Application Guide

How to Apply for Assistant Director for Organizing, Northeast Program

at Jobs to Move America

🏢 About Jobs to Move America

Jobs to Move America (JMA) is a national strategic policy center that uniquely combines racial and economic justice with community organizing to transform public spending and corporate behavior in manufacturing. Working at JMA means being part of a mission-driven team that directly impacts how public dollars are used to create good jobs and build community wealth, especially for communities of color and working families.

About This Role

As Assistant Director for Organizing, you will lead worker organizing campaigns across the Northeast, focusing on manufacturing of public goods like transit vehicles. This role is impactful because you will oversee strategies that win community benefits agreements, ensuring that public contracts create high-quality jobs and environmental justice. You will supervise organizers, build coalitions, and directly engage workers to build power from the ground up.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might start with a check-in with your organizing team to review progress on worker outreach and 1:1 conversations. You might then join a call with coalition partners to strategize on an upcoming community benefits agreement. In the afternoon, you could be out in the field meeting with workers at a manufacturing plant, followed by data entry and analysis to track campaign metrics.

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who Jobs to Move America Is Looking For

  • Has at least 7 years of labor and community organizing experience, with a strong preference for labor union external organizing (e.g., SEIU, UFCW, or similar).
  • Has at least 3 years supervising organizers and leading campaigns, ideally as a lead organizer or organizing director in labor union external organizing.
  • Has experience building coalitions across diverse stakeholders (unions, community groups, elected officials) and working with data management systems like Action Builder or Salesforce.
  • Is deeply committed to racial and economic justice, with a track record of centering equity in organizing strategies.

📝 Tips for Applying to Jobs to Move America

1

Tailor your resume to highlight external organizing experience in manufacturing or industrial settings, not just internal union organizing.

2

In your cover letter, explicitly name a specific campaign where you built a coalition to win community benefits or similar agreements.

3

Demonstrate your supervisory experience by including metrics: number of organizers supervised, number of workers engaged, or contracts won.

4

Mention your proficiency with data tools like Action Builder or Salesforce, and give an example of how you used data to drive organizing decisions.

5

Research JMA's current campaigns (e.g., the New York bus manufacturing campaign) and reference them in your application to show genuine interest.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Your experience in labor union external organizing, especially in manufacturing or industrial sectors.', 'Your ability to supervise and develop organizers, including specific examples of mentoring or training.', 'Your coalition-building skills, with examples of working with community and labor partners to win concrete victories.', "Your alignment with JMA's mission of racial and economic justice, and how your personal values drive your work."]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Review JMA's current campaigns, especially the New York bus manufacturing campaign and the Clean Transit for All coalition.
  • → Read JMA's research reports on public spending and community benefits agreements to understand their policy approach.
  • → Look at JMA's website and news coverage to understand their theory of change and how they center worker voices.
  • → Familiarize yourself with the concept of 'community benefits agreements' and JMA's role in winning them.
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💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Tell us about a time you led a worker organizing campaign from start to finish. What was your strategy and what were the outcomes?
2 How do you approach supervising organizers who may have different levels of experience? Give an example of how you developed a junior organizer.
3 Describe a coalition you built that included unlikely partners. How did you manage differing interests?
4 How do you use data and metrics in organizing? Give an example of how you used a CRM like Action Builder to track progress.
5 What does racial and economic justice mean to you in the context of manufacturing and public spending?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Submitting a generic cover letter that doesn't reference JMA's specific mission or campaigns—this signals lack of interest.
  • Focusing too much on internal union organizing without demonstrating external organizing experience in manufacturing.
  • Not providing concrete examples of supervising organizers or leading campaigns—vague claims won't stand out.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Jobs to Move America!

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