Friday, August 17, 2007

Elder Economic Security Initiative™ Field Organizer Position

Elder Economic Security Initiative™ Field Organizer

Overview:

Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) is a 43 year-old women’s employment organization that works nationally and in its home community of Washington, D.C. to achieve economic independence and equality of opportunity for women and girls at all stages of life. Recently, WOW has launched the national Elder Economic Security Initiative™ program, a conceptual framework that includes concrete tools to shape public policies and programs to promote the economic well being of older adults, whether or not they have the capacity to be fully self-reliant or are in need of certain public supports to age in place with dignity. The Elder Economic Security Initiative™ (EESI™) program combines coalition building, research, education, and advocacy at the community, state, and national level. WOW will partner with 20 states over the next five years to implement the EESI™ program on the national, state, and local level.

Undergirding the EESI™ program is the WOW-GI National Elder Economic Security Standard™ index developed by the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMASS) and WOW. The Elder Economic Security Standard™ (Elder Standard™) index is a new measure of the income that older adults require to maintain their independence in the community and meet their daily costs of living, including affordable and appropriate housing and health care. The Elder Standard™ index is calibrated to household size, geographic area, and life circumstances. The development and use of state specific Elder Standard™ indexes promote a measure of income that respects the autonomy goals of older adults, rather than a measure of what we all struggle to avoid – abject poverty.

EESI™ Field Organizer Role:

The EESI™ Field Organizer will provide support to the EESI™ program staff and EESI™ state partners around the country on national and state policy and advocacy initiatives.

Reporting:

The EESI™ Field Organizer is an employee of Wider Opportunities for Women and reports to the EESI™ Director. The EESI™ Field Organizer will be a member of the EESI ™ team and the National Programs and Policy team at WOW.

Specific Responsibilities include:

Identifying and building relationships with new state-level organizations to develop and implement the EESI™ program, including the development of a statewide EESI™ policy agenda which complements the national agenda and the Elder Standard™ index;
Providing technical assistance both on-site, via the internet and by telephone to State Lead Organizations and statewide coalition members related to developing, releasing and institutionalizing the statewide EESI™ policy agenda and the Elder Standard™ index;
Determine effective mechanisms to compile materials documenting State Lead Organization and statewide coalition members experiences with the implementation of a statewide EESI™ policy agenda and the Elder Standard™ index;
Maintaining ongoing contact with the State Lead Organization and statewide coalition members to provide content for WOW’s website and the EESI™ newsletter;
Developing and implementing training materials for the field;
Facilitating meetings of State Lead Organizations and statewide coalition members;
Conducting regular evaluations and surveys of the State Lead Organization and statewide coalition members’ capacity to launch and maintain the EESI™ program in the state;
Creating templates for educational and outreach materials and communication pieces
Participating in EESI™ program team meetings and activities;
Participating in WOW National Program and Policy team meetings and activities;
Contributing to the development of WOW’s intergenerational public policy agenda; and
Other duties within the EESI™ program and, where applicable, overall national programs as needed.

Qualifications:

The EESI™ Field Organizer should be committed to the issues of guaranteeing economic security for women in their retirement years and should feel comfortable working with a diverse group of professionals.

Additional qualifications include:

Undergraduate degree;
Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
Ability to work independently;
Familiarity with public policies affecting the aging population and low-income women (preferred);
Strong training/facilitation/interpersonal skills;
Previous experience as organizer or field worker (preferred);
The ability to communicate complex information clearly in writing and in oral presentations to a range of audiences;
A willingness to travel;
Experience in and sensitivity to working in multicultural settings;
Organizational skills; and
Computer skills (Microsoft Office, including Excel and Publisher).

WOW offers excellent benefits. Compensation for this position will be in the mid $30,000s depending upon the qualifications of the successful candidate. Qualified applicants for this position should send a cover letter and resume by September 15, 2007 by mail to Vivian Staples at WOW at 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 930, Washington, DC 20036, by fax to (202) 464-1660 or by email to vstaples@wowonline.org. Only applications with a cover letter will be accepted.

WOW is an equal opportunity employer. Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply.

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