Work for ACORN

Please note: the deadlines and start dates for the Bradford and London vacancies have been extended by three weeks from the originally-advertised dates.

ACORN is constantly growing, and as we grow we need to expand our staff team so that we can support our membership to keep developing and keep winning. If you would like to be a part of that, consider applying for one of the roles as they appear advertised below.

Current and upcoming vacancies include:

1x Field Organiser (Bradford); Deadline 6th June 2021, 2359; Start date 19th July 2021
1x Community Organiser (Bradford); Deadline 6th June 2021, 2359; Start date 19th July 2021
1x City Head Organiser (Bradford); Deadline 6th June 2021, 2359; Start date 12th July 2021
2x Field Organiser (London); Deadline 6th June 2021, 2359; Start date 19th July 2021
1x City Head Organiser (London); Deadline 6th June 2021, 2359; Start date 12th July 2021

If not already below, more information about each role and how to apply will appear below when available.

Bradford Field Organiser

(Organising Department)

ACORN is looking for a Field Organiser to build power to fight for social and economic change in Bradford, to start work on Monday 19th July.

ACORN is a mass membership organisation: a vehicle for collective action. By taking action on issues, we build the hopes, expectations and experience of our members and the communities they come from.

Our organising is premised on two simple truths: problems affecting working class communities—from unhealthy, unaffordable and insecure housing, to cuts to public services—stem from a lack of power, and; the most effective means of building power is for people to get organised.

We know that there are no shortcuts to building an effective, powerful organisation of everyday people, which is why we hire organisers to knock on doors, day in, day out, whatever the weather, to proactively seek out community members to bring together to make positive change in our cities, towns and neighbourhoods. If you are up for putting in the real leg work to build strong, diverse, resilient communities, door by door, street by street, then this might be the job for you!

About the job

As a Field Organiser with ACORN, you will be responsible for recruiting, supporting and working with members to take action on issues affecting them and the communities they come from.

ACORN is a union in the community. Like any union our members pay membership dues so that they can have a sustainable independent organisation to fight for their interests.

You will be a Field Organiser for ACORN in Bradford. Your daily work will involve:

Recruiting individual ACORN Members through door-knocking, social media and other means (door-knocking takes up around 50% of our organisers’ time),
Managing organising drives to build new and maintain existing ACORN Local Groups and teams,
Identifying issues of common concern at the neighbourhood and wider level,
Identifying and supporting potential leaders to enable them to take on leadership roles in the organisation, and
Supporting elected leaders to enable them to carry out their roles.

*ACORN is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.*

Qualifications

No formal qualifications are necessary. We’re primarily looking for someone with a strong work ethic with good listening skills and the ability to motivate others.

Experience, skills and abilities

The successful applicant will have:

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
The ability to recruit dues-paying members to ACORN
The ability to support the development of groups and teams
The ability to motivate people
The ability to work independently and manage a team of volunteers
The ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment and be detail-oriented
A willingness to work sometimes long and irregular hours, including evenings and weekends (usual working hours are 8hr/day between 1000-2000 Mon-Fri, including an hour’s unpaid lunchbreak)
A willingness and enthusiasm for knocking on doors and talking to strangers year-round

For more specific information on the role and its requirements, please refer to the job description, person specification, and selection criteria linked below.

In turn, ACORN is committed to investing in the continued professional development of our organising staff. Training and support will include:

First week: ACORN Foundations of Community Organising training (5 days)
First 3 months: Weekly 1:1 management supervision; daily recruitment practice with fellow organising staff; weekly group team call; on-call daily management support.
After 3 months: bi-weekly 1:1 management supervision; daily recruitment practice with fellow organising staff; weekly group team call; on-call daily management support.
Ongoing continuing professional development opportunities where identified.

Salary

£17,290-£18,000 starting salary depending on level of experience

To apply

Make a copy and complete the full Application Form, referring to the sections marked (A) in the Job Description, Person Specification & Selection Criteria.
Save your completed application form as a PDF with the file name <YOUR NAME, role> e.g. JANE SMITH Bradford FO.pdf
Submit via email to [email protected] with ‘Application: Bradford FO’ as the subject line
Once you have submitted your application please complete this diversity monitoring form

If you require paper versions of this application form & diversity monitoring form please write to [email protected].

Deadline

The deadline for applications is 11.59pm on Sunday 6th June. Late applications will not be considered. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].

Interviews

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an assessment day, involving an interview and two tasks. Currently due to the Government’s social distancing advice we are conducting assessments over Zoom video call. This may be subject to change if the Government’s guidelines change.

Assessment date Wednesday 16th June May.

Bradford Community Organiser

(Organising Department)

ACORN is looking for a Community Organiser to build power to fight for social and economic change in Bradford, to start work on Monday 19th July.

We know that there are no shortcuts to building an effective, powerful organisation of everyday people, which is why we hire organisers to be out, whatever the weather, proactively seeking out community members to bring together to make positive change in our cities, towns and neighbourhoods. If you are up for putting in the real leg work to build strong, diverse, resilient communities, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, then this might be the job for you!

About the job

As a Community Organiser with ACORN, you will be responsible for recruiting, supporting and working with members to take action on issues affecting them and the communities they come from.

ACORN is a union in the community. Like any union our members pay membership dues so that they can have a sustainable independent organisation to fight for their interests.

You will be a Community Organiser for ACORN in Bradford. Your daily work will involve:

Recruiting individual ACORN Members primarily through outreach and relationship-building with existing community organisations, but also through social media, occasional door-knocking, and other means, in the primary language of those community members where possible;
Building deep and long-lasting relationships with community and faith groups throughout the city;
Managing organising drives to build new and maintain existing ACORN Local Groups and teams,
Identifying issues of common concern at the neighbourhood and wider level,
Identifying and supporting potential leaders to enable them to take on leadership roles in the organisation, and
Supporting elected leaders to enable them to carry out their roles.

Qualifications

No formal qualifications are necessary. We’re primarily looking for someone with a strong work ethic with good listening skills and the ability to motivate others.

Experience, skills and abilities

The successful applicant will have:

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
The ability to recruit dues-paying members to ACORN
The ability to support the development of groups and teams
The ability to motivate people
The ability to work independently and manage a team of volunteers
The ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment and be detail-oriented
A willingness to work sometimes long and irregular hours, including evenings and weekends (usual working hours are 8hr/day flexibly between 1000-2000 Mon-Fri, including an hour’s unpaid lunchbreak)
A willingness and enthusiasm for talking to strangers year-round
At least CEFR B2-level (professional) proficiency standard (or equivalent) in at least one of either Punjabi, Urdu, or Bengali, so as to be able to communicate verbally and in writing with the communities we serve (no formal qualification required).

For more specific information on the role and its requirements, please refer to the job description, person specification, and selection criteria linked below.

In turn, ACORN is committed to investing in the continued professional development of our organising staff. Training and support will include:

First week: ACORN Foundations of Community Organising training (5 days)
First 3 months: Weekly 1:1 management supervision; daily recruitment practice with fellow organising staff; weekly group team call; on-call daily management support.
After 3 months: bi-weekly 1:1 management supervision; daily recruitment practice with fellow organising staff; weekly group team call; on-call daily management support.
Ongoing continuing professional development opportunities where identified.

Salary

£17,290-£18,000 starting salary depending on level of experience

To apply

Make a copy and complete the full Application Form, referring to the sections marked (A) in the Job Description, Person Specification & Selection Criteria.
Save your completed application form as a PDF with the file name <YOUR NAME, role> e.g. JANE SMITH Bradford FO.pdf
Submit via email to [email protected] with ‘Application: Bradford CO’ as the subject line
Once you have submitted your application please complete this diversity monitoring form

If you require paper versions of this application form & diversity monitoring form please write to [email protected].

Deadline

The deadline for applications is 11.59pm on Sunday 6th June. Late applications will not be considered. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]k.

Interviews

Bradford City Head Organiser

(Organising Department)

ACORN is looking for a City Head Organiser to build power to fight for social and economic change in Bradford, to start work on Monday 12th July.

About the job

As an organiser with ACORN, you will be responsible for recruiting, supporting and working with members to take action on issues affecting them and the communities they come from.

ACORN is a union in the community. Like any union our members pay membership dues so that they can have a sustainable independent organisation to fight for their interests.

As a City Head Organiser for ACORN in Bradford, your daily work will involve:

Recruiting individual ACORN members through door knocking, social media and other means,
Supporting Field Organisers’ organising drives to build new and maintain existing ACORN Branches, Groups, and teams,
Identifying issues of common concern at the city and, in cases, regional level, in order to coordinate local groups into larger campaigns,
Improving the functionality of the city’s Branches and Groups to align with core objectives,
Identifying and supporting potential leaders to enable them to take on leadership roles in the organisation,
Supporting elected leaders to enable them to carry out their roles, and,
Line-managing field organising staff in the city and coordinating work plans

Qualifications

No formal qualifications are necessary. We’re primarily looking for someone with a strong work ethic with good listening skills and the ability to motivate others.

Experience, skills and abilities

The successful applicant will have:

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
The ability to recruit dues-paying members to ACORN
The ability to support the development of groups and teams
The ability to motivate people
The ability to work independently and manage a team of staff and volunteers
The ability to proactively connect issues, people, and organisational goals in order to develop an aspirational and inspiring strategy, as well as to respond reactively where required
The ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment and be detail-oriented
The ability to hold constructive conversations with managed staff or volunteers, sometimes on challenging subjects, e.g. regarding instructions or disciplinary matters
A willingness to work sometimes long and irregular hours, including evenings and weekends (37.5 hours per week, generally between the hours of 1000 and 2000)
A willingness and enthusiasm for knocking on doors and talking to strangers year-round
A commitment to the future growth and development of ACORN

For more specific information on the role and its requirements, please refer to the job description, person specification, and selection criteria linked below.

In turn, ACORN is committed to investing in the continued professional development of our organising staff. Training and support will include:

First week: ACORN Foundations of Community Organising training, including Management Skills training (5 days)
First 3 months: Weekly 1:1 management supervision; daily recruitment practice with fellow organising staff; weekly group team call; on-call daily management support.
After 3 months: bi-weekly 1:1 management supervision; daily recruitment practice with fellow organising staff; weekly group team call; on-call daily management support.
Ongoing continuing professional development opportunities where identified.

Salary

£19,000 starting salary, to increase on completion of probation

To apply

Make a copy and complete the full Application Form, referring to the sections marked ‘A’ in the Job Description, Person Specification & Selection Criteria. You may simultaneously apply for the role of Bradford Field Organiser (see elsewhere on this page) with this single application. Please note, if you would also like your application to be considered for the role of Bradford Field Organiser, please indicate this on your application form
Save your completed application form as a PDF with the file name <YOUR NAME, role> e.g. JANE SMITH Bradford CHO.pdf
Submit via email to [email protected] with ‘Application: Bradford CHO.' in the subject heading
Once you have submitted your application please complete this diversity monitoring form

If you require paper versions of this application form & diversity monitoring form please write to [email protected].

Deadline

The deadline for applications is 11.59pm on Sunday 6th June. Late applications will not be considered. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].

Interviews

2x North London Field Organiser

(Organising Department)

ACORN is looking for two Field Organisers to build power to fight for social and economic change in North London, to start work on Monday 19th July.

About the job

As a community organiser with ACORN, you will be responsible for recruiting, supporting and working with members to take action on issues affecting them and the communities they come from.

ACORN is a union in the community. Like any union our members pay membership dues so that they can have a sustainable independent organisation to fight for their interests.

You will be a Field Organiser for ACORN in North London. Your daily work will involve:

Recruiting individual ACORN Members through door-knocking, social media and other means (door-knocking takes up around 50% of our organisers’ time),
Managing organising drives to build new and maintain existing ACORN Local Groups and teams,
Identifying issues of common concern at the neighbourhood and wider level,
Identifying and supporting potential leaders to enable them to take on leadership roles in the organisation, and
Supporting elected leaders to enable them to carry out their roles.

Each successful candidate will begin based in a North London borough (one specifically in Enfield), where they will build local infrastructure before moving across further North London boroughs.

Qualifications

No formal qualifications are necessary. We’re primarily looking for someone with a strong work ethic with good listening skills and the ability to motivate others.

Experience, skills and abilities

The successful applicants will have:

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
The ability to recruit dues-paying members to ACORN
The ability to support the development of groups and teams
The ability to motivate people
The ability to work independently and manage a team of volunteers
The ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment and be detail-oriented
A willingness to work sometimes long and irregular hours, including evenings and weekends (usual working hours are 8hr/day between 1000-2000 Mon-Fri, including an hour’s unpaid lunchbreak)
A willingness and enthusiasm for knocking on doors and talking to strangers year-round

The successful applicant for one of the two available roles will have:

At least CEFR B2-level (professional) proficiency standard (or equivalent) in one or more of either Bengali, Tamil, Turkish, or Urdu, so as to be able to communicate verbally and in writing with the communities we serve.

For more specific information on the role and its requirements, please refer to the job description, person specification, and selection criteria linked below.

In turn, ACORN is committed to investing in the continued professional development of our organising staff. Training and support will include:

First week: ACORN Foundations of Community Organising training (5 days)
First 3 months: Weekly 1:1 management supervision; daily recruitment practice with fellow organising staff; weekly group team call; on-call daily management support.
After 3 months: bi-weekly 1:1 management supervision; daily recruitment practice with fellow organising staff; weekly group team call; on-call daily management support.
Ongoing continuing professional development opportunities where identified.

Salary

£19,747 starting salary, increasing to £20,232 on completion of probation

To apply

Make a copy and complete the full Application Form, referring to the sections marked (A) in the Job Description, Person Specification & Selection Criteria.
Save your completed application form as a PDF with the file name <YOUR NAME, role> e.g. JANE SMITH London FO.pdf
Submit via email to [email protected] with ‘Application: London FO' in the subject heading
Once you have submitted your application please complete this diversity monitoring form

If you require paper versions of this application form & diversity monitoring form please write to [email protected].

Deadline

The deadline for applications is 11.59pm on Sunday 6th June. Late applications will not be considered. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].

Interviews

London City Head Organiser

(Organising Department)

ACORN is looking for a City Head Organiser to build power to fight for social and economic change in London, to start work on Monday 12th July.

About the job

As an organiser with ACORN, you will be responsible for recruiting, supporting and working with members to take action on issues affecting them and the communities they come from.

ACORN is a union in the community. Like any union our members pay membership dues so that they can have a sustainable independent organisation to fight for their interests.

As a City Head Organiser for ACORN in London, your daily work will involve:

Recruiting individual ACORN members through door knocking, social media and other means,
Supporting field organisers’ organising drives to build new and maintain existing ACORN Branches, Groups, and teams,
Identifying issues of common concern at the city and, in cases, regional level, in order to coordinate local groups into larger campaigns,
Improving the functionality of the city’s Branches and Groups to align with core objectives,
Identifying and supporting potential leaders to enable them to take on leadership roles in the organisation,
Supporting elected leaders to enable them to carry out their roles, and,
Line-managing field organising staff in the city and coordinating work plans

Qualifications

No formal qualifications are necessary. We’re primarily looking for someone with a strong work ethic with good listening skills and the ability to motivate others.

Experience, skills and abilities

The successful applicant will have:

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
The ability to recruit dues-paying members to ACORN
The ability to support the development of groups and teams
The ability to motivate people
The ability to work independently and manage a team of staff and volunteers
The ability to proactively connect issues, people, and organisational goals in order to develop an aspirational and inspiring strategy, as well as to respond reactively where required
The ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment and be detail-oriented
The ability to hold constructive conversations with managed staff or volunteers, sometimes on challenging subjects, e.g. regarding instructions or disciplinary matters
A willingness to work sometimes long and irregular hours, including evenings and weekends (37.5 hours per week, generally between the hours of 1000 and 2000)
A willingness and enthusiasm for knocking on doors and talking to strangers year-round
A commitment to the future growth and development of ACORN

For more specific information on the role and its requirements, please refer to the job description, person specification, and selection criteria linked below.

In turn, ACORN is committed to investing in the continued professional development of our organising staff. Training and support will include:

First week: ACORN Foundations of Community Organising training, including Management Skills training (5 days)
First 3 months: Weekly 1:1 management supervision; daily recruitment practice with fellow organising staff; weekly group team call; on-call daily management support.
After 3 months: bi-weekly 1:1 management supervision; daily recruitment practice with fellow organising staff; weekly group team call; on-call daily management support.
Ongoing continuing professional development opportunities where identified.

Salary

£21,356 starting salary, increasing to £23,067 on completion of probation

To apply

Make a copy and complete the full Application Form, referring to the sections marked ‘A’ in the Job Description, Person Specification & Selection Criteria. You may simultaneously apply for the role of London Field Organiser (see elsewhere on this page) with this single application. Please note, if you would also like your application to be considered for the role of London Field Organiser, please indicate this on your application form
Save your completed application form as a PDF with the file name <YOUR NAME, role> e.g. JANE SMITH London CHO.pdf
Submit via email to [email protected] with ‘Application: London CHO' in the subject heading
Once you have submitted your application please complete this diversity monitoring form

If you require paper versions of this application form & diversity monitoring form please write to [email protected].

Deadline

The deadline for applications is 11.59pm on Sunday 6th June. Late applications will not be considered. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].

Interviews