Statewide Organizing Manager

Job Description

Position: Statewide Organizer Manager

Organizational Overview

The mission of LIVE FREE Illinois is to address violence against the black community and to create racial and economic justice in Illinois, by engaging people in public life to translate faith into action and to overcome barriers to opportunity in low-income communities, including mass incarceration, police violence and gun violence.

Position Overview

The Statewide Organizing Manager is a senior leadership role responsible for the strategic design and oversight of LIVE FREE Illinois’ organizing department. This position moves beyond base-building to departmental management, overseeing regional organizers and ensuring that local and regional efforts roll up into a powerful, unified statewide force. The Manager will be the primary architect of the state’s organizing strategy, coaching staff to build high-capacity leader teams and managing high-level political relationships.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Lead Legislative & Direct Action Campaigns

• Campaign Strategy: Design and execute multi-phase legislative campaigns that move bills from introduction to the Governor’s desk. This includes power mapping the Illinois General Assembly and identifying key "targets" for pressure.
• Direct Action Oversight: Plan and lead high-stakes direct actions (e.g., rallies, sit-ins, press conferences, and public accountability sessions) that dramatize the issues and force a response from decision-makers.
• Rapid Response: Maintain the agility to pivot the statewide base quickly in response to emerging legislative threats or community crises.
• Victory Mindset: Ensure that every campaign has clear "win" metrics and that our base understands exactly how their collective action resulted in real-world policy shifts.

Statewide Base Building & Regional Management

• Regional Infrastructure: Develop and manage a team of Regional Coordinators, ensuring they meet weekly quantitative goals for 1:1s, house meetings, and event turnout.
• Network Expansion: Identify and recruit clergy, lay leaders, and directly impacted individuals to create a unified, statewide network of faith-based power.
• Internal Accountability: Conduct weekly supervision with field staff to review regional health, troubleshoot campaign hurdles, and ensure high-quality relationship building.
• Conduct 20 1:1 meetings per week

Trainer & Facilitator

• Curriculum Delivery: Lead and participate in LIVE FREE community-organizing trainings. Teach the core principles of "Direct Action Organizing" to clergy, volunteers, and staff.
• Leader Development: Identify and "agitate" emerging leaders, moving them from passive supporters to disciplined campaign leaders capable of speaking to the media and meeting with legislators.

Reporting & Coordination

• Strategic Alignment: Work closely with the Deputy Director to ensure field activities align with the organization’s overall policy priorities.
• Impact Documentation: Prepare weekly reports and campaign post-mortems to track the growth of the base and the effectiveness of direct action tactics.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

While no one person will have all the qualities enumerated below, the successful candidate will bring many of the following qualifications and attributes:

• Experience in faith based organizing, community/field organizing and base building, preferably at least three years.
• Experience in political/advocacy/campaign organizing, with experience working directly with volunteers preferred.
• Experience putting campaign strategy and tactics for volunteer engagement into practice.
• A history of working collaboratively and successfully with people and organizations from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and a broad range of ideological positions and religious views.
• Demonstrated ability to work on a fast-paced campaign with many moving pieces and adapt to changing circumstances preferred.
• Deep roots in the faith communities in Southern and Central Illinois.
• Superb organizational skills; detail-oriented with strong follow-through and the ability to meet deadlines.
• Creative, self-starting, willing to learn, and results-oriented with strong task and time management skills.
• Passion for and commitment to ending mass incarceration and advancing racial justice.
• Ability to have a flexible schedule and travel.
• Must have an Illinois Driver’s License and reliable access to a vehicle with current registration and insurance.
• Unwavering commitment to the mission and goals of Live Free Illinois, including a demonstrated commitment to equity and racial justice.
• Work evening and weekend events as needed, ability to have a flexible schedule.

Please note: Candidates should be respectful of people of faith but may be of any (or no) faith or religious background.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Compensation will be commensurate with experience, within the range $65,000-$70,000. Live Free Illinois provides a health care stipend, vacation, holiday and sick leave policies, and mileage reimbursement for work-related travel out of your home city.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

• Please send a cover letter, resume by email to [email protected]. All inquiries should include Statewide Organizer Manager in the subject line and all attachments should be in Microsoft Word or PDF format.
• Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please indicate where you learned of this job posting. No phone calls, please.
• This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. It does not represent a contract of employment. Live Free Illinois reserves the right to change the job description and/or posting at any time without advance notice.

Live Free Illinois is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. Live Free Illinois encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, or veteran status. We encourage formerly incarcerated individuals to apply.

Pay: $65,000.00 - $70,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person