Organizational Summary

T.R.U.S.T. South LA is a membership-based non-profit community land trust focused on: the
production and preservation of affordable housing and the stewardship of community-
controlled land; building values-driven community development; building awareness and
fostering community leadership on issues of housing, transportation, sustainability and
recreation; and creating programs, collaborations and initiatives that build community and
economic opportunity for low-income residents within and beyond our project boundaries.

TRUST South LA Lead Organizing Job Description

T.R.U.S.T. South LA’s Lead Organizer position is a management position supervising a team of
Community Organizers, and serving on the TRUST Management Team, and reports to the
Director of Policy. We are seeking a seasoned community organizer who will play a critical role
in building T.R.U.S.T. South LA’s power and influence in our land stewardship and active
transportation work – through organizing, leadership development and community-engaging
base building programs and campaigns. The Lead Organizer, in partnership with the Director of
Policy, and working with Community Leaders, will develop our own programs and campaigns to impact policy and/or to create concrete improvements in the lives of our members and our
community; and may also work with strategic allies on various local and City-wide policy
campaigns. The ideal candidate has experience managing a team of organizers working across
a variety of issues, including housing, active transportation, developing and managing winning
campaigns, and has a proven track record of developing community leaders and engaging
members in both program events and campaign activities- identifying and maximizing
opportunities to link the two approaches.
We require someone who is a competent project manager. We seek a candidate who:
understands the importance of integrating leadership development into all aspects of program
and policy work; will engage and mobilize significant numbers of community members, building a diverse and committed TRUST South LA Membership in the process, with a particular emphasis on members living in TRUST Housing; and will prioritize building deep, durable community capacity to build a deeper progressive social change movement in South Los Angeles and broader.

Responsibilities:

• Work with staff, Leadership Committee and Membership to develop and implement campaigns to advance policy initiatives, secure land use entitlements, and increase community-informed capital infrastructure investments in South LA – which are in alignment with TRUST South LA’s Strategic Plan, and captures strategic opportunities -and serve as Lead Organizer on those campaigns.
• Conduct program and organizing work that adheres to TRUST South LA’s principles, vision, mission, methods, models and protocols; and is performed in a culturally and linguistically-appropriate manner.
• Work with the Director of Policy to evaluate and refine Organizing Methodology and Systems, including membership assessments and train Community Outreach Workers in methodology.
• Support the development of a Membership base for all program areas and develop and integrate diverse leadership across program areas.
• Build out and organize ACTIVE membership and participation of residents living in our current and future TRUST owned housing.
• Engage and train community members, with emphasis on those living on TRUST-owned land, in planning and through development and implementation of workshops, trainings, mapping activities and community design sessions.
• External Campaigns: participate in joint-coalitions, City and County activities, as needed and identified with the Director of Policy.
• Understand and work to meet grant deliverables; and contribute to reports and grant proposals as needed.
• Support the Communications Manager with newsletter blasts and social media.
• Attend staff meetings, regular meetings with the Director of Policy, and hold regular check in meetings with organizing and engagement staff.
• Perform necessary administrative activities to be outlined by the Director of Policy.

Minimum Requirements

• Demonstrated commitment to social and economic justice work that empowers
  communities.
• Agreement with T.R.U.S.T. South LA’s Statement of Principles
  (http://trustsouthla.org/vision/about-us).
• Ability to work with people across lines of race, ethnicity, language, class, gender, age
  and sexual orientation.
• Demonstrated understanding of the Los Angeles landscape, including the history of
  South LA is a bonus.
• Ability to plan and achieve annual goals and objectives, to develop weekly workplan and
  to support staff in the same.
• Strong project management skills.
• Ability to develop team vision, goals, and build leadership capacity among community
  leaders/members.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and through written
  correspondence. Spanish is a plus but not required.
• Familiarity with and/or capacity to learn Microsoft Office applications, Google
  applications (Gmail, Google Docs, Google calendar), and Salesforce web-based
  database.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends.
• California driver’s license and access to reliable transportation and a personal vehicle
  that can be used for work-related travel. Proof of insurance will be required.

Additional Desired Qualifications

• Bachelors or Master’s degree in Urban Planning, Social Work, Policy, or related field witha minimum of two year of work experience.
• Established trust and relationships with frontline communities and communities of color in South Los Angeles.
• Familiar with T.R.U.S.T. South LA’s vision, mission, principles, work and neighborhoods.
• Two or more years of supervisory experience
• General knowledge of and passion for community development, housing, mobility, and/or land use issues.
• Highly self-motivated; an energizing and encouraging force for the people with whom you work.
• Flexibility in the job role, understanding the need to dynamically respond to evolving needs that are often driven by external events and opportunities.
• Experience with both shared leadership and independent decision-making.
• Experience with popular education and curriculum development.
• Experience with coalition building to support projects to work towards/create
• neighborhood change
• A good sense of humor (we ask all staff to be funny, thank you!)

Salary and Benefits

The Lead Organizer position is a full-time, exempt (salaried) position with full medical/dental
benefits for employees. The salary is based on qualifications and experience with a range of
$65,000-75,000 annually.

CONTACT/ TO APPLY

Please submit a resume and letter of interest to jobs@trustsouthla.org as soon as possible with the title of the Job Description and your First and Last Name in the subject line (Subject: Lead Organizer_First Name_Last Name). Interviews will be on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Applicants selected for an interview will be asked for 3 professional references along with examples of prior work in community organizing and/or advocacy. Position will be open until filled. Review of applications will begin on August 31, 2024

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

As an organization committed to community led solutions to housing justice and racial equality, T.R.U.S.T. South LA provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, along with any and all of other characteristics that make us all unique. We help put this commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in practice through professional training, flexible work hours, benefits and support for a healthy work-life-family balance.