Director / Lead Organizer

Naugatuck Valley Project (NVP) Job Opportunity

Position Title: Director / Lead Organizer

Posted: February 25, 2026. Position will remain open until filled

Location: Waterbury, CT

Reports To: Executive Council

Salary Range: $50,000–$58,000 (commensurate with experience) plus Benefits

Status: Full-Time, Exempt, some evenings and weekends

Note: NVP is a bilingual organization

About NVP

Naugatuck Valley Project (NVP) is a network of dues-paying congregations, local labor unions, housing cooperatives, and ethnic organizations founded in 1983. Its leaders and members work together to build power to affect systemic change for the improvement of their local communities. Its leaders and members work together to build power to affect systemic change for the improvement of their local communities. and moderate-income residents across the Naugatuck Valley. NVP develops grassroots leaders, The NVP works with allies where interests intersect on collaborative campaigns that affect policies at the municipal, regional, state and federal levels.

Since its founding 40 years ago, NVP has won significant victories that include bringing over $25 million to the region for housing, job training, and community development, improving the job prospects of the region’s growing healthcare worker population, and developing over 100 units of cooperatively-owned affordable housing. Most recently, NVP was part of a statewide coalition that won passage of a law guaranteeing the right of domestic workers to the minimum wage, overtime pay, a written job description with their employer, and Department of Labor enforcement of those rights. Environmental justice, affordable housing, and healthcare justice are other current focuses of NVP organizing efforts.

Position Summary

The Executive Director serves as the Director and lead organizer of NVP. The Director is responsible for advancing organizing strategy, leadership development, fundraising growth, financial oversight, and organizational direction. This role prioritizes strategic power-building and coalition leadership while administrative and technical functions are supported by staff.

Core Responsibilities

Organizing & Strategy

• Supervise other administrative and organizing staff
• Take part in regular reflections and evaluations of personal and organizational development
• Identify, recruit, develop, and train leaders from member organizations and allied groups
• Work with NVP leaders to research issues of concern, propose positive changes to address the issues
• Develop power analysis and successful strategies for change, and carry out issue campaigns
• Strengthen institutional membership base

Governance & Organizational Leadership

• Report to and partner with Executive Council
• Assisting and Developing annual organizing strategy and campaign planning, and evaluation processes
• Ensure mission alignment and accountability

Fundraising & Revenue Growth

• Grassroot fundraising experience
• Develop and maintain relationships with NVP member organizations, their leaders, major donors, and allies in the Naugatuck Valley
• Work with NVP Finance Committee and Executive Council leaders to prepare, oversee, and fund the annual budget of over $250,000. Funding includes grant writing, fundraising, and individual donation campaigns
• Lead fundraising strategy and diversification

Financial Oversight

• Develop and manage annual budget with the Executive Board
• Monitor cash flow and financial sustainability
• Ensure activity and reporting compliance with grants and contracts

External Representation

• Represent NVP in strategic coalitions
• Support leaders in public testimony and advocacy

Qualifications

• Four years college degree and/or three plus years previous experience with organizing essential, including a demonstrated ability to bring issue campaigns and other projects to successful conclusions
• Passion for racial, ethnic, and language equity, the rights of workers, immigrants, the disenfranchised
• Strong commitment to racial, faith, and value broad-based community organizing
• Understanding of the difference between organizing for power and social service work
• Commitment and demonstrated ability to develop the leadership skills of others
• Ability to work with people from diverse racial, ethnic, language, religious, union and cultural traditions and to build consensus among diverse people and organizations
• Flexible work availability including an ability to work some evening and weekend hours
• Strong relationship-building and strategic thinking skills
• Excellent communication skill: listening, writing, speaking
• Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred
• Must be proficient in Word, Excel, Power Point, web page development and maintenance, and all social media platforms
• Willingness to work hard and learn
• Sense of humor and curiosity
• Demonstrated campaign leadership
• Experience supervising staff
• Fundraising experience

Benefits

• 2 weeks vacation per year
• 11 paid holidays per year
• $4,000 towards health insurance premium
• 12 sick days per year
• 3 personal days per year

How to apply

Send a resume and a cover letter describing your interest in the position, to Naugatuck Valley Project Personnel Committee at brenmorset@gmail.com or by USPS:

Naugatuck Valley Project Personnel Committee
Naugatuck Valley Project
16 Church Street
Waterbury, CT 06702

For more information contact: brenmorset@gmail.com