Senior Healing Justice Organizer

Restore Oakland

Senior Healing Justice Organizer - Job Description

The Opportunity 

Restore Oakland (RO) is seeking a bright, dedicated individual with a passion for racial, economic, and gender justice. This is an excellent opportunity for an abolitionist-aligned, hard-working community organizer who is eager to build collective power of residents impacted by systemic oppression toward developing their own leadership, political engagement, and solidarity. 

About Restore Oakland

Based in Oakland’s Fruitvale District, Restore Oakland works at the intersection of safety and economy in the East Bay, as economic inequity is the root cause of crime and economic self-determination is at the root of community safety. We organize our BIPoC East Bay neighbors, particularly those impacted by incarceration as well as those running co-ops and small businesses, because these folks are doing everything they can to keep our communities afloat.

We come together as neighbors to break isolation, enabling us to heal from generations of oppression on an individual level and build a more democratic city. We fight for a future where Oaklanders have all the things they need – including housing, healthcare, safety, art and culture– and where those common goods are governed by working-class and marginalized communities who’ve historically been excluded. Restore Oakland is a healing justice organization that integrates restorative justice circle practice and collective care into our organizing methodologies. 

Position Overview

The Senior Healing Justice Organizer is tasked with growing a base of systems-impacted and working-class community members who are committed to building a future rooted in healing justice. In collaboration with Restore Oakland’s Lead Healing Justice Organizer, the Senior HJ Organizer is responsible for shaping and implementing an effective membership recruitment, absorption, and development pipeline. Through this work, the Senior HJ Organizer will build the capacity of member organizers to become movement leaders and community stewards.

The ideal candidate is a power-builder, a skillful facilitator, and a strategic thinker who can balance short-term and long-term goals. A collaborative, compassionate team player who practices solutions-oriented approaches to dealing with challenges will thrive in this role. 

They will serve as a member of the Healing Justice (HJ) Team, reporting to the Lead Healing Justice Organizer and working collaboratively with the HJ circle-keeper team, as well as with the rest of the Restore Oakland staff.

This is a hybrid remote/in-person position, with the understanding that 1) community outreach and canvassing are conducted in-person in Alameda County, 2) meetings and events are generally held in the RO building, and 3) some duties may require participating in external in-person events with members and other partner organizations. This position requires working frequent evenings in-person and infrequent weekends. This is a full-time non-exempt position. 

Hours and Compensation: 

• Restore Oakland operates with a 35-hour work week.
• $75,000-$85,000 yearly salary, based on experience (at 100% FTE); and includes a generous paid time off, vacation & benefits package.
• We aim to fill the position by January 2027.

Senior Healing Justice Organizer Duties and Responsibilities

Outreach, Recruitment, and Absorption (30%): 

• Conduct consistent in-person outreach to key constituencies– with the immediate goal of bringing new members into Restore Oakland’s programs and campaigns, and with the long-term goal of building an expanding base of systems-impacted Alameda County residents. 
• Plan, coordinate, and facilitate regular HJ Membership meetings and activities– including art-builds, community-building events, celebrations, and strategy sessions. 
• Utilize the existing Healing Justice programs to recruit and absorb new members into the HJ membership; and improve upon member absorption and retention strategies to exponentially grow the number of member leaders within the HJ membership 
• Build healthy and effective one-on-one relationships with new members and potential members (systems-impacted residents).
• Plan and facilitate individual check-ins and group meetings with system-impacted and working-class people to maintain engagement and move organizing campaigns forward.
• In collaboration with the Lead HJ Organizer, design and implement deep canvassing programs to build an expanding base of systems-impacted residents in key County districts.
• Collect member data and track engagement through our CRM (Solidarity Tech).

Member Leadership Development (30%): 

• Co-lead and shape the HJ Membership as an effective vehicle by which people impacted by systems of oppression and incarceration can build a politically sharp, deeply relational, and accountable membership culture invested in organizing for collective power.
• Steward RO’s membership and maintain the fidelity of the membership structure– ensuring equitable and clear decision-making, leadership opportunity, and power-sharing. 
• Identify, co-create, and implement relevant workshops and trainings for HJ Members and our wider base to develop skills, political education, and member leadership.
• Engage, motivate, and support HJ Members to take action toward our overarching goals– decarceration and divestment from carceral institutions, reinvestment of public funds to meet community needs, and building holistic community safety without policing.

.Mutual Aid and Program Facilitation (20%): 

• Lead mutual aid efforts within the HJ Membership, training and coaching members to co-lead Court Outreach/Support, Santa Rita Jail Outreach/Support efforts, Base-Building Circles, and emergent projects. 
• In collaboration with the HJ Team, plan and facilitate weekly community-building circles that cultivate belonging, healing, and agency for/with systems-impacted people in Alameda County. 
• In collaboration with the HJ Team, plan and facilitate periodic workshops that build skills in restorative justice for/with systems-impacted people in Alameda County. 
• In collaboration with ROI’s Communications Team, identify key messaging and strategic narrative interventions, implement social media outreach and organizing tactics, and utilize digital communication strategies to grow the base. 
• Execute administrative and operational duties for ROI’s Healing Justice program, assist in keeping materials organized and basic tech needs met.

Political Advocacy and Mobilization (10%): 

• Work with the Lead HJ Organizer, members, RO staff, and our allies to develop policy recommendations and proposals to inform decisions for our local campaigns.
• Prepare public comments and testimony, in collaboration with our allies, for Alameda County meetings and other local policy spaces. 
• Advocate for Restore Oakland’s policy priorities in local coalitions, events, and political arenas.
• Act as a spokesperson for Restore Oakland and our HJ Membership in public forums. 
• Train and facilitate HJ Members to strategically engage in policy forums and lift up the experiences of system-impacted communities– by providing public testimony, planning demonstrations or actions, publishing articles/podcasts/op-eds in local news media, etc.
• Engage in continuous learning and investigation to deepen understanding of relevant local policies and issues, and identify strategic organizing tactics to utilize with members.

Additional Duties (10%): 

• Support Restore Oakland’s organizational culture in embodying and practicing our values of healing justice.
• Participate equitably in Restore Oakland staff meetings and team-wide initiatives; this includes participating in the rotating facilitation and note-taking schedule for various meetings, serving on ad hoc committees, and supporting the organization’s overall goals.
• In collaboration with the Lead HJ organizer and other staff: contribute to organizational budget development for Healing Justice programs.
• Collaborate with RO’s Restorative Economics team on various projects and campaigns to advance RO’s organizational goals. 
• Complete basic administrative tasks in a timely fashion (reimbursements, check requests, time-off requests, etc).
• Contribute to Restore Oakland’s organizational development activities (retreats, strategy sessions, workshops, etc.) and participate in periodic team-building and activities.

Desired Skills and Qualities

• Proven commitment to and knowledge of issues relating to racial, economic, and gender justice
• Demonstrated community outreach skills and desire to engage with diverse groups of people, in-person in various settings 
• Excellent listening, oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently as well as with a team
• Ability and willingness to work irregular hours, including evenings and weekends 
• Strong planning, time-management, and problem-solving skills 
• Ability and willingness to utilize organizational technological systems (Solidarity Tech, Google Drive, Signal, Box, etc.)
• Experience facilitating group processes, training or teaching, and/or mediating conflict
• Experience working and communicating with stakeholders representing broad diversity in terms of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, etc.
• Experience navigating or supporting others through the criminal legal system 
• Multilingual skills (particularly fluency in Spanish) are a major asset, but not a requirement

Work Related Physical Activities

While the following is a typical list of physical requirements for this position, Restore Oakland is committed to creating accommodations to the best of our ability to support the needs of all team members. Some examples include:

1. Conducting canvassing and outreach in-person, often at high-traffic events and locations 
2. Attending multi-hour meetings in-person and online
3. Setting up materials and space for in-person events 
4. Using computers and online systems for work completion
5. Contributing to the collective care of a physical office location
6. Occasional ground and air travel

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

To apply:  Please send a cover letter and resume to https://restoreoaklandinc.bamboohr.com/careers/33?source=aWQ9MTc%3D