UniServ Coordinator / Field Organizer

Tennessee Education Association

UniServ Coordinator / Field Organizer

For serving District 8 in Tennessee
(Cumberland, Fentress, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Pickett, Roane
and Scott counties and includes Lenoir City, and Oneida)

TEA is seeking applicants for the position of UniServ Coordinator/Field Organizer in UniServ District 8. District 8 consists of Cumberland, Fentress, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Pickett, Roane and Scott counties and includes Lenoir City, and Oneida. The primary responsibility of the applicant filling this position will be to engage in substantive work to build stronger, effective local associations by increasing membership and member engagement while facilitating a culture of organizing. The UniServ coordinates, assists, supports and advises local leadership with the implementation of the programs and activities of the local, state and national associations within the UniServ district. This specifically includes, but is not limited to, providing training, consultation, and resources with respect to:

1. TEA/NEA programs
2. Membership recruitment, retention and engagement programs
3. Collective action/organizing
4. Professional Educator Collaborative Conferencing (PECCA)
5. Communications, professional growth, advocacy, research, legislative and political activities
6. Building local association capacity and leadership development
7. Governance and service structures 

UniServ staff work as a team and interdependently to build their capacity in problem solving, member advocacy, and collective action. 

A bachelor’s degree is required (master’s degree is preferred). The coordinator will be required to reside in or near the District 8 area and must have a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation. The coordinator must be able and willing to travel to assigned areas, work long irregular hours in and across the district to organize and carry out diverse job functions of a UniServ Coordinator/Field Organizer.

Preference will be given to applicants who have public school teaching experience, demonstrated creativity and skill in organizing local affiliates in diverse areas, understanding teacher evaluation systems, direct experience in the development and recommendation of local organizational positions impacted by local/state educational policies, knowledge of the collaborative conferencing process and thorough understanding of Association structures and governance.

To Apply:
Those wishing to apply may do so by submitting an application and résumé to Executive Director, Terrance J. Gibson, by emailing Jessica Holmes at View email address on unionjobs.com . Applications may be found online at and submitted to the attention of Jessica Holmes at View email address on unionjobs.com . 

Questions about the application process may be sent to Jessica Holmes via the email address above or the applicant can call TEA and ask for Jessica Holmes at View phone number on unionjobs.com.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES
It is the primary responsibility of a UniServ Coordinator/Field Organizer to build stronger, effective local associations by increasing membership and member engagement while facilitating a culture of organizing.

The UniServ coordinates, assists, supports and advises local leadership with the implementation of the programs and activities of the local, state and national associations within the UniServ district. This specifically includes, but is not limited to, providing training, consultation, and resources with respect to:

1. TEA/NEA programs
2. Membership recruitment, retention and engagement programs
3. Collective action/organizing
4. Professional Educator Collaborative Conferencing (PECCA)
5. Communications, professional growth, advocacy, research, legislative and political activities
6. Building local association capacity and leadership development
7. Governance and service structures

The UniServ Coordinator/Field Organizer also has the responsibility to:

1. Build and maintain relationships with local association leaders, members, potential members, school district officials and appropriate community leaders
2. Build collaborative relationships with fellow members of the TEA team
3. Respond to local leaders’ needs and help them build the organizational capacity to meet other members’ needs
4. Represent TEA in a positive manner and make its views visible to members by attending local association meetings, school district meetings and consistently visiting worksites
5. Develop and support advocacy skills for local associations and members
6. Provide for effective representation of members in all employee-employer relationships, including counseling with members, representation, and grievance processing
7. Demonstrate professional courtesy and a team-building attitude when working with other TEA staff, including associate staff, professional staff, and management
8. Professionally and positively represent the mission, goals, statements, and practices of the Tennessee Education Association
9. Attend local, state, regional or national meetings as approved or requested by management
10. Develop and maintain up-to-date compilation of the essential demographics of assigned local(s) i.e., membership rosters, local dues, governing documents, etc.
11. Keep abreast of and use data and technology
12. Perform such other duties as may be assigned by management, Executive Director, or his/her designee

The following goals and objectives are to assist in carrying out TEA’s Mission, Vision, Goals and Values in addition to the duties outlined in the UniServ Coordinator job description.

1. Organizing
   • Staff are competent, confident, assertive agents of change who are:
     • fluent in all aspects of relevant laws and policies
     • familiar with power structure in the UniServ District
     • actively engaged in building community coalitions which support association goals
     • acutely aware of racial and social justice, political and education- related events, trends, and conflicts in their districts
     • recognized as a leader for the association in the district
   • Staff causes significant and positive change in the school district by:
     • regularly visiting schools
     • regularly attending school board and local association meetings
     • building active, reliable AR networks in each local through distributive leadership principle
     • improving salary and working conditions through the PECCA process in each local
     • identifying issues and organizing around them on the local level
     • using technology and data to organize members and potential members
2. Maintaining and Increasing Membership Staff are strategic planners who:
   • conduct officer, AR, and other trainings in all locals
   • design local membership promotional materials, as needed
   • distribute local, state, and national promotional materials to all locals
   • develop a system to ensure membership materials are distributed to members
   • secure updated personnel actions (new hire lists, retiree lists and updated employee lists) from central offices
   • plan and conduct activities for new employees in each local
   • meet with local officers, membership chairpersons, association representatives and member organizers in each local to plan and implement membership drives
   • publish back-to-school edition of membership newsletters in all locals for distribution in August/September
   • recruit at all system-wide meetings (professional development, in- service, etc.)
   • aggressively pursue year-round membership recruitment and retention

WHEN APPLYING: Be sure to indicate that you saw this information at .