Political and Campaigns Organiser

Compass is looking to recruit a Political and Campaigns Organiser as we enter an exciting new period for UK politics.

We are a growing organisation with a long history of bold national campaigns, local groups across the country and a newly launched political network organising within the Labour party, Mainstream.

To grow our network and influence, we are looking to power up our organising, particularly by running impactful events. The Political and Campaigns Organiser will work with the Compass campaigns team to support our national campaigns for electoral reform and public ownership of water. They will also work with Compass’ organising team to support our network of local groups and to contribute to our organising across all progressive parties and in particular within the Labour Party.

They will contribute to our full organising programme, but with particular responsibility for events and working with our local groups. They should be comfortable working flexibly in a small, lively team and with groups with different perspectives.

This role involves:

• Growing, building and coordinating our local groups network across England and supporting their local campaigns. 
• Working with the organising team and the local groups to strategise, plan and coordinate actions.
• Working with the whole Compass team to deliver events. We run a range of events throughout the year, from our big event Change: HOW?, our Annual Gathering, our panel events at party conferences and festivals to smaller events like our online party group meetings and briefings on our reports.
• Engaging and activating Compass’ member and supporter base through local groups and organising to maximise our impact, with a view to attracting and energising younger activists.
• Supporting the delivery of effective and creative campaigns - including supporting the campaigns team in writing copy and sending mailouts.

What this role might look like on the day to day:

• Meeting a local group in Warwickshire to plan an effective meeting to build their campaign against the far-right.
• Supporting the team to convene civil society leaders as part of our work on a New Popular Front by sorting logistics for events - choosing a venue or booking catering.
• Writing copy for emails to keep our activists up to date with key information about our activities.
• Supporting the organising team with desk research to feed into our political engagement work.
• Supporting our political party organising by writing template council or CLP motions.
• Following up with a member interested in starting a local group via phone or email, finding out what motivates them and building a relationship.

Skills and competencies

We're looking for:

• Strong interest in UK politics, particularly the Labour Party, with a clear understanding of the political context in which we work, which issues are politically sensitive and the culture Compass represents.
• Willingness to learn: open-minded, flexible and eager to learn new skills.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate: able to bring people together to take action, work across networks, with excellent interpersonal and communication skills, online and in person.
• Self-organisation: able to self-motivate, be proactive and work independently to an agreed schedule.
• Flexibility and adaptability: confident handling competing priorities across multiple fronts.
• Enthusiasm and energy: a demonstrable passion for the political change we seek and a willingness to work in pursuit of it.

Experience, qualifications and knowledge

• Experience working with a not-for-profit, political party, charity, trade union or NGO.
• Experience in political organising, whether in a professional or voluntary capacity.
• An insight into how local groups work as part of a national network.
• Experience in managing and running events online and in-person as part of a team.
• Experience of working with volunteers, activists and groups with different beliefs to build trust and work towards common goals.
• An understanding of the UK progressive political scene, particularly the Labour Party, and support for the aims, vision and values of Compass.

Compass is a highly ambitious organisation, working to change the way we do politics. With a strong track record of bold and innovative campaigns and a wide network of members, associates and partners, Compass is rapidly expanding its political influence and reach, particularly within the Labour Party via the Mainstream network.

Mainstream is a new hopeful and purposeful vehicle to turn the Labour Party back once again to the direction of hope and a progressive and plural future.

This post is suitable for someone who believes in and wants to be part of creating the vision and culture of a good society and wants to work flexibly and energetically to further these goals. Though small in size, the team is supported by a community of partners, allies, members and supporters. 

This role is suitable for someone who wants to work hard to develop new skills and is able to learn on the job, even if they haven’t worked in a political role before.

Pay will be £27,000, London-based, with room for flexible working in terms of hours and location. The team has an office in central London (near Vauxhall) and the likely candidate would need to be comfortable travelling to the office at least 2- 3 times a week.

You will work closely with Compass’ Deputy Director and our Political Affairs and Organising Officer who will offer managerial support and work with you to develop and deepen your skills over time.

The position is full-time and we are looking for someone to start as soon as possible. There is a 3-month probationary period.

Compass is committed to providing equal opportunities to people regardless of background and we actively seek applications from people with backgrounds that are underrepresented in our sector, especially with regards to race and class. We recognise that representation in our sector is not good enough; this makes our politics and our campaigns weaker. As such, we particularly encourage applications from people who can demonstrate the skills, even if they have never worked in this precise field. We welcome people to apply who can demonstrate their aptitude, even if a career in politics has so far been closed off to them.

To apply for this role, click the Apply button. You will be asked to upload a CV and answer three questions related to the position.

The application deadline is Tuesday 28th October, 10am. We expect interviews to be held in October and November and will explain more about the process if you’re invited to the next round. If you think you'll struggle to make this deadline but are keen to apply, or have other questions related to the role, please get in touch: you can email Lena at [email protected].