The Organization
Our mission is to support children, organize families, and connect neighbors to uplift the dreams, power, and leadership of community and address systemic inequities.
SOMOS Mayfair was created in 1997 as a place-based, community-led initiative to address the systemic inequities in the Mayfair neighborhood of east San Jose. We are generations of immigrants, rooted in a vibrant community, who nurture healthy families and speak out for justice in Silicon Valley. SOMOS effectively operates with the evolving needs of the community and with the emerging opportunities for regional partnerships. In the past five years this has led SOMOS to focus our efforts on building the power of our community through leadership development, programming for multi-generational families, and community organizing.
Over its history, SOMOS has built a deep and lasting set of organizational strengths and norms that include:
- Commitment to SOMOS Mayfair platform and values.
- Deep passion to advancing social justice in immigrant, working class communities.
- Strong moral principles and values; trustworthy, honest and respectful of others.
- Deep respect demonstrated in communication with community, staff, board and partners.
- Focus on seeking common ground among stakeholders.
- Professionalism in quality of work, representation of the organization.
- Capacity to nurture and cultivate healthy working relationships and communication.
- Commitment to ongoing learning and growing capacity within the organization.
SOMOS Mayfair is one of five anchor organizations in the Mayfair neighborhood of East San José, including Amigos de Guadalupe, Grail Family Services, the School of Arts and Culture at MHP, and Veggielution that comprises the Sí Se Puede Collective (SSPC.) The SSPC formalizes the shared commitment of these organizations to serve low-income families living in the Mayfair community. By coordinating the work of these organizations, the SSPC aims to produce a much greater positive impact in the community than any organization can do alone.
Job Title: Fuertes Economic Justice Manager
SOMOS Mayfair is seeking a creative, dedicated, and experienced individual to help build and sustain our Fuertes economic justice work in Mayfair, East San Jose and beyond. The Fuertes Economic Justice Manager reports directly to SOMOS Mayfair’s Director of Learning & Leadership Development (LLD).
With the support of the LLD Director and LLD Manager, the Fuertes Manager will help guide the LLD Department and Fuertes Program and support and execute strategies by consistently sharing our collective vision, evaluating impact, analyzing and adapting to conditions, and creating new opportunities and practices. Economic justice is an emerging area of focus for our organization. This position will build off of the strengths of existing projects within the Fuertes Program and develop innovative new areas of work with direction from our SOMOS Collective and wider community. The Fuertes Manager will work collaboratively to steward an economic justice ecosystem in East San Jose that radically expands access to just, dignified, healthy, democratic, and cooperative work for excluded workers.
The Fuertes Manager is a member of the organization’s Management Team. The ideal candidate will be skilled at thinking strategically at the macro and organizational levels, operationalizing those ideas, leading teams to implementation, being detail oriented and communicating with internal and external stakeholders. The Fuertes Manager will uplift organizational standards of impact and wellbeing by coaching, training, supporting, and providing concrete and timely feedback. They will build deeper connections within the LLD team and alignment between different departments.
Ideal Candidate Qualifications and Qualities
- Deep passion and commitment to advancing racial, economic and social justice in immigrant, working class and multi-generational communities
- A minimum of three years of progressively responsible experience with community organizing, popular education, or movement organizations.
- Experience leading community-based advocacy work. Familiarity with the local policy and organizing landscape preferred.
- Commitment to economic justice and excluded workers. Familiarity with the and worker-owned cooperatives preferred.
- Passion for building grassroots, alternative systems in the community for collective learning and wellbeing.
- Desire and commitment to experiment and develop new, innovative approaches, while implementing and executing quality work. Comfort with community-led strategy and delegating responsibilities to others.
- Experience building partnerships and working in coalition.
- Experience with program development and execution.
- Ability to adapt to changing conditions, manage ambiguity, and be solution-oriented. Desire to engage in ongoing learning.
- Experience in applying popular education methodology preferred.
- Experience or willingness to learn about promotor models.
- Experience supervising unified and effective teams for a minimum of two years.
- Commitment to nurturing healthy relationships and communication and openness to working within a restorative organization.
- Consistently high-quality analysis, decision-making and judgment.
Key Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Bilingual/biliterate Spanish-English required
- Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to communicate with diverse groups.
- Ability to self-direct and take initiative in the area of work. Strong time management skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace programs.
- Able to work flexible hours, including some nights and weekends.
- Valid California driver’s license and proof of auto insurance required.
- Fingerprint and background check may be required.
Duties and Responsibilities (approximate % of time)
Program Strategy, Implementation, & Evaluation(45%)
- Oversee and support the strategy and implementation of the following bodies of work, in alignment with the SOMOS Strategic Plan:
- Ongoing design and facilitation of radically inclusive professional development program for the Fuertes Promotor Network, SOMOS Collective, and partner initiatives, in coordination with the Universidad Popular de Mayfair.
- Strengthening of the Fuertes Promotor Network to foster cooperation and mutual support between members, as well as updating network protocols.
- Development and execution of new external promotor projects that innovate in best practices for community engagement and education.
- Planning of Pathways to Work project to expand access to work through and within SOMOS Mayfair, in collaboration with Human Resources.
- Building of a worker-owned cooperative ecosystem in East San Jose in collaboration with La Esquina and additional partners.
- Lead the strategy and implementation of the Economic Justice Advocacy Committee of excluded workers, campaign development and execution, and additional advocacy efforts.
- Foster and steward a collaborative of economic justice partners that shifts the local landscape and public narrative to advance our Economic Justice Vision.
- Develop and facilitate intentional spaces for ongoing community and organizational learning in these areas to provide a strong shared foundation around economic justice.
- Ensure alignment between SOMOS Fuertes and all SOMOS departments and specific partnerships as needed. Ensure clear understanding and integration of Fuertes opportunities and processes and our visions of economic justice and community-based professionalism.
- Help design, plan, and carry out Collective Spaces, such as Collective Meetings and the annual Leadership Retreat.
- Oversee the development and implementation of program priorities, work plans, budgets, program monitoring, data tracking and reporting systems, in coordination with the LLD Manager. Ensure timely and accurate reporting for external promotor projects.
- Manage the development and implementation of strong evaluation measures to assess the impact of LLD programs and to tell the story of our work.
Supervision, Leadership Development, and Team-Building (30%)
- Together with the LLD Manager, guide strategies to create a unified and effective LLD team of Coordinators, Program Assistants, and leaders, including ongoing team-building, developing a departmental culture, and sustaining effective communication practices.
- Work with the LLD Manager to identify clear flow between different LLD projects and to ensure that the entire SOMOS Collective understands the roles of the LLD Department.
- Supervise Fuertes teams, including direct supervision of staff and ensuring effective staff supervision of Program Assistants and interns. Support staff in vision-setting, planning, and creative problem-solving to successfully conduct work.
- Ensure implementation of the Leadership Development Cycle within Fuertes and that team members are connected to ongoing learning opportunities and Collective spaces.
- Support ongoing staff learning and development.
- Recruit and retain a diverse staff that has wide skills represented, ethnicity and gender diversity to be representative of the community we serve.
- Ensure that job descriptions are current, regular staff evaluations are completed in a timely manner, and ongoing feedback is provided.
External Relationships and Movement-Building (10%)
- Strategically identify key partners and develop strong working relationships to advance our vision and strategic goals.
- Proactively promote and communicate the mission, vision, and strategic approach with partners, current and potential collaborators, funders, and the media. Conduct presentations and workshops on our work and model.
- Serve as a liaison to efforts focused on economic justice, workforce development, promotores, worker-owned cooperatives, and excluded workers and engage in ongoing learning exchanges with other groups.
Organizational Leadership and Alignment(10%)
- Consistently communicate about work plans and emerging issues with the Direction of Learning & Leadership Development.
- Serve as a thought partner in the development of the LLD Department and in operationalizing organizational vision and the SOMOS Strategic Plan.
- Provide strategic input and recommendations to the SOMOS Mayfair Management Team and support the Management Team to assess conditions and opportunities and make strategic decisions.
- Ensure the team is moving families to collective action, engaging in advocacy and organizing, and integrating campaign priorities into Fuertes programs.
- Ensure the team is connecting leaders to our Family Resource Centers and conducting assessments and intake forms to support families to meet their needs.
- Collaborate and coordinate closely with other SOMOS departments to support strategic alignment of planning, evaluation, implementation across our organization. Seek out opportunities to build relationships
- Always uphold our full SOMOS model. Support families and partners to understand this way of working by modeling our integrated approach.
Administrative and Professional Development (5%)
- Execute a Learning & Professional Development Plan to develop or strengthen essential skills and seek opportunities for greater and on-going learning, including keeping informed on economic justice movements and practices.
- Participate in organizational decision-making spaces and in regular internal political education as needed.
- Contribute to the development of organizational world-view and strategic plan.
- Participate in SOMOS Mayfair staff meetings and training and support major organizational campaigns and projects.
- Participate in SOMOS Mayfair fundraising activities.
To ApplyPlease apply by submitting a cover letter and resume, through our online SOMOS Mayfair Job Application, or in person at our HQ location: 1695 Alum Rock Ave, Suite 10 San José, CA.
SOMOS Mayfair is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, actual or perceived gender identity and gender expression, disability, genetic information, familial status or veteran status.
For more info contact us at (408) 460-2751 or learn about us at: WWW.SOMOSMAYFAIR.ORG
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $75,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Schedule:
- Choose your own hours
- Monday to Friday
- Weekends as needed
Work Location: In person
