Overview

El Tímpano, an award-winning local journalism and civic engagement organization, is seeking an East Contra Costa County Community Organizer (CO), responsible for expanding and deepening relationships with community leaders and residents within the region’s Latino immigrant communities, and conducting an extensive listening and relationship-building process. By building relationships with churches, schools, businesses, community-based organizations, and others, the CO identifies and pursues opportunities to meet community members where they’re at and increases opportunities for community members to access local information, resources, and opportunities to be heard.

At the core of this 6-month position is an information ecosystem assessment the CO will lead by identifying and sitting down with community leaders, surveying and listening to hundreds of residents, organizing and facilitating workshops in partnership with community organizations, and gathering insights and community-rooted data on the issues and information of greatest importance to East Contra Costa County’s Latino immigrant communities, and opportunities to address their information needs. The CO will be supported by El Tímpano’s team, which conducted a similar assessment in Oakland using the Listening Post Collective model and playbook. 

This is a 6-month part-time staff position with the possibility of a long term extension. Candidates must be based in or near East Contra Costa County. 

El Tímpano is a fiscally sponsored project of the 501(c)(3) public charity Independent Arts & Media (IAM). All employees of El Tímpano are employees of IAM, and subject to all IAM policies and procedures. 

Duties & Responsibilities

  • Identify and cultivate relationships with community leaders and institutions in Antioch, Pittsburg, and beyond that are from and/or serve Latino and/or Mayan immigrants. 
  • Coordinate and lead in-person outreach to survey and speak with Latino immigrants to learn of their information needs and issues of interest; regular weekend and evening work to accommodate community outreach opportunities. 
  • Organize and facilitate community workshops to gain more insights on the issues and information of importance to East Contra Costa County’s Latino and Mayan immigrant communities 
  • Record activities and community insights to assess information needs and identify opportunities for partnerships, community-centered media, and iteration; synthesize findings from community conversations, surveys, and workshops into a report to present to local stakeholders 
  • Collaborate with El Tímpano’s team to build relationships with and hear from the region’s Maya Mam immigrant residents 
  • Other programmatic, editorial, or administrative activities as they emerge to support the needs of a growing non-profit organization

You are a great fit if you…

  • Are bilingual in English and Spanish and have significant experience working with Latino immigrant communities
  • Are familiar with East Contra Costa County communities, gathering spaces, and local organizations 
  • Have experience with community organizing or outreach and/or the ability to communicate information to a diverse audience with varying familiarity 
  • Have excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication, including the ability to communicate respectfully and inclusively in diverse environments with colleagues, community members, and external peers 
  • Are organized and able to effectively manage multiple projects on time, problem-solve, and communicate and adapt when iteration is needed 
  • Can travel to/from various community locations across the East Bay (primarily in East Contra Costa County and occasionally beyond). Access to a vehicle and driver’s license preferred.
  • Thrive in a start-up environment where you are expected to build things from scratch, learn and iterate as you go, take initiative and ownership of your work, collaborate with a team, and adapt as the organization grows and evolves

Some great candidates may not check all the boxes above, and may have valuable skills not included here. If that’s you, please don’t hesitate to apply and tell us why you would thrive in this role. If you have any questions in advance of applying for this position, we encourage you to reach out to Madeleine Bair, mbair[at]eltimpano[dot]org to address your questions via email or a brief call. 

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