Arena Careers

About the Texas Organizing Project (TOP): Founded in 2009, TOP is the leading statewide organizing group in Texas, advancing racial and economic justice through community and electoral organizing. Our programs are anchored in the three largest metro regions of the state: Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. TOP has a base of more than 300,000 members and supporters who reflect Texas’ growing population of Black and Latino families. Through on the ground organizing, grassroots leadership training, direct action, policy advocacy and electoral engagement, TOP has made substantial gains in policy solutions and public investments in neighborhood infrastructure, family-sustaining jobs, affordable housing, community schools, health access and immigrant rights that have improved the lives of our communities. TOP also runs the largest independent grassroots electoral field operation in the state, engaging hundreds of thousands of voters of color each election cycle.

Rooted in TOP’s theory of change — fighting with PEOPLE POWER and POLITICAL POWER to transform our relationship to democracy — TOP’s Right2Justice (R2J) campaign sees legal reform as an essential issue in connecting with and delivering material outcomes for Black and Latino Texans. R2J has historically been our most impactful campaign–blending everyday organizing with electoral organizing to win policy reforms our people can feel. Legal reform is also at the epicenter of so many of our other fights: access to housing, access to good dignified jobs, and immigration specifically. Central to how we see puzzling the task of reshaping how our democracy works, so that it delivers for the people who built it, dared it to be better and pour in blood, sweat and tears–is being able to see the humanity in us all. So often the stories of Black and Latino Texans are squished into stats that leave us one dimensional and that deny our humanity. Both TOP members and staff come to this work with vast experiences–triumphant and tragic–and our goal is to build solidarity across differences so that we can organize towards the future of our dreams. In order to do this, restoration of our humanity is key. The Restorative Justice Coordinator’s role is two-prong: 1) manage the issue-based organizing work of the Right2Justice campaign and 2) operationalize restorative justice practices across the organization–from members to staff, from policy to implementation; from internal to external.

Areas of Responsibility for Restorative Justice Coordinator:

Statewide Policy Leadership (External Focus – 50%):

● Lead and support policy strategy development for decarceration, reentry, and prosecutor accountability across TOP’s geographical turf (Dallas, Bexar, Harris, Tarrant and Ft. Bend counties)
● Develop policy briefs, talking points, and educational materials rooted in community experience and academic research
● Collaborate with coalition partners, directly impacted leaders, and policy staff on legislative tracking, testimony prep, and lobbying
● Prepare members to serve as spokespersons for TOP on justice issues at the state and local levels

Restorative Justice (Internal Focus – 30%):

● Design and facilitate restorative and transformative justice processes in response to internal staff or member conflicts
● Provide training, coaching, and consultation to staff and member-leaders on conflict resolution, circle processes, and healing-centered practices
● Collaborate with HR and leadership to integrate restorative approaches into organizational systems, including onboarding, discipline, and team care

Organizational Development & Special Projects (20%):

● Support healing justice projects that align with TOP’s values and deepen ties to movement-based and reentry communities
● Design public forums, roundtables, or healing spaces (e.g., Probation work in Bexar) that elevate directly impacted voices
● Serve as a resource for curriculum and pedagogy on racial justice, trauma-informed organizing, and systems change

Other Responsibilities:

● Directly manage staff – check in and approve work plans, manage overall performance, conduct performance reviews, troubleshoot and perform other administrative tasks
● Assistance with statewide bailouts on an as needed basis
● Participation in electoral organizing during election season as needed, including canvassing/door-knocking, and phone banking.
● Participation in community organizing inflection moments that might require rapid response bread-and-butter organizing tactics like canvassing/door-knocking, phonebanking, etc.
● Track and input data into EveryAction database

Qualifications:

● Commitment to economic and racial justice, and commitment to build a Pro-Black organization that fights to dismantle racial capitalism
● At least eight years of experience in community organizing, legal reform, or public policy
● Exceptional management and coaching skills
● Ability to partner and collaborate with the existing organizing team, as well as local, regional, and national partners and/or other stakeholders
● Self driven individual with the ability to work well in a fast-paced environment and able to multitask without sacrificing quality
● Reliable, consistent, trustworthy, detail-oriented, and self-motivated
● Ability to drive culture among staff that embodies the values of the organization: visionary, solidarity, and regeneration
● Demonstrated experience facilitating restorative justice or healing-centered processes
● Academic and/or practitioner background in legal reform, policy, or social work preferred
● Expert writing and communication skills
● Commitment to working with directly impacted leaders to insure their integral role in decision-making around the campaign work
● Flexibility to travel as needed
● Full time access to an insured vehicle and valid driver’s license
● Able to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics with care, neutrality, and accountability

*This position reports directly to the Organizing Director.

**TOP is an equal opportunity employer.

***This position supervises positions that are within a bargaining unit that is represented by a union.

****Salary: $95,000–$110,000. Benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, vision, 401(k), FSA, paid holidays including a summer break and a weeklong period of rejuvenation at the end of each calendar year, personal leave, parental leave, sick leave, and travel reimbursement.

TO APPLY: Please email a resume, cover letter, and three professional references (including at least one manager) to [email protected].