Community Organizer
About San Diego
San Diego, with a population of nearly 1.5 million people, is the second largest city in California, and the eighth largest city in the country. Known for its beautiful year-round climate, miles of gorgeous beaches, and its small city vibe, San Diego is also in the midst of a dramatic political realignment, with increased opportunity for effecting meaningful change at the city, county, and through its representation at the state and federal level.
San Diego sits on the U.S. - Mexico Border just north of Tijuana, and the two cities comprise the world’s largest metropolitan, binational region. San Ysidro, one of three border crossings in the region, is consistently cited as the world’s busiest port of entry. San Diego is also the number one refugee resettlement site in California, with more than 86,000 thousand resettled from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa since 1975.
Refugee resettlement and the cross-border character of the region make San Diego a rich blend of racial/ethnic, linguistic, and country-of-birth diversity. The region presents unique opportunities to be on the front lines of the fight for human rights, and to be a part of a public interest community that is incubating cutting edge refugee and racial justice policy for the entire country.
About PANA
The Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization fighting to advance the full economic, social, and civic inclusion of refugees in San Diego, throughout California, and across the country. PANA works at the intersection of African, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) refugee communities impacted by racial/ethnic profiling, religious bias, increased government surveillance and harassment, and poverty among the many issues affecting our refugee communities.
PANA advances significant policy reforms at the city, county, and state level to ensure newly resettled refugees have equal access to family sustaining jobs, quality and healthy homes, and meaningful education that translates to upskilling in the workforce. In addition to policy and legal advocacy, PANA uses an integrated voter engagement approach to build and leverage deep community networks, develop community leaders, and establish a civic engagement infrastructure to amplify the voice, visibility, and impact of our community.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZER Position
San Diego County’s refugee, immigrant, and Muslim communities face ongoing threats that challenge their ability to rebuild a sense of home and belonging. The Community Organizer will utilize a variety of strategies and hold multiple responsibilities including base-building to develop a commitment membership of grassroots leaders, facilitate community decision-making processes, communications, and the analysis and development of local and statewide campaign strategies.
This position will report to and work closely with the Deputy Director to ensure that campaign strategies are in line with organizational messaging, goals, and obligations to its communities.
Foster relationships with coalitions and organizations locally and across the state working on advancing immigrants rights and refugee issues.
Conduct leadership training for community members.
Design and facilitate Steering Committee, Know Your Rights presentations and other community events.
Develop, conduct, and widely publicize trainings that promote grassroots leadership, strategic issue campaigns, organizing, and coalition building on priority issue areas.
Identify, cultivate, and develop strong community leaders who will lead campaigns that benefit our target communities.
Strengthen our steering committee to include a larger segment of our target populations.
Responsible for 10 1:1s weekly with committee members, monthly turnout and facilitation of meetings.
Be responsive to community needs including assisting walk-ins with direct support, community referrals, and further engagement on priority issues.
Qualifications and Skills Required
Demonstrated experience organizing or engaging with refugee and/or immigrant communities.
Experience leading issue campaigns.
Demonstrated commitment to refugee and immigrant communities.
Excellent research, oral and written skills.
Extremely organized with close attention to detail and accuracy.
Ability to juggle multiple priorities effectively in a rapidly changing environment.
Ability to speak Arabic
Knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook, and sophisticated use of technology.
Compensation
Competitive salary commensurate with experience and excellent benefits.
To Apply
Applicants should email a resume, writing sample, and cover letter to admin@panasd.org.