Senior Organiser, Nottingham & Leicester & Leicestershire Citizens

Citizens UK 

Citizens UK is a people power alliance of diverse local communities working together for the common good. Our mission is to develop leaders, strengthen civic organisations and make change. Our 550 member communities are deeply rooted in their local areas and connect every day to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Through the method of community organising we enable people experiencing powerlessness to develop their leadership and come together with the power and strategy to make change.   

This has led to hundreds of neighbourhood improvements - from zebra crossings outside primary schools to renovated public toilets in cemeteries. And it leads to some of the biggest campaign impacts in the UK, such as winning over £2 billion of wages through the UK Living Wage campaign, securing a legal cap on the cost of credit to control exploitative lending, and ending the detention of children for immigration purposes. We enable local campaigns to grow into large-scale social change projects such as the Living Wage Foundation, Parents and Communities Together (PACT) and Sponsor Refugees that form an integral part of our theory of change. The most prominent of these is the rapidly growing Living Wage Foundation with a network of nearly 15,000 accredited Living Wage Employers across the UK.   

Nottingham, Leicester and Leicestershire Citizens 

These 2 well established Citizens UK alliances have more than 17 years of organising between them with over 50 member organisations and a team of 3 organisers. As Citizens UK moves towards a more regional approach, we are seeking a Senior Organiser with the talent, vision, experience, hunger, emotional intelligence and relational skills to lead this organising team as they build both Nottingham and Leicester Citizens chapters. 

These alliances have previously won campaigns around low pay, refugee rights, hate crime, housing, mental health and much more. Currently, their main strategic relationships are with multi-academy trusts and Anglican Dioceses.  Nottingham and Leicester/Leicestershire Citizens are currently running campaigns on migration justice, racial equity in education, access to healthcare. 

Our ideal candidate for the position will have a track record of making things happen, be able to work with a high degree of independence, are comfortable with uncertainty, and able to think strategically as well as operationally.  They will be interested in understanding and working with different sectors and types of organisations, as well as engaging with people from a wide range of faiths and cultures which are different to their own. They will be excited about building the power of civil society and be able to communicate that effectively to others. They will learn and teach the craft of broad-based organising and be interested in receiving feedback to support their own development and growth. They will build and maintain relationships with a large number of leaders across the region and coach them to take action together on a common agenda. 

Purpose 

The Senior Organiser will work closely with the Midlands Assistant Director to develop a strategy to build power and create change. They will be responsible for line managing a team of 2-3 associate and community organisers. Together, they will work with community leaders to find and develop community leadership talent, develop campaign plans, raise funds, maintain the current network while recruiting new dues-paying member organisations and work with a range of community leaders to win systemic change. The candidate will have an anger for injustice and experience of working on campaigns as well as significant management experience. Experience of organising is desirable, but we are open to candidates with a passion for democracy with transferable skills.  

Main Responsibilities 

Working as the Senior Organiser across Nottingham, Leicester and Leicestershire Citizens your main responsibilities will include: 

Manage Notts, Leicester and Leicestershire Organisers  

• Line manage and oversee the professional development of 2-3 Associate and Community Organisers providing them with coaching, pastoral, and professional support   

• Arrange collective training opportunities for staff  

Oversee the organising strategy of a Notts/Leicester Strategic Partners  

• Work with colleagues to develop and oversee the organising strategy with Notts/Leicester strategic partners  

Work with Notts and Leicester/Leicestershire Leadership Teams 

• Arrange quarterly meetings of the Notts and Leicester/Leicestershire Leadership Teams 

• Send monthly updates to each Leadership Team  

Build relational power to further CUK goals 

• Develop a comprehensive power analysis for Nottingham and Leicester/Leicestershire  

• Develop and grow strong working relationships with power players at a regional level or sector, incl. journalists; taking the initiative to establish new relationships as required 

• Conduct 1-2-1s to develop relationships with leaders; demonstrating timely and effective agitation to stimulate action 

• Work effectively with local journalists and media outlets to further Citizen UK’s goals 

Identify and develop relational leaders prepared to act with others for the common good 

• Work with and learn from the best veteran leaders on key actions  

• Play a central role in the development of primary leaders; creating plans with them that are carried out 

• Nominate 10-20 leaders across both chapters for Regional Training and 5-10 leaders for National Training per annum 

Strengthen institutions and develop BBOs 

• Organise a diverse alliance to work together at chapter level 

• Develop a leadership team of representatives from several institutions at chapter level or a regional/national campaign that is successful in combining action with growth  

• Design organising strategies that combine internal and external action 

Support leaders through the Cycle of Action to create change 

• Take the staff lead on chapter-wide actions and campaigns; aiming to achieve significant wins at chapter/campaign level 

• Facilitate Issues Workshops and Delegates Assemblies. 

• Develop strategies for significant impact; with comprehensive plans and tactics  

• Support actions, ensuring publicity, and facilitating high level negotiations  

• Evaluate the effectiveness of actions; demonstrating ability to incorporate lessons learned into future actions 

Contribute to CUK’s financial viability through effective fundraising & financial management  

• Recruit new dues paying institutions; negotiating annual membership fees and letters of understanding as required 

• Recruit and work with large organisations; ensuring that they invest into the alliance and not solely internal delivery  

• Contribute to fundraising by securing £75k-£90k per annum overall, at least half to be ‘hard money’ from retention and recruitment of member institutions and strategic partners. 

Contribute to effective teamwork 

• Attract and help recruit new Community Organisers 

• Lead other Organisers in a manner that supports high performance by providing clear expectations and providing proactive coaching, support, and accountability.  

• Teach the community organising  curriculum on National or Regional Training successfully; acting as a ‘Track Captain’ by providing meaningful feedback and support to other trainers 

• Deliver sessions at a Guild Day 

• Produce all required reports and follow CUK’s procedures on time and to the required standards 

Contribute to the Craft of Community Organising 

• Schedule an average of at least 3 1-2-1 relational meetings into your daily schedule as a core part of your professional practice 

• Commit 10 working days pa to the preparation, delivery and evaluation of Citizens UK National Community Leadership Training; 

• Contribute to the leadership of a Guild Team and help it develop as a Community of Practice that enables Organisers across the UK to develop their skills and experience. 

Inclusion 

• Displays self-awareness of DEI issues and good practice.  

• Is alert to the impact of structural inequalities on chapters and team members. 

• Lead, support collaboration and acts within their area of responsibility and influence.  

• Support in the resourcing, evaluation, and reporting of DEI work, as relevant 

  The successful applicant will be required to undertake a satisfactory Enhanced DBS check. DBS checks are renewed on a 3-year cycle. 

Interviews to be conducted on 30 September 2024 (subject to change).