Reports to: Political Director
Type: Full-time, Exempt
Compensation: $80,000 to $100,000 per year based on experience, plus benefits including healthcare, flexible PTO, and access to a retirement plan.
Position Overview
The Deputy Director of Distributed Organizing is responsible for direct management, coaching, and accountability of remote organizers operating across the country, including in states where we lack a physical staff presence. The deputy director translates national campaign priorities into clear workplans, drives member recruitment of veterans and military family members, and ensures organizers execute at a high level within the terms of our collective bargaining agreement. Working within the Political department, this position designs and executes a high-leverage distributed model across the full range of states outside our core staff concentrations, most of which have no dedicated staff presence, and some of which have a single organizer responsible for multiple states. In this context, organizing at scale requires more than a staff person: it requires systems, training and educating volunteer leaders, and a methodology that doesn't depend on proximity.
As a supervisor, the Deputy Director of Distributed Organizing will be responsible for codifying, refining, and institutionalizing our distributed organizing methodology. We need someone who can take what we've built, identify what's working and what isn't, write the operational playbook, and lead from the front while training the people around them to execute it.
What We're Looking For
You’ve run or directly supervised member recruitment campaigns, converting initial contacts into members committed to action through structured outreach, 1-1s, and follow-up. You understand the difference between building a list and building a member base, and you’ve done the latter. You bring outside expertise and proven instincts, and then you do the hard work of translating those into something that lives in the organization after you. You can help build organizing power in places where you can't always be present, with volunteers who are new to organizing, through a combination of digital recruitment, rigorous leadership development, and remote coaching. You know how to identify the right platforms to recruit at scale, how to run a virtual 1-1 that actually builds relationships, and how to turn a group chat into an organizing committee. You understand the difference between mobilizing people and developing them, and you know why it matters.
And you can develop other people to do it. Directly supervising organizers, executing distributed programs, and giving them real coaching and accountability is central to this job.
Key Responsibilities
1. Distributed Organizing Strategy, Program Design, and Methodology
- Design and lead Common Defense's distributed organizing program across the country, in most places with no dedicated staff presence, some with a single organizer covering multiple states, directing the work of unionized remote organizers who are the primary staff presence in those states.
- Develop a member recruitment model appropriate to Common Defense's context: recruiting veterans and military family members, at scale, using digital outreach, relational organizing, and structured follow-up..
- Assess and refine existing distributed organizing practices: identify what's working, what isn't, evaluate digital platforms, tools, and outreach channels, and build out the operational playbook that makes our approach to recruiting and activating members at scale consistent, replicable, and trainable.
- Work with the leadership team to set program-level objectives and key results (OKRs) and translate them into clear staff and volunteer workplans.
- Direct organizers to execute issue advocacy, electoral, and voter registration campaigns in priority states and districts, aligned with Political department OKRs and legislative and electoral calendars.
2. Staff Supervision and Volunteer Leadership Development
- Directly supervise unionized remote organizers executing distributed programs, providing regular 1-1 coaching, performance accountability, and professional development, and doing so in compliance with the terms of a collective bargaining agreement.
- Understand and apply CBA provisions governing scheduling, workload, performance management, and progressive discipline; partner with HR and senior leadership when labor relations issues arise.
- Recruit, identify, and develop volunteer leaders capable of running local organizing activity independently — hosting events, conducting 1-1s, and building local networks.
- Build and support distributed organizing committees in priority states and districts, using virtual coaching, group trainings, and structured leadership development pathways.
- Design and lead regular virtual trainings, cohort calls, and skill-building sessions for staff and volunteer leaders.
- Maintain a clear engagement ladder from initial contact to core leadership, ensuring volunteers and staff have defined roles and development paths.
3. Member Recruitment and Retention
- Direct organizers to execute structured member recruitment campaigns targeting veterans and military family members, using digital outreach, peer-to-peer contact, event-based recruitment, and follow-up systems.
- Set and track member recruitment targets as part of program OKRs; hold organizers accountable to conversion metrics, not just activity.
- Develop recruitment scripts, onboarding sequences, and member orientation processes to convert initial contacts into engaged members.
- Work with the Comms and Data teams to track recruitment pipelines, identify drop-off points, and improve conversion rates over time.
4. Digital Infrastructure and Platform Management
- Identify, implement, and manage the digital tools and platforms that power distributed organizing at scale — including but not limited to Action Builder, Mobilize, peer-to-peer texting, and social organizing tools.
- Work with the Data team to build targeting, tracking, and reporting systems for the distributed program.
- Develop and maintain documentation, training materials, and onboarding processes for volunteer leaders and any future staff.
5. Cross-Departmental Collaboration and Campaign Integration
- Collaborate with other departments to align distributed program activity with national campaign priorities, legislative moments, and electoral opportunities.
- Ensure distributed organizing activity is accountable to program-level OKRs covering member recruitment, issue campaigns, electoral activity, and voter registration, in line with organizational OKRs.
- Serve as the Political department's lead on distributed capacity, advising on where and how grassroots power can be built without deployed staff.
6. Compliance
- Ensure all organizing activity complies with Common Defense's multi-entity structure — understanding which activities are appropriate to the c3, c4, and PAC — and that volunteers are properly oriented to those distinctions.
- Ensure voter registration activities comply with applicable federal and state law, including nonpartisan standards applicable to Common Defense’s c3 entity.
- Work with legal and compliance teams as needed to maintain appropriate protocols for member organizing, data use, and volunteer activity across entities.
- Operate within the terms of Common Defense’s collective bargaining agreement in all supervisory actions; escalate labor relations questions to HR and senior leadership as appropriate.
Qualifications
Required
- At least five years of experience in grassroots organizing, with a significant portion of that time in distributed or chapter-based models, including direct supervision of remote staff organizers, preferably in a unionized workplace.
- Demonstrated track record of managing remote organizers to deliver results: member recruitment, issue campaign activity, and/or electoral and voter registration programs executed at scale.
- Experience with member recruitment: converting outreach contacts into committed members through structured campaigns, with accountability to conversion metrics.
- Fluency in the digital platforms and tools used in distributed organizing (e.g., Action Builder, Mobilize, Every Action, peer-to-peer texting tools, social-to-organizing conversion funnels).
- Strong grounding in relational organizing methodology — 1-1s, leadership identification, engagement ladders, and leadership development through action.
- Proven ability to manage remote programs, set and track OKRs, and hold staff accountable through direct supervision, coaching, and performance management.
- Excellent communication and facilitation skills, especially in virtual settings.
Preferred
- Experience in movement organizations operating a distributed chapter or hub model.
- Experience supervising staff in a unionized workplace, including navigating progressive discipline and CBA-compliant performance management.
- Experience running or overseeing voter registration campaigns, including familiarity with state-specific rules and federal compliance requirements.
- Military experience or a working familiarity with veteran communities and culture.
- Experience working within a c3/c4/PAC multi-entity structure and understanding of compliance distinctions.
- Familiarity with VAN/Votebuilder or other voter file tools.
- Experience designing volunteer training curricula and leadership development programs.
- Bilingual or multilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.
About Us
At Common Defense, we believe veterans and the military community are a powerful source of grassroots energy that can drive transformational change. Guided by our commitment to service, sacrifice, and equality, we're fighting to make America a place where liberty and justice truly exist for all people.
We are not your average "veterans organization." We are a multiracial, multigenerational grassroots movement doing real organizing to win change for our country and our communities. From expanding voting access to ending forever wars to building a clean energy workforce, we're fighting for bold solutions that protect working families and preserve our rights. Together, we're proving that the same commitment we brought to our military service can transform the future of our nation.
Our Team & Culture
We are a results-driven organization where strategy, collaboration, and impact go hand in hand with equity, inclusion, and a deep sense of collective responsibility. We believe that when we invest in our people, we strengthen our ability to win big fights. We take care of each other, celebrate victories big and small, and make space for everyone to grow.
If you're ready to bring your skills to an ambitious, growing movement, we'd love to have you on our team.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
Common Defense is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the values we fight for every day. We are an equal-opportunity employer and strongly encourage women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities to apply.
As a majority-veteran organization, we strongly encourage veterans and military family members to apply. We recognize the unique perspectives and experiences that come from military service and believe they are critical to our work. However, we also welcome applicants from all backgrounds who are passionate about our mission, regardless of prior military experience.
Pay: $80,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 403(b)
- Dental insurance
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply
Application Question(s):
- Are you a US veteran or military family member?
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Washington, DC 20585
