LA Housing Movement Lab Director

ABOUT SAJE

Since 1996, SAJE has been a force for economic justice in Los Angeles. We believe that all people have a right to the city, and that the future of neighborhoods should be decided by those who dwell there. For over 25 years, we have worked side-by-side with our members to improve our community by advocating for tenant rights, healthy housing, and equitable development. We focus on housing policy because it is a root cause of economic and social inequality, shaped by decades of redlining, racial covenants, and most recently, predatory lending and foreclosure practices. Our work seeks to protect vulnerable communities from eviction, lockouts, and harassment, preserve existing affordable housing, and promote the production of additional affordable housing in new construction. Ultimately, our aim is to decommodify housing through the creation of permanent affordable housing, community land trusts, and public and social housing that prioritizes people over profits.

**Please do not hesitate to apply if you have less housing justice knowledge/experience; this can be developed in the role. The chief qualifications for this position are extensive experience with high-level movement strategy, strong coalition building skills, and a strong framework for understanding the impacts of commodification and racial capitalism for marginalized groups **

The LA Housing Movement Lab (LAHML), a network of 25 Los Angeles-area housing justice groups, the majority of which are grassroots and member-based, is seeking an experienced and visionary strategist to serve as Director.

The LAHML was founded in 2019 to ensure that all poor and working-class people and people of color in Los Angeles County live in high-quality housing that is affordable and rooted in stable, healthy, resilient, accessible, and vibrant communities. With this goal in mind, the LAHML crafts strategy, tactics, analysis, and narrative to build the movement for the decommodification of housing in Los Angeles.

Rather than focus on specific campaigns, the LAHML is a central server for Los Angeles’ housing justice movement, building long-term strategic vision and partnerships, supporting the development of key policies and initiatives, and convening member organizations to knit actions and projects together toward the common goal of decommodifying housing in the region and beyond. As such, the LAHML provides a space and framework for the type of deep, big-picture thinking and planning that can be difficult to carve out time for during specific campaigns but that is integral to a robust housing justice movement.

The Director will be responsible for determining the strategic direction of the LAHML. In partnership with LAHML member organizations, the Director will craft a long-term vision and roadmap for expanding decommodified housing in Los Angeles County and move others to adopt this vision and approach.

The successful candidate is passionate, charismatic, committed to justice, and has the ability to engage in highly structured analyses that will form the basis of productive, long-term strategic planning. They will have strong relationship-building skills, extensive experience managing staff and leading networks, coalition spaces, and campaigns, a deep commitment to decommodification and alternative forms of land and home ownership, an orientation toward intersectional movement building, and experience fundraising for initiatives that challenge traditional economic systems. Additionally, they are excited to deepen alignment across the Movement Lab network, and to mobilize member organizations to work together to decommodify housing in Los Angeles.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Oversee overall direction and strategy of the Movement Lab

Anticipate changes in the political and/or funding landscape for housing and steer the LAHML to respond appropriately

Build on and update long-term roadmap to decommodification (including but not limited to policy) with key milestones at 2, 5, 10, and 20 years

Develop and implement a plan to orient member organizations around a decommodified housing roadmap

Identify and strategize around opportunities to accelerate the decommodification of housing across Los Angeles County

Develop and implement a strategy for changing public perceptions and cultural narratives around the decommodification of housing

Ensure the decommodification roadmap for Los Angeles County connects to state and national efforts

Engage and inspire network working groups

Represent the LAHML in public forums and the media

Convene member organizations three to four times times per year for political education, relationship-building, strategy sessions, and working group updates

Lead and facilitate LAHML Steering Committee meetings

Develop, hold, and maintain key relationships with housing justice leaders, elected officials, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

Designing and execute work plans for LAHML staff to achieve goals

Manage staff and contractors; monitor work progress, monitor and ensure compliance with SAJE policies and procedures, and approve time cards

Train and oversee LAHML staff

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Bachelor’s degree

Minimum eight years’ work experience, preferably leading campaigns and coalitions

Experience fundraising for initiatives that challenge traditional economic systems

Demonstrated expertise in movement ecosystem analysis and long-term movement strategy development

Demonstrated facilitation skills in large-scale network/coalition spaces

Alignment with SAJE’s mission and values

Demonstrated commitment to social, racial, gender, and economic justice

Excellent written and verbal communications skills

Curious, flexible, and adept at problem solving

Able to work cross-functionally with different kinds of people and teams

This is a hybrid in-person position, and applicants should be vaccinated against infections and diseases according to the recommendations of medical professionals and the CDC.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Policy expertise on decommodification, social housing, and/or community land trusts

Working familiarity with models of decommodified housing around the world

Pre-existing relationships with Los Angeles-based housing justice organizations

Experience developing cultural narrative and communications strategies