design and lead with partner organizations new opportunities for individual members to participate and develop as leaders in BCG campaigns, such as workshops, trainings, and actions. Collaborate with other staff to develop new funding and other resources that expand the ability of allied organizations to impactfully participate in BCG campaigns.
• Supervising: Some supervisory responsibility over interns or temporary staff.

You should apply if you are an organizer who….

Loves building power with a group of multi-racial labor and community organizers by fostering spaces of trust, vision, radical hope, and strategic campaigns.

Wants to fight back against corporate control and authoritarianism in workplaces and communities by augmenting the solidarity and strategies of labor-community partnerships.

Requirements:

Below are the qualifications of an ideal candidate for the position. We recognize and support that some knowledge and skills may need to be developed in the role and so encourage you to apply if you meet most but not all requirements.

• An energetic commitment to dismantling white supremacy and racial capitalism through fighting for environmental, racial, and economic justice within an anti-oppression framework.
• 5+ years experience in labor and community organizing with a track record of expanding responsibilities.
• 3+ years experience in building and facilitating coalitions that can execute high-stakes campaigns.
• 3+ years of commitment to and experience in advancing the growth of grassroots leaders.
• 3+ years experience in designing curriculum and leading workshops following popular education principles.
• Demonstrated experience in campaign planning, managing complex goals, and developing and implementing plans for teams of organizers and campaign staff.

Nice to Have:

• Legislative advocacy knowledge
• Experience with negotiating union contracts
• Experience using BCG organizing elements
• Fluency in another language besides English
• Familiarity and relationships with the Chicago labor and community organizing landscape

To thrive in this role, someone in this position will have excellent written and verbal communication skills, be super organized, excited about details and can meet deadlines with ease. They have strong interpersonal skills for developing relationships that foster collaboration and mutual accountability among diverse individuals.

Work Environment:
This position is based in Chicago with some travel in the metro area, and central and downstate Illinois.
COVID-19: Grassroots Collaborative has made shifts to address the continuing difficulty of the pandemic on our emotional and physical health. We are working hybrid with periodic in-person meetings while we plan a safe return to our offices.

We are currently implementing a 4-day work week, with Full Time Employment defined as 32+ hours, with Fridays off. (There will be exceptions where more working hours are required, including on Fridays or over the weekend.)
Salary/hourly, exempt or nonexempt: Salaried, Exempt, Full-time position

Compensation:
The salary for this position as a Director ranges from $70,000 to $85,000 based on our Thriving Equity Pay Scale.

Benefits Include:

• Health insurance coverage options with 85% to 100% of premiums paid by employer*
• Vision, dental and life insurance with 100% of premiums paid by employer*
• 403b retirement savings plan with yearly employer contribution
• Monthly allowances for mobile phone and internet services and a yearly allowance for professional development
• 14 days of paid vacation
• 11 sick days
  *Employer contribution rates reflected are in effect for FY2023. Employer contribution rate is based on GC’s annual budget and is subject to change.

About Us
Grassroots Collaborative (501c3) is a person of color led, BIPOC-centered coalition that builds power with working families through strategic community-labor organizing, grassroots leadership development, civic engagement, and research in Chicago and Peoria, IL. We aim to create bold change through building united fronts to win progressive policies and transformative systems-change centered on low-to-moderate income residents and communities of color. We utilize popular education to build consciousness, and build a coalition that unites residents to create transformative change for a more just society. Our affiliated 501c4, Grassroots Illinois Action, works to build community political power through issue advocacy and electoral strategies. We have a strong record of leading cutting edge campaigns that shift the narrative of white supremacy, austerity and corporate power.

To Apply:
Please send resume and cover letter (see below for prompt) to: hiring@thegrassrootscollaborative.org with “BCG DIRECTOR” in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with priority given to those received by Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

Cover letter prompt to respond in one page:

Please describe your experience working with or leading a multi-sectoral coalition to build power with a multi-racial working class.

Grassroots Collaborative is an equal-opportunity employer. Black, Indigenous, Latine and People of Color, LGBTQ, trans and gender expansive people are strongly encouraged to apply.