DC ACTION ORGANIZING DIRECTOR
APPLY
Washington, District of Columbia (Hybrid)
Reports to: Chief of External Affairs and Movement Building
Location: Dupont Circle, Washington, DC, Hybrid (in office at least 2 days per week)
Status: Permanent, Full-Time, Exempt
Supervises: Four member organizing team
Equitable Salary: $110,000
Application Deadline: For best consideration, please apply by August 15, 2026.
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About DC Action
DC Action is a nonprofit advocating on behalf of children, young people and their families. Its mission is to use research, data, and a racial equity lens to break down barriers that stand in the way of all kids reaching their full potential. DC Action was formed in 2020 as a merger between two long-standing advocacy nonprofits, DC Action for Children and DC Alliance of Youth Advocates.
DC Action unites all those fighting on behalf of DC’s children and youth to realize a single, shared vision for what it looks like to grow up in the District. While childhood exists on a continuum from birth to adulthood, the systems, programs, and organizations designed to support children and youth are too often fragmented by age.
DC Action is home to DC Kids Count, a partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and a range of coalitions with a collaborative advocacy model that centers the experiences of youth, their families, and community partners. These coalitions represent a range of issues aimed at advancing economic justice and closing racial gaps in child and youth outcomes, including cultivating a generation of empowered, engaged, and economically independent young people, universal access to out-of-school time programs, and support for families with infants and toddlers.
Together with young people, parents, and community partners, DC Action advocates with one voice for public policies that support kids from early childhood to early adulthood. DC Action works to ensure that young people have access to the housing, health care, learning spaces, jobs, and other support they need and deserve. View DC Action’s Policy Priorities to learn more.
DC Action is committed to being an anti-racist organization and believes all children and youth should have the opportunity to reach their full potential regardless of their race, zip code, or family income. Rooted in addressing structural racism and its impact on children, youth, and families, DC Action’s strengths-based approach honors community members’ knowledge and skills so that those most directly affected by racial and economic inequity design the solutions they need.
The Role
DC Action is seeking a full-time Organizing Director to lead and manage a team of Organizers responsible for building and driving power in our coalitions. Our model is rooted in the belief that durable power is built through coalitions of organizations that are accountable to people, represent a real base, and can act together over time.
The Organizing Director is a senior leader responsible for the overall effectiveness and impact of DC Action’s coalitions: building campaigns at scale that engage hundreds of people and win tangible results. This role sets vision, drives strategy, and ensures disciplined execution across organizing work, aligning staff, leaders, and institutions around shared priorities and coordinated action.
The Organizing Director directly supervises and develops a team of Organizers, setting clear expectations and building their capacity to recruit, train and develop leaders and institutions to action. While Organizers lead much of the day-to-day coalition organizing, this role provides hands-on coaching, models strong organizing practice, and steps in directly when needed to advance the work.
The Organizing Director establishes and enforces a consistent rhythm of organizing—defining calendars, timelines, and seasons of organizing that ensure sustained relational work, leadership development, training, and large-scale actions. The Organizing Director also leads the planning and execution of a large-scale, annual membership meeting and power-building action that demonstrates the full strength and alignment of our coalition across the organization.
This role requires strong discipline, attention to detail, and follow-through, paired with the hustle to move work forward, grounded in a sense of humor and a “we are the they” mindset that emphasizes shared ownership and accountability.
This position reports to DC Action’s Chief of External Affairs and Movement Building.
Responsibilities
Supervise, coach, and develop a team of Organizers, ensuring strong performance, accountability, and growth
Set strategic direction and ensure alignment across coalitions
Establish and maintain a disciplined organizing calendar, driving execution across clear seasons of organizing
Model strong relational organizing through regular one-on-ones (5–10 per week) with key leaders, while supporting Organizers in building and sustaining their own relationships
Guide and support Organizers in recruiting, developing, and moving leaders and institutions up a ladder of engagement into active leadership and ownership of campaign work
Convene and lead coalition leadership to make timely, strategic decisions and maintain shared ownership across member organizations
In collaboration with policy and government affairs, develop coalition agendas
Lead the facilitation of regular coalition meetings, to drive alignment and momentum
Lead the planning and execution of a large-scale, annual membership meeting and power-building action
Oversee the development and execution of issue mobilization campaigns in coordination with organizing staff, government affairs and policy
Coach Organizers and leaders to conduct high-quality research actions and develop clear, actionable campaign plans
Design and lead trainings on core power-based organizing concepts, while building the training capacity of organizing staff and coalition leaders
Support recruitment and integration of new member organizations into coalitions
Ensure strong turnout and mobilization at scale across actions and public events
Provide strategic and political analysis to position campaigns and coalitions for success
Maintain systems for accountability, including oversight of organizing data (EveryAction) and regular reporting
Qualifications
5–8+ years of experience in community organizing, coalition building, advocacy, movement building, political organizing, labor organizing, or related work, including at least 2 years in a people management or supervisory role
Demonstrated experience leading or supporting campaigns that mobilized large groups of people and resulted in measurable outcomes or policy, systems, or community impact
Experience supervising, coaching, and developing staff and/or community leaders with a strong commitment to accountability and growth
Strong experience building and sustaining relationships across diverse stakeholders, including community members, coalition partners, institutions, and advocacy organizations
Experience developing organizing strategies, campaign plans, and leadership development pipelines
Experience in issue advocacy related to education, early childhood, youth development, out-of-school time, family economic security, or related policy areas
Familiarity with the D.C. political landscape and advocacy ecosystem
Experience facilitating meetings, trainings, and group decision-making processes
Strong project management skills, including managing timelines, competing priorities, and execution across multiple initiatives
Experience using organizing databases or CRM systems (EveryAction, VAN, Salesforce, Airtable, or similar platforms)
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Bilingual/multilingual skills are a plus
Demonstrated commitment to racial equity, power building, and advancing outcomes for children, youth, and families
Compensation
DC Action offers a generous benefit package, a great team, and a working environment committed to fostering staff growth and leadership.
The equitable salary for this position is $110,000 based on qualifications and experience.
Enjoy a flexible hybrid work schedule, with two days in the office and the remainder of the week working remotely.
Employees receive 100% employer-paid medical, dental, vision insurance, plus 50% employer-paid coverage for eligible dependents.
Generous paid time off, including three (3) weeks of paid vacation, ten (10) paid sick days, and three (3) paid personal days annually.
Thirteen (13) paid holidays, Summer Fridays with the office closed every Friday from early July through Labor Day, and one-week paid winter Break, and a one-week paid summer Break to support rest, recharge, and work-life balance.
Student loan repayment assistance
401K retirement plan with employer match
Professional Development Budget of $500/year
Family and medical leave
An employee assistance program offering counseling, mental health and financial support
After five (5) years of service, eligible for an employer-sponsored sabbatical
Application Process
Internal candidates who meet the qualifications are strongly encouraged to apply.
External candidates should submit a resume and detailed cover letter to https://wearedcaction.org/about-us/careers/. Resume reviews begin immediately. For best consideration, please apply by August 15, 2026. Early applications are encouraged due to the pace of the search.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application. DC Action is unable to sponsor employment visas for this position.
Equal Opportunity Employer
DC Action recognizes and honors diversity in race, ethnicity, culture, age, abilities, gender, sexual orientation, and places where people live. We seek to reflect this diversity in all aspects of our work, including the composition of our board, staff, and volunteers. Further, DC Action seeks to be a multicultural and culturally competent organization that works for equity among all people. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups.
