Now Hiring: Archivist & Administration Support!

Dear Rural Organizing Project leaders and friends,

I am excited to announce that we are immediately seeking candidates for our newest staff position: Archivist & Administration Support! This position will be based out of our Community Organizing Center in the heart of Cottage Grove and will focus on supporting ROP’s day-to-day functions while making ROP’s 30+ years of county-by-county organizing histories accessible for human dignity groups, organizers, activists, researchers, reporters, and beyond. This moment of massive mobilization and movement building for human dignity illustrates how important it is for us to know our history while we are making history, and we are eager to bring a passionate, justice-minded community archivist onto the team to build a truly innovative and accessible Rural Organizing Library and Archive! Read on for more information about the position and please help us spread the word.

Please share this announcement with your networks and help us find our next rockstar staff member! Have questions or ideas? Want to connect about movement archives? Please reach out to me at jess@rop.org!

Warmly,
Jess

Archivist and Administration Support – Full-Time, Cottage Grove

Rural Organizing Project (ROP) is a non-partisan statewide organization dedicated to strengthening autonomous, all-volunteer small-town and rural human dignity groups with the goal of keeping such groups a vibrant source for a just democracy. ROP connects the dots between racial, economic, gender, and climate justice organizing and connects leaders across the geography of Oregon. We support groups leading local organizing campaigns and take collective, statewide action for stronger, healthier communities. Founded in 1992, the ROP network today includes more than 65 active human dignity groups in 33 counties and one tribal community in Oregon.

We are seeking a trained archivist who can also provide basic nonprofit administrative support to fill out a full-time position to help us build our Rural Organizing Library and Archive, an interactive resource for rural Oregonians that will support the capacity of autonomous human dignity groups to engage in impactful local organizing in their communities across rural and frontier Oregon and beyond.

We are motivated to fill this position as soon as possible. If you are interested, please apply ASAP. Interviews will begin immediately.

The position includes the following areas of responsibility:

Archiving (approximately 20 hours a week):

Archival Systems: ROP organizers have been collecting and archiving materials from 30+ years of rural organizing. The applicant will update and implement a system for managing all archival materials owned by ROP past, present, and future. This will include delegating tasks when needed and finding innovative ways to ensure this historical information is accessible to organizers, human dignity groups, scholars, and researchers.
Build the Capacity of the Archive and Rural Media Center: The Rural Media Center is part archive, part community resource center and will be an accessible resource for both organizers and researchers. The Archivist will work closely with the entire staff team to develop, communicate, and support both the needs of, and the resources available in, the archive to staff organizers, member groups, and researchers.
Relationship Building and Capacity Building: Maintain strong working relationships with rural leaders, organizers, and community members to ensure the Rural Media Center and archives offer support and build the capacity of each ROP member group. We define capacity as the ability for a human dignity group to create change through base-building and grassroots organizing.
Archival Partnership Work with Organizers: Work closely with the entire staff team to develop, communicate, and support the creation of accessible archive materials that will document the work of local groups. Coordinate the handing off of materials, the creation of finding aids, and assist organizers in adding to and utilizing the archive.
Build Accessibility: Develop innovative tools and systems to make the archives and rural media center an interactive part of ROP’s community organizing work and a key part of ROP’s work in breaking rural isolation.
Connect the Dots: Work with the ROP network to produce programs and tools that help member groups and organizers connect the dots between historical research and current community needs.

Administration (approximately 20 hours a week):

Manage the Community Organizing Center in Cottage Grove: Greeting walk-ins, answering phones, managing Center schedule and use, orientation of new groups, scheduling volunteers, purchasing needed supplies, and maintaining the space including lending library, bookstore, and community kitchen.
Basic bookkeeping: Processing donations, tracking deposits, and paying bills.
Basic fundraising support: Donor data entry, sending thank you cards, tracking and communicating donations, and working with the ROP staff team to prepare reports and manage our database.

Required Skills and Qualifications

Background in archives/archival research, library sciences, oral history, folklife/public folklore, public history, and/or applied cultural anthropology with experience in archival work, both online and on-site.
Demonstrated ability to understand, develop, and maintain basic archival systems, both tangible and digital.
Understanding of the role of historical research and archival systems in community organizing. While this job will be archival in nature, the core goal is to connect the past with the present and build a better world for tomorrow.
Stellar personal organization skills and impeccable attention to detail. If your calendar is always up-to-date, your notes are color-coded, and you find long to-do lists energizing, we want to talk to you! There’s a lot to keep track of in this role, and nothing can fall through the cracks.
Skills and experience proactively setting priorities and goals, self-managing, problem-solving, and working independently to achieve shared organizational goals. Proven ability to complete high-quality work on shared timelines and operate in a fast-paced environment.
Strong public speaking, written and verbal communication, and group facilitation skills. Though this is, in part, an archivist role, the work will demand community engagement and accountability. You will communicate with people. Emotional maturity and humility required.
Resourcefulness. Rural Oregonians pride ourselves on being able to patch together solutions from what we find around us, even if that’s baling wire and bubblegum. Successful members of the ROP staff team are able to creatively identify opportunities and resources to best support our members and build our programming.
Basic word processing, spreadsheets, Quickbooks, and database management skills, and ability to learn new software.
Ability to work well with diverse public and visitors to the Center, be security-conscious (aware of and supporting a safe environment at the Center), clearly communicate expectations for safety and security to community partners, and be able to de-escalate using nonviolence if/when needed.
Must be able to drive.

Desired Skills and Qualifications

Accounting skills and experience a major plus.
Paid or volunteer experience in cultural organizing, antiracist work, and/or community organizing.
Experience living or working in a small-town or rural community strongly recommended.
Verbal and written fluency in Spanish.
Experience with Google Suite, CRMs, Slack, Dropbox, and WordPress.
Fundraising skills and experience.
Graphic design and layout skills.

Time Commitment

This position is full-time and exempt, with an average commitment of 40 hours per week required. As exempt, this position is not entitled to overtime pay. This position includes travel to participate in regular staff retreats and to work occasionally out of ROP’s offices around the state.

Salary, Benefits, and Staff Resources

Salary is $36,000-48,000 annually based on experience. Excellent benefits including 100% coverage of health and dental premiums, paid sick leave, vacation, holidays, paid 12-week sabbatical, employer-matched IRA, caregiver travel policies to support staff who are primary caregivers, and staff development budget for training and support. The person who fills this position will have access to a pool of well-maintained ROP vehicles, provided the technology needed to perform their job duties, and provided a budget to purchase archival equipment and materials.

Apply

ROP is eager to hire for this position as soon as possible. Applications will be reviewed as we receive them. To apply, please email a letter of interest, resume, three references, and the following application to jess@rop.org:

Why are you interested in working with ROP? What do you hope to learn from working with ROP and our network?
How do you feel you meet the Skills and Qualifications criteria? What strengths do you most have to offer to ROP as part of our staff team and in this role?
What do you feel you can bring to the work with rural Oregonians and why?
Please give two concrete examples from your experience that demonstrate your approach, philosophy, or beliefs about working with communities facing inequity.
What systems and tools do you use to keep yourself and your work organized?
If hired, would you be able to commit to working with ROP for at least two years?

Rural Organizing Project (ROP) is an equal employment opportunity employer. ROP prohibits unlawful discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender identity, age, national origin, genetic characteristics, disability, status as a special disabled veteran or veteran, marital status, sexual orientation, sexual identity, or any other basis prohibited by law.