Uprooted & Rising (“UNR”) is looking for a California-based organizer to join a fierce, smart team as we mobilize to fundamentally challenge white supremacy and corporate control in our food system and build a movement for food sovereignty. The California Assistant Coordinator (“California AC”) will play a key role in developing UNR’s regional strategy and campaigns in California. This role will have a particular focus on issues involving food and land sovereignty, in alignment with the First Peoples of California. They will also catalyze and coach campus and community initiatives to build our base of active support for UNR in California. Through local and virtual trainings and actions, they’ll support the leadership of students and communities in and around institutions of higher education. In addition to supporting base-building and action, they will establish and maintain strong relationships with Indigenous communities and organizations that work on food and environmental justice, while also holding organizational responsibilities as an RFG staff member. 

This position requires a remote work location and occasional weekend and evening work. An at home office with appropriate technical equipment is strongly encouraged. While we have paused all travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, this position typically requires travel for national and local retreats, events and conferences every 1-2 months, with travel cost reimbursed according to the TSNE/RFG travel policy. Travel will not be requested until TSNE and RFG have confirmed that it's safe to do so.

This position is part-time at 25 hours per week and is eligible for our full benefits package. The pay range for this position is $15 - $23 per hour as determined by experience related to the position jrequirements and the work location of the person hired.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Build relationships with and organize alongside Indigenous communities working to protect ancestral lands, waters, and traditional foodways;
• Support students leading the #UCDivestTMT Campaign, alongside Native Hawaiian protectors and Indigenous Peoples of California to pressure the University of California to divest from the Thirty-Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea;
• Organize nonviolent direct actions and support students involved in campaigns to challenge Big Food corporations, large food service companies, and Big Soda companies on college campuses, and various food sovereignty initiatives such as mutual aid;
• Grow and engage California Pods (student organizations) and Branches (community wide organizations) of UNR by recruiting students, food producers, and community members concerned about Big Food companies’ influence in higher education;
• Plan, coordinate, and lead trainings for the region, and lead road trips and campus visits once travel resumes;
• Organize with groups to build their base, create strategic plans for their campaigns, and take action.

Other Potential Responsibilities

• Manage the budget for the region;
• Engage in national core teams of Uprooted & Rising, which may include Research, Actions & Campaigns, Trainings, Cultivation, Communications, or Healing;
• Work on local and national grassroots fundraising projects.

We will consider exceptional candidates who demonstrate a strong combination of the specific qualifications and skills described below

 Experience and knowledge

• 1+ years’ experience leading nonviolent direct actions;
• Experience working with Indigenous Peoples around issues of food sovereignty;
• 1-3 years’ experience community organizing, planning campaign strategy, facilitating discussions and curriculum with diverse groups, and creating inclusive communities;
• In-depth understanding of college and university power structures, on-campus activism, and student group dynamics. Experience bridging between student, worker and community boundaries is a big plus;
• Experience with on-campus student activism and student group dynamics and working with college-based student activists;
• Preferred: Knowledge of supply chains in the food industry, including how and where to procure local foods and food products and food distribution, especially from Black and Indigenous farmers and farmers of color.

Values and skills

• A commitment to Indigenous rights, economic justice, anti-racism, student power and contributing to the real food movement as well as to developing the leadership of others;
• A passion for food justice and a clear personal stake in transforming the food system and higher education’s role in shaping a better future for people and planet;
• Strong self-motivation, a “hunger” for campaign success and an eagerness to be challenged;
• Excellent ability to build strong working relationships and to build new relationships through networking;
• Strong public speaking and group facilitation skills;
• Comfort working remotely and managing priorities independently in an evolving, fast-paced, and multi-tasking environment;
• Ability to use or adapt to platforms such as Google Suite, Slack, and social media for organizing;
• A desire to be interactive in the work (i.e. self-reflect with colleagues, create fun activities, etc);
• Able to work some nights and weekends and to travel nationally (when it’s safe to do so).