Senior Organiser

Purpose of the role

At NEON we believe that organising is crucial if we’re to build the power we need to win a new economy and deepen cross-community solidarity at a time of political polarisation. A central part of our new strategy - and this role -  is to support movement organisations and organisers to build their capacity to do what we call Transformative Organising - where we transform the conditions we live in, transform ourselves and transform who has power in society. We use a combination of trainings, 1-2-1 mentoring and strategic partnerships with movement organisations to give organisers the tools, skills and confidence they need to build a base with those at the sharp end of the crisis, develop politically conscious leaders, and plan strategic & escalating campaigns that win. You’ll work with our Head of Organising and colleagues in the Movement Building Hub to scale up this offer over the coming years, with a particular focus on the housing, climate and migration movements, as well as supporting movements to tackle a rising far-right. 

What you will be doing

1. Deliver organising trainings to social movement organisers and campaigners, using content from our Transformative Organising programme and working closely with our Head of Organising and NEON trainers. These will be a mix of shorter workshops and multi-day trainings, blending in-person and online delivery, and you will be supported to experiment with different delivery models to meet movement needs. 

2. Work in partnership with organisers, organisations and coalitions to build their organising capacity over the long-term, through ongoing mentoring and hands-on support and training.  

3. Conduct extensive 1-2-1s with movement organisers, to strengthen relationships, explore opportunities for collaboration and understand movement needs. 

4. Support the development of a network of UK-based organisers, and create spaces for collective learning and ensure NEON’s organising offer meets the needs of organisers on the ground.

5. Work with the Head of Organising to periodically review and update NEON’s Transformative Organising content, staying responsive to movement needs and incorporating the latest organising practices and tools. 

6. Organise public events on organising topics, including webinars and workshops, bringing together organisers from across social movements

7. Contribute to the Movement Building Hub’s wider work, including the organising components of our Worker-led Transition programme and our work to build the strategic capacity of movement leaders and organisations. This role will also contribute to cross-organisational work in NEON’s key focus areas (migration, housing, climate, and tackling the rise of the far-right), as well as projects to support the development of NEON’s internal culture. 

Who you are

This isn’t a tick box exercise and we don’t expect you to meet all of the criteria - it’s more to give both us and you an overall sense of the role, and how the skills and experience you have might map onto it. 

We’re looking for someone with a: 

1. Proven track record of using organising tools and approaches to plan and deliver successful campaigns, with at least 3-5 years of experience. This might include doing base-building, conducting outreach, mapping, organising mass meetings and actions, or integrating political education into campaign planning 

2. Ability to deliver a strategic and escalating organising plan in a fast moving  and politically complex environment 

3. Experience of delivering trainings, including to those at the sharp end of injustice, with a passion for being and developing as a trainer

4. Understanding of UK social movements, their strengths and weaknesses, and opportunities for NEON to provide support 

5. Good communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and sensitively, and work effectively with a range of movement organisations and individuals, including those directly impacted by injustice and oppression

6. Excellent planning skills to ensure projects are designed delivered to a high standard

7. Ability to work independently and flexibly in a dynamic organisation

8. Willingness to occasionally work unsociable hours (always repaid with TOIL)

9. Proven understanding of anti-oppression work and commitment to tackling all institutional forms of oppression, bigotry and exclusion

10. An affinity with NEON’s aims, objectives and organisational values of solidarity, generosity and respect.