Canvass and Mobilization Director

About the organization 

Citizen Action is a statewide grassroots movement organization that fights for political, social, racial, economic and environmental justice. We work at the grassroots to give people a sense of their own power. We collaborate with organizations and coalitions in communities throughout New York to address critical issues at the local, state and federal levels. 

About the position 

Citizen Action is looking to add a Canvass and Mobilization Director to our team. The Canvass and Mobilization Director is responsible for working with and managing Citizen Action’s paid phone canvass team, mobilizing members and volunteers across the state, leading rapid response efforts, and assisting in fundraising and membership recruiting. This position will report to the Managing Director.

What you’ll do and the impact you'll make

Recruit, hire, train and manage a paid phone canvass staff of 4 permanent part-time canvassers; as well as additional temporary canvassers during certain periods of work. This management includes reviewing and approving biweekly timesheets for the canvassers, onboarding and offboarding paid canvass staff, and recruiting new paid canvassers when necessary.

Train staff and volunteers on effective phone canvassing, and identify and arrange relevant skills trainings and issue briefings for canvassers.

Run daily pre-shift canvass team meetings and send post-shift updates to relevant staff

Set the pace for calling for the canvass team, set clear goals for campaigns, and ensure that these goals are met

Establish quarterly fundraising and membership renewal/recruitment goals for the canvass team

Evaluate canvass staff performance and give ongoing feedback.

Create, edit and train others to create and edit effective canvass scripts and talking points. 

Use NGP VAN to create universes and lists for phone canvassing, and create calling campaigns using Virtual Phone Bank or Scale to Win Dialer. 

Coordinate the creation of outreach campaigns across departments (including phone and text canvassing) within VAN, Action Network, Scale to Win, and New/Mode and support staff in strengthening their capacity to manage outreach assets

Provide support for data analysis and entry, and report on data for the purposes of programmatic evaluation and grant reporting.

Work with the Managing Director to strategize and prioritize campaigns to support the organization’s state and federal issue and electoral work.

Represent the canvass team in organizational spaces, including all staff meetings and calls, interdepartmental meetings, and other campaign planning spaces.

Serve as the organization’s expert on deep canvassing, including engaging with the People’s Action deep canvass cohort

Develop and manage volunteer phone canvass teams to engage in rapid response work at the state and federal levels.

Other tasks as designated by your supervisor. 

Skills/Qualifications

Minimum of 3 years of experience as a field or phone canvasser. 

Minimum of 3 years of experience managing staff and/or volunteers.

A proven track record for training staff and community leaders to canvass

Experience and ability to manage data using NGP VAN.  

Some experience in electoral organizing. 

Ability to lead with vision, coach, train and supervise a team. 

Work and help set a fast paced work environment that drives organizational outcomes. 

Is used to setting and reaching numeric goals. 

Strong communications skills, including writing effective canvass scripts.  

A clear understanding of Citizen Action’s political goals and strategies. 

Political alignment with Citizen Action of New York

Valid driver's license and reliable vehicle

A core part of this job is leading through example, working side by side with staff, training and retraining to improve performance to run a purpose driven results oriented team. 

Success in this role also requires:

Ability to participate in a team, test new ideas, set the pace for the canvass team and drive toward results. 

Ability to model canvassing best practices and give timely direct feedback to canvassers on their practices

Centering and cultivating solid relationships, whether with colleagues, Citizen Action of New York members and volunteers, movement or campaign partners

Solution oriented approach to problem solving

Building and managing a high-performing canvass team, including a deep understanding of what it takes to produce and sustain great results 

Ability to sustain morale and team cohesion

Demonstrated commitment to (and experience in) centering equity and inclusion in your work - removing barriers to participation and engaging people across lines of race, class, age, and geography, especially when it’s not the path of least resistance

Balancing the needs for both scale AND strategic depth - building a base of people big enough to make bold, structural change that’s engaged, committed and aligned enough to be in it for the long haul; 

Working shoulder to shoulder with the team to provide coaching and investment in their success

Work Requirements

Work during evenings will be regularly required; work on weekends may also be required. 

Valid drivers license and reliable transportation required. 

Supervisory Responsibility:

This role supervises the staff and volunteers of the canvass.

Location

This position is remote in NYS, but works to support all chapters statewide. This position may be required to travel over nights or weekends across the state for work, training, or staff meetings. 

Our Benefits

Working collaboratively in an organization at the forefront of building power across NYS 

Competitive salary

100% paid employee monthly medical and vision premiums

Access to mental health and dental plans

401(k) retirement plan

Monthly cell phone stipend

Generous paid holidays, vacation time, and paid sick leave

Organization shutdown weeks in July and December, and Summer Fridays

Please note, all benefits are subject to change.

Salary: $68,500 - $72,500

Equal Opportunity Employer

Citizen Action of NY and The Public Policy and Education Fund are equal opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. We are looking for the most passionate people who want to join our team. People of color are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Applicants may be entitled to reasonable accommodations under the terms of the ADA and state/local laws. Please let us know if you need assistance participating in the interview process.