Careers

Assistant Director, Organizing 

Location: Remote (In-person meetings, as needed) – preference for someone located in California 

Organization: Union for Reform Judaism 

Employment Type: Full Time, Benefits Eligible, Exempt, MNGT  

Department: Acting Together for Justice 

Reporting to: Director, Campaigns 

Start Date: As soon as possible

Salary Range: $75,000 - $80,000 plus competitive benefits package 

Level/Salary Grade: People Manager (Intermediate) / C 

The Role 

The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)’s Acting Together for Justice team is seeking a passionate and strategic Assistant Director of Organizing to lead efforts in protecting and strengthening democracy through voter engagement and strategic issue advocacy. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in advancing democracy and social justice by driving grassroots organizing, leadership development, and community empowerment.  

As Assistant Director of Organizing, you will spearhead efforts to build a powerful and effective statewide network in California, driving systemic change at both the state and federal levels. You’ll lead the charge in organizing targeted campaigns that emphasize base-building, leadership development, and community mobilization, engaging and empowering individuals—both inside and outside of congregations—to take action and amplify the impact of URJ’s justice initiatives. In this role, you’ll help cultivate a diverse, passionate, and impactful movement dedicated to advancing social justice, equity, and inclusion. You will collaborate closely with URJ's broader networks, ensuring alignment with national priorities, while creating lasting change at the grassroots level. 

What You Will Do 

The Assistant Director of Organizing reports to Director of Organizing and is responsible for the following: 

• Lead efforts to create and expand a California state-based network that advances URJ’s mission and campaigns at both the state and federal levels. This includes organizing and mobilizing local leaders, stakeholders, individuals and groups to drive meaningful change.  This includes identifying and prioritizing the needs of People of Color, working class and economically disenfranchised folks, people who speak English as a second language, immigrants, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community and other underrepresented groups. 

• Work to expand the base and galvanize adults and teens in California, both within and outside URJ congregations, encouraging them to take action in support of URJ campaigns and action networks. Expand the network by recruiting new participants from a wide range of backgrounds (People of Color, LGBTQ+ identifying individuals, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented identities), deepening engagement, and fostering long-term involvement. 

• Build a strong, distributed leadership structure across the network. Identify, train, and inspire emerging leaders while empowering them to take on key roles in campaigns. Utilize the snowflake model to ensure leadership is decentralized and reflects the diversity of your community. 

• Engage closely with URJ’s broader networks, including L'Taken leadership, to align regional efforts with national priorities and ensure a unified, strategic approach to advocacy and mobilization. L'Taken Social Justice Seminar is designed to both expose teens to a variety of public policy issues and explore the Jewish values that inform the Reform Movement's advocacy around these issues. 

• Supervise and provide mentorship to another state organizer, ensuring effective coordination, collaboration, and professional growth within the organizing team. 

• Ensure that your work on campaigns and network-building supports the URJ’s overarching mission and contributes to the advancement of broader organizational goals related to social justice, democracy, and inclusion. 

Who You Are & Keys to Success (the must-haves): 

To be successful in this job, you excel in the following areas: 

• Organizing & Mobilizing: A commitment to advancing democratic values and creating an inclusive, equitable society that reflects Jewish values of justice, fairness, and belonging. Experience in grassroots organizing, political advocacy, or issue-based campaigns. A strong track record of building and mobilizing diverse communities around shared goals. You have the ability to inspire and communicate effectively with a diverse range of individuals, from teens to adults, and to engage people from various backgrounds to encourage their participation in justice campaigns. 

• Campaign Manager & Leadership Development: Experience developing and executing issue-based campaigns, particularly those focused on voter engagement and advocacy. The ability to implement strategic plans and mobilize communities to take action. Expertise in identifying and mentoring emerging leaders. Familiarity with leadership models like the snowflake model, or other decentralized leadership structures, is highly valued. 

• Self-Management & Accountability: Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to juggle multiple priorities, manage timelines, and drive results. Competence in establishing individual goals aligned with organizational objectives and collaborating with management for clarity. Ability to articulate needs and challenges clearly to foster a transparent and collaborative environment. A commitment to maintaining respectful communication and providing timely responses to colleagues and stakeholders. Initiative in regularly accessing organizational updates and essential information to stay informed and effective. 

• Collaborative Teamwork: A collaborative mindset with the ability to work effectively across teams and with diverse stakeholders to achieve shared goals, ensuring clarity in roles and responsibilities. Proficient in scoping projects and using frameworks to define purpose, outcomes, and accountability. Skilled in managing time and resources to meet commitments on schedule and within budget while addressing challenges respectfully. A willingness to learn about the broader organizational context and strengthen collaborative initiatives. The capacity to connect people and ideas to identify and implement opportunities for enhancement across teams. Ability to value diverse perspectives in order to develop comprehensive solutions and foster a culture of inclusion. 

• Commitment to Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI): Experience creating, equitable, diverse, and inclusive environments that foster a sense of belonging. Proficient in seeking and incorporating diverse viewpoints in decision-making processes to promote innovation. Ability to prioritize efforts to engage multi-racial and marginalized communities effectively. Willingness to apply a REDI framework in planning and budgeting processes to support fair initiatives. Skill in implementing and upholding shared agreements that advance Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. 

• People Management: Ability to manage employees to align with overall goals and mission. Provides clear and actionable guidance to ensure team members understand their roles and responsibilities. Actively engages employees in planning and decision-making processes that affect their work. Delivers regular feedback and conducts consistent check-ins to support employee development. Focuses on skill development and fosters growth opportunities for team members. 

About Us 

​​Every team member at the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) plays an essential role in our mission to create a whole, just, and compassionate world. Our team is creative, thoughtful, and innovative. Each member of the team is empowered to make meaningful contributions to achieving our shared goals. Our diverse team is made up of individuals with different skills and backgrounds and every team member is willing to take risks as well as take action to develop and create big ideas for the future of the Reform Movement. While this position focuses on a particular area of work, every team member is a vital part of our overall success.   

​The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) provides vision and voice to build strong communities that, together, transform the way people connect to Judaism and change the world. We acknowledge that due to racism, ableism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression, that our communities are not whole until everyone experiences a sense of belonging within the Jewish community. As the largest Jewish movement in North America, we stand for a Judaism that is inclusive and reflective of a wide range of identities and accept the responsibility of dismantling oppression both inside and outside of our communities. Through camping, youth experiences, programs, information sharing, and networking opportunities, our over 850 congregations and 14 residential camps create opportunities for our communities to enhance their capacity to build and expand community, engage in meaningful and authentic Jewish life, deepen Jewish learning, energize worship, pursue social justice and develop inspired leadership. Together, our employees and stakeholders, are creating Reform Judaism of today.​ 

Application Process 

Apply online and include a one-page cover letter along with your resume, outlining your skills and experience and how you meet the essential functions and qualifications of the position. We look forward to hearing from you!     

The URJ strives to be a welcoming and inclusive environment that acknowledges diversity as a critical strength. We promote strenuous policies and practices of equal opportunity and diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is our objective to recruit, hire, and retain the most qualified individuals including those of any race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic or status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Our equal employment philosophy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, compensation, benefits, training, promotions, transfers, job benefits, and terminations. The URJ encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+, and other often underrepresented groups.