Southeast Regional Organizer

Reports to: Organizing Director 

Location: Remote (Southeast U.S. preferred, with frequent regional travel; approximately one week per month)

Salary: $70,000 - $80,000

Start Date: July 6, 2026

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Southeast Regional Organizer is Dream Defenders' point person for building and stabilizing new terrain. This role is focused on launching new squaDDs across the Southeast, developing early leadership in each city, and creating the conditions for formations to become self-sustaining. This is not a desk role  this organizer is in the field, running interest meetings, building with potential members, and doing the patient work of turning interest into structure.

At the same time, this organizer is not just a builder, they remain an active organizer themselves, rooted in their own community and geography, recruiting and developing relationships beyond the formations they're standing up.They move as a coach to formations, and are acting as a resource, connector, and consistent presence for squaDDs.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

New Formation Launch & Stabilization

• Launch and stabilize new squaDDs across Southeast regions
• Develop 2–3 core leaders per city through consistent 1:1s, coaching, and political development
• Run interest meetings and convert interest into structure, early squaDD meetings, core team formation, and support building basebuilding plans
• Attend all early squaDD meetings, then gradually step back as formations build capacity to run independently
• Support early campaign identification in each new formation through campaign training and meetings

On-the-Ground Organizing

• Stay actively engaged as an organizer yourself recruiting, building relationships, and developing members in your own geography and community
• Ensure each squaDD is supported with a functioning core team, defined basebuilding goals, and a consistent meeting and get-outside cadence
• Build and maintain relationships with organizers, activists, and coalition partners across the Southeast

Basebuilding & Member Development

• Monitor squaDD progress in organizing systems and address challenges blocking momentum
• Support identified leadership pathways that deepen member growth and developmen
• Ensure no member is floating everyone has a role, responsibility, or next step
• Share key field takeaways with the broader organizing team regularly

National Programming & Alignment

• Support internal and external training opportunities to strengthen member skills and political education for Squadds + National Members
• Support implementation of national programming including national working groups, All Leads calls, Welcome Calls, and selected national programming
• Collaborate with other organizers and staff to ensure alignment across programmatic areas
• Recruit volunteers to support national calls (welcome calls, all calls, mass calls)
• Turn out membership to organizational spaces and initiatives

Evaluation & Reporting

• Collaborate with the Data Team to track member and formation engagement
• Monitor internal dashboards and produce regular summaries reflecting progress, gaps, and resource needs

Skills & Qualifications

• Strong orientation to volunteer leaders with the ability to recruit and develop leaders over time, as well as build and manage volunteer teams
• Ideally experienced with neighborhood teams, or local campaign building.
• Strong communicator who is able to write resources, guides, slack posts, emails and other forms of communication with volunteer leaders
• Ability to prioritize work and manage multiple projects, teams, etc at the same time
• Experience with and ability to use multiple digital/distributed organizing tools and platforms (Every Action, Mobilize, AirTable, New/Mode, text and phone bank tools, etc)
• Commitment to and demonstrated experience building a cross class, mutiracial movement
• Commitment to the vision of the Freedom Papers
• At least 3 years of experience in community organizing, campaign strategy, or related fields.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills, including the ability to work with diverse communities and navigate conflict
• Strong strategic thinking and planning skills, with a focus on developing and executing effective campaigns.
• Experience with database management and tracking metrics.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment and to travel as needed.

About Dream Defenders: Dream Defenders is a National Black Freedom Organization fighting for safety and a good life for all.  Our membership is made up of diverse youth, young adults and students. Long Term we fight to end our generation’s support for capitalism, project an alternative vision of society, and affirm that interdependence and redistribution of wealth is the solution to poverty and racism, through organizing hundreds of thousands of young Black people into a national movement organization fighting to govern.

"Dream Defenders”, a project of Tides Advocacy, a 501c4, is an “at-will” and equal opportunity employer. Applicants and employees shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy and gender expression) identity, color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in  the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application."