Campaign Director

Campaign Director

Location: Durham, North Carolina

Reports to: Executive Director

Employer: Southern Service Workers Education Fund, Inc. (SSWEF)

About Southern Service Workers Education Fund, Inc.

SSWEF is a worker organization building power with low-wage workers across the South. We organize alongside workers and community partners to challenge exploitation, raise standards, and advance racial and economic justice. Our campaigns combine deep organizing, worker leadership development, and community solidarity to win real improvements in workers’ lives while building a broader movement for economic and racial justice in the South.

Position Overview

SSWEF seeks a senior Campaign Director for Durham Rising, a broad-based community-labor campaign to build worker power with Duke University and Health System workers and the broader Durham community. This strategic leadership role involves integrating organizing, research, communications, and political work to win transformative campaigns rooted in racial and economic justice.

This role requires expertise in running campaigns that combine worker organizing, community and faith solidarity, and political strategy.

Responsibilities

Campaign Strategy & Leadership

• Lead the strategic development and execution of Durham Rising and other priority campaigns as required.
• Develop campaign plans with clear power analysis, field strategy, and measurable goals.
• Integrate worker organizing, community solidarity, faith partnerships, and political strategy.
• Drive alignment across organizing, research, communications, and digital components.
• Assess political opportunities and threats locally and regionally to adjust strategy.

Staff Supervision & Development

• Supervise organizing staff.
• Coordinate research staff supporting campaign development.
• Provide regular coaching, accountability, and political development to campaign staff.
• Create clear structures for planning, reporting, and evaluation.
• Contribute to the leadership development of organizers and rank-and-file leaders.

Cross-Department Coordination

• Partner closely with communications and digital staff to align messaging with worker leadership and Southern political realities.
• Collaborate with union partners and allies where appropriate.
• Support the integration of campaign work into the broader organizational strategy.

Organizational Leadership

• Serve as a member of SSWEF’s Leadership.
• Contribute to organizational goal-setting, resource allocation, and long-term planning.
• Uphold and model SSWEF’s commitment to racial justice, economic justice, and multiracial worker solidarity.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading complex organizing campaigns.
• Experience combining traditional union organizing with community-based and faith-based solidarity models.
• Strong political analysis and ability to navigate hostile or rapidly shifting political environments.
• Experience supervising staff and building high-performing teams.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial and economic justice.
• Ability to travel regularly throughout the South.

Preferred:

• Experience organizing in the South.
• Experience working with service sector workers.
• Spanish fluency is a plus but not required.

SSWEF is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the communities we serve.

Salary is at least $100,000/year commensurate with experience. The position will offer benefits including fully covered medical, dental and vision insurance for individual and family; 401(K); and paid time off.