High Road Director : District of Columbia

ROC
Restaurant Opportunities Center United

High Road Director

Based in Washington, DC

Founded initially after September 11th, 2001, the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) has grown into a national organization with 130,000 restaurant workers, employers and consumers nationwide. Over the last fifteen years, we have won more than a dozen workplace justice campaigns, winning more than $10 million in misappropriated tips and wages and discrimination payments for low-wage workers, and significant policy changes in high-profile fine dining restaurant companies covering thousands of workers. We have partnered with more than 700 responsible restaurant owners to promote the ‘high road’ to profitability, and trained more than 5,000 restaurant workers to advance to livable wage jobs within the industry. We have also published more than 50 ground-breaking reports on the restaurant industry, obtaining significant media coverage, played an instrumental role in winning a statewide minimum wage increase for tipped workers, and initiated other policy campaigns at the local, state, and federal level. We have organized restaurant workers to open COLORS restaurants and training facilities in New York and Detroit.

We have launched affiliates in New York, New Orleans, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, California, Washington, DC, Seattle, and Massachusetts. In each region, we conduct workplace justice campaigns, partner with ‘high road’ restaurants to conduct advanced restaurant workforce development programs, and collaborate with local academics and other allies to produce comprehensive participatory research and policy initiatives. Nationally, we organize national convenings of restaurant workers, Congressional briefings, public fora, and more. In these ways, ROC continues to build power and voice for low-wage restaurant workers at the local, state, and federal levels.

ROC-U is hiring a national High Road Director to manage our High Road Programs, the ultimate goal of which is to build a base of employer, restaurant worker, and consumer support poised to win campaigns to improve wages and working conditions in the restaurant industry.

POSITION LOCATION: Flexible

RESPONSIBILITIES:
The High Road Director will be responsible for the management, strategic development, and day-to-day operation of our High Road Department. The work of our High Road Department focuses on three major areas: (1) organizing employers into our alternative restaurant association, RAISE (Restaurants Advancing Industry Standards in Employment), which consists of nearly 700 small and medium-sized business owners committed to advancing the high-road to profitability in the industry; (2) building and managing our direct service programs in a way that builds our restaurant worker membership base, including workforce development and job placement programs through our COLORS Hospitality for Workers (CHOW) Institute and child care services through an emerging child care cooperative; and (3) promoting them to conscientious consumers through our National Diners’ Guide. In addition to managing others who are driving campaigns, services, and social enterprises, the High Road Director and CHOW/DU Coordinator will provide direct leadership on one or more national issue strategies in coordination with our Policy and Organizing Directors. Strong candidates need not necessarily bring immediate expertise in all of the areas of our High Road work, but must have strong management skills, effective leadership qualities, experience with large-scale or national organizing campaigns, and a creative or entrepreneurial energy in visioning and launching new initiatives.

• Grow RAISE nationally, developing employer leadership, developing financial, consumer and training support for employers to move to the ‘high road,’ and mobilizing employers in support of worker-friendly policies
• Grow RAISE in key states, developing leadership of influential employers in each state
• Supervise CHOW /DU Coordinator (workplan below)
• Participate in regular meetings of our senior staff leadership team, the ROC-United Executive Team, to support the overall growth and organizational development of ROC-United; and
• Other responsibilities as necessary.

QUALIFICATIONS:
Required

• At least 5-7 years of community organizing, union organizing, and/or political organizing experience, with some connection to community, labor, or other non-candidate politics;
• At least 3 years of experience supervising and/or managing work teams;
• Ability to work independently, yet collaboratively to drive multiple projects and programs in a fast-paced work environmental;
• Excellent writing and communication skills;
• Results-focused, organized, attention to detail, and strong planning skills;
• Demonstrated commitment to racial, social, and economic justice; and
• Willing to carry significant travel schedule

Preferred

• Experience with innovative, sector-based workforce development strategies that are connected to lifting and improving working conditions industry-wide;
• Experience with launching and/or managing a high-road business and/or social enterprise, preferably one that is a restaurant or food-related;
• Experience organizing small- to medium-sized business-owners;
• Restaurant work experience;
• Additional language skills

COMPENSATION
Based on experience.

TO APPLY
Please send cover letter and résumé detailing your qualifications to evelyn@rocunited.org.

Immigrants, women, and people of color encouraged to apply.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

Job Posting Courtesy of UnionJobs.com