Applications due Sunday, May 21st at 11:59 pm PDT

Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT) is a Philadelphia-based activist group that uses nonviolent direct action to push corporations toward the intersection of environmental, economic, and racial justice. EQAT is primarily volunteer-led and currently has six paid staff members. Read more about our values & practices and our current campaign targeting Vanguard, the world’s largest investor in fossil fuels.

The Director of Strategy and Partnerships is responsible for guiding the strategic direction of the organization in collaboration with local, national, and international partners. They are one of two co-directors who together are charged with leading the organization in consultation with the board of directors. The co-directors hold the big picture of the organization and ensure the goals and vision set by the board are met. Rather than collaborating on all decisions, each co-director is responsible for their own realm of duties - strategy and partnerships on the one hand and organizing on the other. The co-directors are expected to maintain a close working relationship and consult with one another whenever helpful or when projects extend into both realms.

The Director of Strategy and Partnerships and the Director of Organizing provide day-to-day co-supervision for one another. There is also a member of the board who serves as staff supervisor to provide monthly big picture support.

Responsibilities:

Strategy development

• Work with the EQAT board and volunteers to develop and shepherd local campaign strategy in conjunction with international campaign partners’ strategy;
• Hold and guide the 6-12 month campaign strategy for EQAT, making sure that EQAT’s work on the campaign makes sense with that strategy;

• Train and engage volunteers in the work of campaign strategy;
• Plan 1-2 strategy retreats per year, and as needed;
• With organizing director, identify needs for continuing education in our organization and the network and develop trainings to meet those needs; and
• Analyze how our work and our target’s response fit into the larger campaign landscape, and support the board and organization to shift strategy appropriately.

Partnerships

• Serve as the lead contact with our international partner organization Sunrise Project, as well as other organizational members of the Vanguard S.O.S. campaign, contributing an EQAT perspective on campaign questions to coalition meetings and bringing back information to EQAT’s staff and volunteers;
• Seek out new partner organizations as strategic allies that help build our power, strengthen our campaign, and grow our local activist network; and
• Tend to existing organizational relationships, such as frontline communities, climate and environmental organizations, faith-based groups, justice oriented groups, and generationally-defined organizing groups.

Storytelling

• Regularly communicate strategy analysis by telling the internal story of where we are to volunteers and the larger network of supporters with attention to the morale of the group;
• Along with the board co-clerks, serve as a public face of EQAT’s campaign;
• Co-facilitate monthly General Meetings - the monthly open meeting for any volunteers - when possible;
• Attend monthly board meetings and other check-ins between board co-clerks and full time staff; and
• Work with the Media and Research Coordinator to coordinate the organization’s public narrative, ensuring that messaging is aligned at all levels including press outreach, campaign newsletters, website, social media, action talking points, etc.

Supervision

• Supervise the Media and Research Coordinator to support their growth and make sure our earned media is accurate and strategic, our communication to our supporters is empowering, and our research team is effectively supporting the campaign; and
• Co-supervise the Director of Organizing with attention to their growth, capacity constraints, prioritization, and well-being; collaborate with co-director to redistribute tasks as capacity shifts.

Qualifications:

Candidates for this role will exhibit the following competencies and traits:

• Experience leading a group to strategize around using nonviolent direct action to advance a campaign;
• An understanding of power and how customers and others can have an impact on corporate behavior;
• Compelling communication, showing an ability to get others excited, uplifted, focused, and willing to step outside their comfort zones;
• Able to understand and navigate power dynamics present in climate justice work, especially along the lines of race, class, age, and gender in order to build power and win campaigns;
• Has managed complex, multifaceted projects with competing priorities successfully;
• Humble leadership, displayed by being willing to voice an opinion, suggesting courses of action forward and gaining buy-in on them, listening to the group wisdom, and being willing to take feedback and admit mistakes;
• Experience cultivating 1:1 relationships, both internally within an organization and externally with partner organizations;
• Excitement to work with our people (an intergenerational, faith-based group working at the intersection of climate and economic justice; a high concentration of Quakers in the Philly region) and in alignment with EQAT’s values and practices, including openness to learning, growth, and regular reflection both individually and as a group;
• Able to work some nights and weekends (not all the time, but we need to hold some meetings outside of normal work hours to accommodate volunteers’ schedules); and
• Live in or be willing to relocate to the Philly region

Some additional skills and experience that might benefit a candidate in this role (these are not requirements, and no one is expected to have all of them):

• Success with building power as part of a campaign targeting a corporation;
• Facilitation experience;
• Volunteer management experience;
• Experience building the skills of people who are learning strategy;
• Experience managing staff;
• Comfortable with spiritual practices like silence and ritual being part of direct action, meetings, and decision-making; and
• Experience with and appreciation of Quaker values and culture.

Salary:$66,000-$81,000 per year, depending on years of experience directly related to the position. Those with 3-7 years experience directly related to the job will be offered the lower end of the range, while those with 12+ years experience will be at the higher end. We do not negotiate salaries as it privileges those who are skilled at negotiation.

Benefits:Stipend for health insurance, subsidy of $50/month for internet and phone, and extensive time off benefits including paid parental and family leave, 4 weeks paid vacation, and 10 paid sick days. In place of a health insurance plan we provide a stipend of $600/month that an employee can use to purchase health insurance directly through the state insurance exchange.

EQAT believes that in order to truly protect our planet and make a just transition away from fossil fuels, we need people from all backgrounds. Because of this, we’d especially like to encourage people who come from communities that are often unacknowledged in the environmental movement — communities of color, women, people with disabilities, and others — to bring your experience to this role. EQAT does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, age, or religion.

To apply:

• Visit our posting on Workable.com and begin your application.
• Upload a resume / CV describing all relevant experience. 
• In lieu of a cover letter, please respond to each of the following questions (roughly 150 words for each prompt)

1. Why are you interested in working for EQAT in this role?
2. How does your work or volunteer experience relate to the requirements for the role? 
3. Pick one of our organization’s values and practices (accessible here) that you think connects to your own experience. Then tell us a bit about why.

Applications received by May 21, 2023 will receive full consideration. If you have questions about the role, please email [email protected] and we’d be happy to set up a time for you to speak with one of our board members or active volunteers.

We hope to have someone start by July 24, but flexible for the right candidate.