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28 Jun 2022

Full-Time Program Director/Global Organizer – Environmental Justice

Namati – Posted by namatijobs Anywhere

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Job Description

The global environmental crisis is intertwined with the crisis of inequality. From coal plants to palm oil plantations, economic activities that threaten the planet are concentrated in communities with less power and wealth. These communities also endure the most severe consequences of climate change. To counter the inequality that has made the destruction possible, and accelerate a just transition to sustainable ways of life, we need deep changes in our systems for governing the economy and the environment.

Drawing on Namati’s comparative experience across 5 countries, and benefiting from the global reach and power of the Legal Empowerment Network, we’re growing a movement of people who advance environmental justice by knowing, using, and shaping the law. Our main objectives are:

  • By creating opportunities for in-depth, cross-border learning, we will help grassroots organizations in at least 25 countries to significantly increase their impact.
  • As a movement, we will win new norms of environmental governance that respect community rights and that accelerate a just transition to sustainable ways of life.
  • And, in the process, we will inspire at least one million people around the world to take part in this movement at local, national, and global levels.

Following Network-wide consultations, in 2021 Namati convened seasoned leaders representing 16 environmental and land  justice organizations from North America, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Through a participatory and deliberative process, we are co-shaping initial plans.

While momentum is building, this is still a new project. We’re looking for an experienced movement builder to lead this global effort. In collaboration with Namati teams and Legal Empowerment Network members, as well as other supporters and allies, the person will co-create and execute global plans of action. The person needs to be seen both as a leader and as a peer to grassroots land and environmental justice leaders – someone with a significant track record of success in organizing and campaigning, with the gravitas that comes from hard-won experience.

This is a senior-level role that requires organizing experience and leadership skills, as well as the ability to serve as a public spokesperson and advocate for the global movement. This is a new role at Namati and there is no blueprint for making it a success – we’re looking for a high-level steward to truly own and guide the work. However, if you think you’d thrive in this role we encourage you to apply regardless of your level of experience.

The Program Director/Global Organizer’s primary areas of responsibility include: 

  • Provide strategic leadership over all work streams to maximize synergies across shared learning and collective action activities and build an unignorable movement
  • Co-create and oversee the execution of bottom-up, multi-pronged global campaign strategy (which may include community organizing, direct action, strategic communications, and policy advocacy) that puts impacted communities at the forefront
  • Build a powerful collective narrative and identity for our movement, in partnership with network members and Namati’s teams, to raise its profile, shift the dominant public narrative, and inspire others to join the movement
  • Create and maintain ways for impacted communities to input and lead the global movement while connecting with each other’s experiences
  • Expand our global coalition of grassroots land and environmental justice groups, and grow the base of the movement, in partnership with Network members and relevant Namati teams
  • Manage a remote team of 4 (and growing) and coordinate with other Namati colleagues distributed across many time zones and cultures, for mutually reinforcing work in service of the main objectives outlined above
  • Perform other responsibilities as needed, such as fundraising and donor stewardship

Examples of what you might have tackled last week

  • Co-facilitated a regular meeting with the core group, guiding the group towards a strategic breakthrough on a particularly thorny issue by drawing on your own experiences in a past campaign and insights from power and legal analysis
  • Led an energizing virtual conversation with community members, Indigenous rights advocates, and environmental justice defenders from across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa to build solidarity and gain support for a global campaign strategy
  • Brainstormed a pathway of engagement for new participants in the movement from different background and what resources are necessary for their inputs to be valued
  • Visited a community on the front lines of environmental justice and brainstorm with them  about their role in the movement and what actions they can take next
  • Met with representatives from Namati’s Legal Empowerment Network to conceptualize a creative direct-action plan for the environmental governance campaign, evaluating the positives and negatives of big attention-grabbing action.
  • Started initiatives or seized opportunities based on your own experiences that we haven’t seen ourselves yet!

About You

  • Mission-driven: Our vision for growing the global movement for grassroots land and environmental justice, and the work we do to support communities organizing for justice, deeply resonates with your own hopes for the world. You are driven, competent, and creative in your work because you know this cause needs driven, competent, and creative people.
  • Organizing and/or campaign leadership: You’ve done grassroots organizing work yourself, so you deeply understand and empathize with the needs and struggles of communities working for change. Ideally, you’ve also led national or international movements, or otherwise served as a facilitator for grassroots campaigns.
  • Background in land rights and/or environmental justice: You have a strong understanding of the power holders, relationships, and opportunities related to land environmental governance in key countries and/or globally, and know how to influence them to build considered, creative, and practicable strategic plans.
  • A creative, relentless problem-solver:  It’s in your nature to work tirelessly on a problem — you don’t rest until you’ve identified a great solution. And although careful planning and execution define your work, when challenges arise you quickly reorient and identify the best new course of action. You’re well-regarded for your ability to make reasoned decisions, even in the face of limited or conflicting information.
  • Collaborative and service-oriented: You greet everyone you encounter with a collaborative spirit, kindness, and empathy. You are known as a team-player who brings an “all hands on deck” mindset to all projects — you’re happy to contribute however you can to advance our mission.
  • Growth-oriented: You’re always seeking to better yourself and your work, and you will push yourself to the peak of performance to help fulfill our mission. In service of that growth, you welcome and delight in feedback from supervisors, peers, and anyone else.

Location 

This position is open to any location. The successful candidate will be expected to work non-standard hours to accommodate the various time zones of Namati staff and the Legal Empowerment Network.

We have strong preference for candidates in one of Namati’s following office locations: Kenya, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and the United States.

Compensation

We base our compensation on the markets where our staff operate. We work to communicate transparently with candidates (including talking about compensation very early in the process) and will finalize pay and responsibilities based on the qualifications, experience, and country location of the person joining. If you have salary requirements, please share them in your cover letter.

We also offer competitive benefits: while the exact terms vary somewhat based on location, they always include health coverage, generous paid time off, retirement or old-age plan contributions, sick leave, and parental leave— or compensation for the same. All staff also have access to funds for professional development opportunities.

How to Apply

Please complete our online application form. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. No phone calls, please. Namati is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Job Categories: Environmental. Job Types: Full-Time.

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