The Field Organizer works on developing and implementing voter engagement and organizing projects in Central Virginia’s Asian American communities to educate and protect voters, promote voter turnout, and build base to advance policies towards social, economic, and racial justice. They will work alongside and with supervision from the Director of Civic Engagement to create necessary educational materials and implement voter engagement campaigns.
Responsibilities
Voter Engagement & Education (85%)
- Help develop and implement voter education campaigns, including but not limited to voter registration, hotspot canvassing, etc., that directly contact and educate Asian American voters in Central Virginia and result in increasing voter turnout
- Build relationships with key community stakeholders at ethnic hubs, including but not limited to cultural centers, places of worships, and grocery stores to support voter education activities
- Train and manage volunteers on voter engagement
- Develop and distribute a community needs assessment
- Coordinate with team members to schedule and carry out events, including a legislative townhall
- Plan logistics for events, such as securing venues, sending invitations, etc.
- Lead the creation of multilingual educational content, such as flyers, or other materials required to lead voter education programs. This work will include collaborating with other staff and translators to design content.
- Learn to use relevant databases and voter contact tools, such as VAN, EveryAction, etc.
- Review research and state news, attend webinars and conferences, and participate in trainings to learn and help inform the refining of field programs
- Support Director of Civic Engagement, with completing grant reports and other internal data needs
Organizational responsibilities (15%)
- Actively participate in staff meetings, team meetings, and other relevant internal meetings
- Participate in organization-wide shared duties and expectations for full-time employees as assigned. These can include (but are not limited to) participating in outreach events, supporting non-partisan election protection activities on Election Day, promoting fundraising opportunities, and co-facilitating collaborative meetings
- Collaborating with other teams on civic engagement work and providing insight on field projects
- Be a thought partner to Director of Civic Engagement
- Other duties as assigned
Required Key Competencies & Qualifications
- Prior work experience: 2-4 years of relevant field organizing experience
- Technical skills & resource management
- Operating and applying basic tools and technical skills, like recording information into an excel spreadsheet or database to solve role-specific problems.
- Managing and optimizing resources for individual and small team related projects and identifying and mitigating potential risks in assigned tasks
- Strategic proficiency
- Noticing patterns or connecting the dots based on conversations with community members and partners to develop analysis. Contributing that insight to strengthen campaigns and overall organizational strategic planning.
- Project & time management, problem solving
- Independently managing small, defined projects and monitoring quality standards in assigned tasks while monitoring personal progress and deadlines effectively. Prioritizing schedules and tasks across a team project, and supporting others in managing their workloads and priorities within that team project.
- Adaptability & resilience
- Navigating change and taking advantage of unexpected opportunities and new conditions.
- Addressing challenges with the capacity to recover from setbacks and dealing with adversity positively by accepting them as learning opportunities while also providing support to other staff during crises.
- Self-awareness & conflict resolution
- Appropriately identifying conflict, alerting supervisor as needed, and listening and participating in discussions to resolve disputes with the willingness to engage in healthy conflict and resolution by recognizing and managing emotions of self while appropriately responding to others and understanding the challenges of teammates as well.
- Communication skills
- Capable of conveying accurate, clear, helpful, and understandable information to a variety of different internal and external audiences effectively, while also demonstrating the ability to adjust communication style based on that audience by asking clarifying questions, building necessary rapport, and providing support for personal and professional growth.
- Trust, empathy, & integrity
- Demonstrates the capacity to support self and others in the workplace and community through active listening and displays strong moral and ethical standards by maintaining alignment with our core values and following organizational guidelines around privacy, trust, and ethical conduct.
- Leadership & teamwork
- Capable of balancing advocacy for oneself, team, and the organization by fostering teamwork and collaborating effectively with others, handling conflict appropriately, understanding responsibilities, carrying out tasks/assignments with little to no error, and supporting others to promote wellness and a healthy workplace environment.
- Comfortable providing and receiving positive and constructive feedback to team members and supervisors, fostering a learning and growing environment while demonstrating honesty, integrity, and a willingness to change if corrective action is necessary.
Preferred Qualifications (not required)
- Experience working on Asian American and/or immigrant community issues and/or social, economic, and racial justice issues.
- Experience working with community members through service, education, organizing, and/or advocacy.
- Experience with civic engagement, GOTV campaigns and voter outreach, especially with Asian American voters.
- Understanding of and experience with the Virginia political landscape
- Technology: Familiar with the following platforms: VAN, MiniVAN, Mobilize, and EveryAction
- Bilingual skills: Preference for an individual who can speak/write English and an Asian language (please specify language and proficiency level in your resume)
Additional Details
- Location: hybrid (part remote and part in-person position in Henrico, VA)
- Job Type: full-time
- Reports to: Director of Civic Engagement
- Pay: $58k (commensurate w/ experience)
- Benefits:
- Full health, dental, and vision insurance.
- Simple IRA matching program after 2 years of employment.
- Paid time off, vacation, sick days (if you, a partner, or a family member are sick), and other leave time customized to your unique circumstances. We close the first week of July and between December 25 – January 1 for reflection and rejuvenation.
To Apply
Send resume and a writing sample (instructions below) to Sami Watson at swatson@hamkaecenter.org with subject “Field Organizer – [First Name] [Last Name]”.
Writing Sample: 1-2 paragraphs about why this position interests you
Priority deadline: 11:59pm EST on Jan. 12, 2025. After priority deadline, applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
About Hamkae Center
Hamkae Center organizes Asian Americans in Virginia to achieve social, economic, and racial justice. Through community organizing, public policy advocacy, civic engagement, and youth leadership development, Hamkae Center works to build a future in which low- and middle-income, immigrant, people of color, and marginalized communities can fully participate in U.S. society and work together as makers of lasting change. We are the Virginia affiliate of the NAKASEC Network.
Hamkae Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. People from a wide range of backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. We are committed to a diverse workplace and supporting our staff with ongoing career development opportunities.
