Merrimack Valley Project (Mvp)

MERRIMACK VALLEY PROJECT

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT – STAFF DIRECTOR / LEAD ORGANIZER

Overview

The Merrimack Valley Project (MVP) is searching for a talented new Staff Director / Lead Organizer. Founded in 1992, MVP unites congregations, local unions, and community groups in organizing campaigns for social and economic justice in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts. The Staff Director / Lead Organizer will work with a team of talented leaders to advance effective, broad-based organizing campaigns to improve the quality of life in Valley communities. Currently MVP is organizing local campaigns to improve public safety and increase the supply of decent affordable housing. It has also initiated a statewide campaign with allies to win driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants.

History and Accomplishments

In the 19th century, the Merrimack Valley, with its miles of red brick mills, was the birthing ground of America’s industrial revolution. Beginning in the 1950s, the region began losing thousands of quality manufacturing jobs to cheaper labor markets in southern U.S. states, and later overseas. By the 1980s, the majority of the old mill jobs were gone. Meanwhile, an influx of Latino, Southeast Asian, and later, African immigrant groups transformed the face of the Valley’s cities. The combination of job losses and new immigration spurred an exodus of white, middle-class residents to the suburbs, creating the dramatic economic and racial segregation we still see in the region today.

The Merrimack Valley Project was created by a group of faith, labor, and community leaders to unite people across the region’s widening racial, ethnic, and economic rifts in common action to strengthen our communities. Through MVP, diverse leaders from center city immigrant, mainline suburban congregations, union locals and community groups have worked together to win major victories improving the lives of thousands of poor and working poor Valley residents. Most recently these have included winning passage a Lawrence Trust Act Ordinance, and playing a critical role in successful statewide campaigns to increase the state minimum wage, secure earned sick time, and win passage of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.

Today MVP has grown to 28 member groups in Greater Lowell, Greater Lawrence and Haverhill. MVP places a strong emphasis on developing the capacity of faith communities to act on their commitments to social and economic justice, and is part of a growing faith-and-values-based organizing movement in America. In 1997, MVP helped found the InterValley Project, a regional organizing network that unites the power of 6 community organizations to advance faith-and-values-based organizing throughout New England.

Responsibilities

· Recruit and develop leaders from a diverse membership of religious, labor, and community organizations in the Merrimack Valley, and work with these leaders to strengthen MVP’s power.

· Help the MVP leadership prepare, oversee, and fund a budget of $185,000+ per year. This includes identification of funding resources, grant research, program design, proposal writing, training leaders to conduct successful grassroots fundraising campaigns and membership dues collection, and consistent and effective foundation fundraising.

· Develop and maintain relationships with leaders of current and potential MVP member organizations.

· Staff organizing campaigns on economic and social justice issues including, but not limited to, mass incarceration, the opioid crisis, immigration, jobs and workers’ rights, affordable housing, and other issues important to MVP’s constituency.

· Staff regional chapters and sub-committees of the Executive Council, Delegates Assembly and Annual Convention.

· Hire, supervise, and mentor other MVP staff organizers, organizer apprentices, field study students, and interns.

· Maintain a working relationship with and help develop the InterValley Project for staff and leadership development.

Qualifications

· Minimum 3-5 years work experience as a community, congregation-based, or labor organizer.

· Passion for social and economic justice, and strong commitment to faith- and values-based organizing.

· Proven ability to mentor leaders and carry out successful issue campaigns.

· Demonstrated track record in both grassroots and grant fund-raising.

· Experience supervising and developing other organizers and support staff for their own growth and for the growth of the organization.

· Appreciation for and ability to work with a broad range of religious and cultural traditions.

· Excellent team-building and communication skills, high energy, and strong one-to-one relationship-building skills.

· Ability to oversee a variety of administrative and management tasks.

· Experience working with diverse immigrant communities; bilingual ability in Spanish strongly preferred; bilingual ability in Portuguese or Khmer a plus.

Terms of Placement

Competitive salary, commensurate with experience, with excellent benefits, including 4 weeks paid vacation. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Please send resume and cover letter as soon as possible to:

Wilson Ormaza, Chair of Search Committee

Merrimack Valley Project

1045 Essex Street

Lawrence, Massachusetts 01841

(978) 686-0650

email: