Foster Care Workers Branch Organiser

We are excited to be hiring an Organiser to join the IWGB’s Foster Care Workers Branch. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with knowledge or experience of collective organising to join our grassroots union.

Who we are

The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) is a bold and dynamic union which consists of mainly low paid, migrant and/or precarious workers, such as outsourced cleaners and security guards, workers in the so-called “gig economy”, such as cycling instructors and Uber drivers, and foster care workers.

The role

The role is for 21 hours per week and is initially fixed term for 6 months with the possibility of extension. Hours can be worked flexibly, M-F and this role can be remote and applicants are welcome from anywhere in Britain. London based workers would be expected to work part-time from our office based in our Bethnal Green. In all cases, the role will involve regular travel to support members organising in Scotland, the north of England and London, and to our London office.

We are open to discussing a mutually beneficial working pattern with the right candidate.

Duties will include:

• To recruit members and build collective organisation in priority local authority areas, e.g. through finding carers interested in organising, meeting up with them for coffees, supporting the formation of organising teams, etc.
• To support active members to campaign for improved pay, conditions & rights for foster carers.
• To support active members to develop skills and leadership roles in their local area and in the branch.
• To work closely with elected branch officials and support them to carry out their roles and relevant projects, such as casework, member recruitment, parliamentary lobbying.
• To support the development and organisation of branch teams and working groups.
• To produce communications to members and the public where relevant to organising activity or where required to fill in for support.
• To assist with casework and member support where relevant to organising activity or where required to fill in for support.
• To help develop administrative systems which ensure the smooth running of the branch, and provide some administrative support to the branch where relevant to organising activity or where required to fill in for support.
• To record, keep secure and make use of data for organising purposes.
• To organise members of the branch to take part in union activities such as demonstrations and other initiatives.
• Any other duties consistent with the post.
  

Person specification

We are interested in receiving applications from individuals with a passion and commitment for social justice, the trade union movement and human rights. Even if you do not meet all the criteria below, we are happy to consider transferable skills and experience which individuals could bring to the role.

Essential

We expect the successful candidate to have:

• Ability to develop and implement workplace organising and campaigning strategies and plans.
• Effective communication, conflict resolution and interpersonal skills.
• Self-motivation, perseverance, and ability to prioritise and make decisions with and without guidance.
• A willingness to undertake training and build experience and understanding of the Foster Care sector and common issues facing foster carers.
• Ability to keep boundaries and look after yourself and those you are organising with, when doing stressful work.
• Commitment to the underlying principles of the union movement, social justice and anti-oppression, and workplace democracy.

Desirable

It would be advantageous for the successful candidate to have:

• Knowledge or experience of the foster care system
• Experience of organising your own workplace or supporting others to do so.
• Experience of organising collective action and campaigns.
• Experience of supporting others to take on leadership roles, and supporting people and groups to make plans together and organise around shared concerns.
• Good meeting facilitation skills.
• A basic knowledge of employment law and workers rights.
• Experience of lobbying elected officials and/or political campaigning.
• Experience using social media for professional purposes.
  

Pay and annual leave

• Annual salary of £32,396 (pro rata £19,438 for 21 hours per week ) salary will be adjusted in line with any London Living Wage uplifts
• Generous leave entitlement of 30 days annual leave per year not including bank holidays (prorated for part time staff)
• We believe in pay parity so everyone at IWGB earns the same hourly rate of pay

Benefits

• Flexibility around working patterns and hours
• Day 1 access to our Employee Assistance Programme, including mental health, wellbeing and counselling support.
• Hybrid working options (dependant on position)
• High employer pension contributions: 6% employee-paid and 13% employer-paid pension
• Equal maternity and paternity pay enhancements for parents

How to apply:

You can download an application form from the ‘Work with us’ page of our website. Please send your completed application form with the subject “Organiser FCWB job application” to applications@iwgb.co.uk by 9am, Monday 28 September.  Please let us know in your email where you have seen our advertisement so we can improve our hiring processes.

Who is the IWGB?

Founded in August of 2012, the IWGB now consists of 12 branches. The branches are highly autonomous and lead on campaigning for better pay and conditions in their industry. IWGB campaigns are known for being bold, vibrant, loud and effective. In addition to campaigning, the IWGB’s Legal department is also highly active, providing representation on a range of employment matters such as disciplinary processes, grievances, private hire licensing, and employment tribunals. The IWGB organises social events for members, Spanish and English classes, and holds regular meetings where members can engage and feed into policy. We are a democratic organisation with all officials being regularly elected.

As an organisation that fights for workers’ rights, we strongly believe no applicant or employee should face discrimination or harassment based on their gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, age, or marital/domestic partner status. You can read more in the IWGB Statement of Inclusivity. Please let us know if you have any requirements for interview.

Above all, we’re looking for someone with empathy and the determination to support workers who fight for better conditions.

The interview process:

We like to be open and up front with what our hiring process looks like so people know what to expect. Please see below the typical steps in our recruitment process.

Review candidates

Once the advertisement has been taken down, a shortlist of candidates will be selected by the hiring committee to proceed to the next steps. Only those selected for interview will be contacted.

Remote interviews

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed via Zoom by a panel of IWGB elected officials and/or staff. Candidates will be interviewed by the same panel to ensure consistency. Please make us aware in advance of any reasonable adjustments you may require to engage as fully as possible in the interview process.

Following these interviews, it is possible that there will be a second stage of interviews.

Offer stage

The hiring committee will convene with the goal of selecting and making an offer to one of the candidates.