The Western Slope Conservation Center is currently accepting applications for a Community Organizer.
Position Summary
The Western Slope Conservation Center (WSCC) is looking for a skilled organizer to build grassroots support for our conservation campaigns to protect and enhance the public lands of Colorado’s Western Slope. This is a full-time position that is funded for a term of one year. Extension may be possible based on the availability of additional funding.
WSCC is a 43-year-old grassroots non-profit organization that builds an active and aware community to protect and enhance the lands, air, water, and wildlife of the Lower Gunnison Watershed. The Community Organizer will work closely with the Public Lands Program Director to organize grassroots support for conservation policies at the local, state, and federal levels to protect the lands, air, water, and wildlife of the Lower Gunnison Watershed.
The Community Organizer works under the direct supervision of the Executive Director and in close coordination with the Public Lands Program Director. This position requires 40-hour work weeks and is based in the WSCC office in Paonia. Frequent nights and weekends are required due to meetings and event schedules, often one to two nights per week and one or more weekend commitments per month. Because of work requirements outside of normal business hours, flexibility can be built into the Community Organizer’s work schedule, as coordinated with the Executive Director. The position will include occasional traveling within the region, as well as opportunities for professional development and networking within statewide and national professional conservation networks.
Roles and Responsibilities
Community Engagement
- Recruit, cultivate and activate volunteers to support conservation campaigns
- Train community members to develop skills to engage directly with decision-makers
- Engage diverse audiences in complex and challenging public lands issues
- Engage and elevate members of communities who are impacted by conservation policies, particularly low-income communities and communities of color
Relationship Development with Key Stakeholders and Elected Officials
- Develop strong working relationships with conservation organizations and other community partners
- Build trust with community members and leaders from diverse backgrounds
- Engage a broad coalition of business owners, farmers & ranchers, recreationists, and others to demonstrate support for our campaigns
- Work with local activists to develop mutual strategies for achieving campaign goals on priority conservation issues
Communications
- Generate earned media showcasing the public support for our campaigns
- Develop digital content for social media, email, and other platforms
- Research conservation policies and help develop public-facing educational materials
- Act as a spokesperson on conservation issues on the Western Slope
Qualifications
The ideal candidate is a flexible, creative thinker with outstanding interpersonal skills and organizational abilities. The Community Organizer will need to be comfortable proactively engaging with rural communities and will be expected to hit the ground running. The Organizer must be able to work independently and take initiative, as well as understand key nuances around WSCC’s priority issues and authentically engage with diverse perspectives.
Required experience and skills include:
- 1-3 years directly relevant experience as a community organizer. Formal training in community organizing will be highly regarded.
- Experience engaging with diverse community stakeholders and partners, including those with competing viewpoints.
- Ability to communicate complex environmental issues to a diverse array of stakeholders, including community members, business owners, elected officials, and media.
- Previous campaign experience with environmental or social issues, particularly around public lands and water on the Western Slope.
- Experience recruiting and managing volunteers.
- Experience organizing events.
- Ability to work independently and self-directed as part of a high-functioning team.
- Flexible and creative approach to accomplishing large workloads.
- Effective communication skills – writing and editing through various print and digital mediums, strong public speaking abilities.
- Experience working with media, including reporter outreach, drafting content and cultivating spokespeople.
- The ability to travel within the region for work, including some evenings and weekends.
- Spanish fluency will be highly regarded.
Compensation and benefits: This is a full-time position requiring some evenings and weekends. Benefits include health stipend, paid holidays and accrued paid time off (PTO). Personal vehicle required, with travel reimbursed at the federal rate. Additional non-financial benefits include the opportunity to live and work in a spectacular rural mountain location with a high quality of life and affordable living costs. This position is guaranteed for a one-year term of employment, with the possibility of extension based on the availability of additional funding.
To Apply: Please email a cover letter, resume, and three reference contacts in one combined document to [email protected]. Reference “WSCC Community Organizer” in the subject line. No phone calls, please.
Application Timeline: The application deadline is December 31 or until the position is filled. The hiring process will occur in the first 2 weeks of January.
More about the Western Slope Conservation Center
The WSCC is a fun and dynamic grassroots environmental organization that has been carrying out watershed stewardship, public lands advocacy, and environmental education for the past 43 years. Our offices are located in the idyllic agricultural mountain town of Paonia, at the base of the West Elk Mountains in Delta County, Colorado. The North Fork Valley is a rare gem of high-quality rural living with unparalleled access to public lands and outdoor recreation, including backcountry skiing, rafting, hiking, running, and biking. It also boasts the highest density of organic farms in the state of Colorado and the highest elevation viticultural area in the country. The North Fork was recently featured in The Wilderness Society’s Too Wild to Drill campaign highlighting 15 remarkable wild places under threat of resource extraction in the U.S.
WSCC provides equal employment opportunities to all persons without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status, genetic information, or other protected statuses.