Community Organizer

Are you passionate about building parent and youth power to ensure equitable access to high quality public education? Join us as a community organizer to find, train and coach parent and youth leaders so they can amplify their voice and build grassroots power to transform communities and improve the education system for all students in the State of Washington.

As a school-based Community/Family Organizer, you will be responsible for supporting the development of parent leadership to improve our local community as well as advocate for supportive policies for public charter schools. This role requires effective partnership with school leaders and staff, families, community-based organizations, public officials and other local, regional and statewide stakeholders.

This is a full-time exempt position which may require weekend and evening hours that may require local travel and is a grant funded role with an end date on or before June 30th, 2024.

Who We Are:

What if all students graduated high school with the knowledge, skills and habits they need to lead  a fulfilled life?  This is the question that guides our mission at Summit Public Schools.

Summit is a leading network of public schools that prepare a diverse student population for success in a four-year college and to be thoughtful, contributing members of society. We operate 12 schools serving over 4,500 students in the Bay Area and Washington state. 100% of Summit graduates are college ready and Summit graduates complete college at double the national average.

We need exceptional, diverse, and mission-aligned individuals to join our team to help prepare our students for a fulfilled life. Join us!

What You’ll Do:

• Promote Summit’s vision, mission, and values through community relationship building.
• Identify, train and develop parent and family leaders in the principles and practices of community organizing in order to build powerful parent-driven school-based organizing committees.
• Develop and manage relationships with a broad base of constituents from targeted neighborhoods (including faith-based institutions, public officials, local government agencies, social service agencies) as well as teachers and school leaders at your school site, and cultivate their support for the local and statewide issue campaigns developed by parent leaders from the school site.
• Conduct at least 15 one-to-one visits with parents, community members and staff members every week.
• Build the capacity of parents to understand the Washington state and Seattle/Tacoma area educational landscape for charter schools, the interests of key decision-makers, and the power of an organized grassroots community.
• In partnership with school/network leadership staff, support the school’s successful reauthorization by the Washington State Charter Commission.
• Collaborate with school and network staff to remain informed on the local education political landscape and develop coordinated grasstops-grassroots strategies.
• Over time, build and manage multiple parent organizing committees that drive local campaigns around community or education system issues.
• Plan and coordinate large public forums and meetings, led by parent leaders.
• Collaborate and coordinate with other charter schools and the Washington Charter Association staff on local and statewide policy campaigns.
• Participate in local and regional staff development sessions with organization partners.
• Participate in administrative activities as required.

What You Need:

Required Qualities and Skills   

• Commitment to uphold Summit’s values, belief that all children deserve a rigorous and equitable education that prepares them for college and for life
• Bachelor’s Degree preferred
• Work experience in low-income communities.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong relationships with diverse stakeholders and communities.
• Ability to take initiative, to work as an individual or team, and to handle a fast-paced setting, with multiple projects and deadlines.
• Ability to write and speak clearly and persuasively, including speaking in small and large group settings.
• Strong strategic thinking skills and an ability to analyze policies and political institutions.
• Ability to develop parent leadership through coaching and strategic 1-1 conversations.
• Passion for social justice, supporting charter schools and families’ ability to have a choice of high quality public schools.
• Ability to assess leadership potential and create intentional opportunities for families to use their voice and power.
• Demonstrated commitment to anti-racism and diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Willingness to work as a member of and contribute to a team in a dynamic, learning environment.
• Eagerness to learn and apply the tools of community organizing.
• A valid driver’s license and reliable, insured vehicle.
• Ability to work frequent evening meetings (average 3-4 per week) and some weekends.
• Clear health and background check.

Preferred Qualities and Skills

• Proficiency in Spanish (strongly preferred).
• Two to five years of professional community organizing or community development experience.
• Understanding of the education reform landscape and Washington political dynamics.
• Academic or experiential knowledge related to building social capital and political power in low-income and multilingual communities.
• Skills as a trainer with specialized knowledge in grassroots leadership development, political context, public policy development, and/or public education.
• Experience developing and supporting public policy solutions to local or regional problems
• Experience working with Parents and caregivers of middle/high schoolers in the Puget Sound region.

Who You Are:

You stand out by being…

• Highly organized and self-directed. You are driven by your personal conviction and purpose. You take the initiative and organize your work with the information provided, and take responsibility for your learning.
• You’re deeply dedicated to social justice and feel motivated by the challenge and impact of working in a heterogeneous community and closing the achievement gap.
• You possess strong relationship and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate and communicate with a diverse group of teachers, leaders, staff members, and community members.
• You share our vision to reimagine what schools should be and are excited to make an impact on the public charter education landscape.
• You believe in every student, and the capability for college and career success, recognizing that student growth in all areas—academic, behavioral and community—are an investment and part of the work.
• A cross-functional utility player. Your skills span multiple functions. You are ambitious and can support and/or motivate individuals with different skill sets, responsibilities, and disciplines to work together to perform specific tasks, while being flexible and adaptable to new situations.
• You possess strong people management and relationship skills, with the ability to motivate, inspire, develop, coach and communicate with a diverse group of leaders, political and community members.
• You are empathetic and culturally competent. You bring an explicit racial equity lens to your work, while understanding the gaps in the public education system.
• Effective in translating projects into action. You embrace change and can effectively manage multiple moving pieces while executing complex projects and events. You know that projects and strategies only matter if they are implemented. You thrive on working with stakeholders to bring new projects and ideas to life and building the conditions for sustained change.

What You Get:

In addition to joining a highly motivated team and engaging in meaningful work, you’ll have access to a comprehensive suite of benefits including a retirement plan, “take what you need” PTO policy, 12 paid holidays, and 3 weeks of organization-wide closures during the year. You and your dependents will have access to multiple health, dental, and vision plans at 25% cost (we cover the other 75%) and employee life and disability insurance at no cost. Our compensation policy strives to be equitable and transparent. The salary for this position starts at $62,103 and goes up to $81,723 commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Summit is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are directly intertwined with education. We are ALL better when we are able to bring our whole selves to work and honor each other’s voices across identities, cultural backgrounds, and life experiences. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals who are members of historically marginalized communities. Spanish or Somali language proficiency is a plus.