Feed Black Futures is a Black, queer-led organization committed to food justice, sovereignty, and healing within our communities. We strengthen Black food economies, cultivate ecosystems for resilience, and address the historical and ongoing harms of carceral violence, land dispossession, and extractive food systems.

Grounded in abolition, self-determination, and collective governance, we build community power toward a future in which Black communities have the resources, relationships, land, and infrastructure necessary to determine how food is grown, shared, governed, and sustained. Our work moves between meeting immediate community needs and building the conditions for long-term food and land sovereignty.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Communications Strategy & Planning

• Develop and manage FBF's annual communications strategy in alignment with organizational priorities, programs, fundraising goals, and campaigns.

• Build and maintain annual and quarterly communications calendars, identifying key campaigns, stories, events, seasonal moments, and opportunities for public engagement.

• Proactively identify communications opportunities and needs across programs, development, partnerships, organizing, and organizational initiatives.

• Develop communications plans for major campaigns, events, program launches, reports, and organizational announcements.

• Establish workflows and systems that allow staff to effectively request, plan, review, and produce communications materials.

• Track communications goals and performance and use insights to strengthen future strategy.

Narrative Strategy & Storytelling

• Steward FBF's voice and narrative across communications channels.

• Translate complex ideas related to food sovereignty, land liberation, abolition, collective governance, agroecology, and solidarity economies into accessible and compelling communications.

• Identify and develop stories that demonstrate FBF's impact while honoring the dignity, agency, and expertise of community members and partners.

• Collaborate with staff, members, farmers, community partners, and leadership to gather stories, interviews, testimonials, photographs, and other narrative materials.

• Maintain strong ethical practices around confidentiality, storytelling, consent, representation, attribution, and community data.

Content Development & Editorial Management

• Lead the creation, editing, and publication of organizational communications, including newsletters, social media, website content, event materials, reports, video projects, graphic design, campaign materials, and donor/funder-facing communications.

• Develop content from initial concept through final publication, coordinating review and approval when needed.

• Manage FBF's library of communications assets, including photographs, videos, graphics, templates, messaging, and organizational language.

Digital Communications & Social Media

• Manage FBF's digital communications presence across Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mailchimp, Facebook, the FBF website, and emerging platforms as appropriate.

• Develop and execute social media strategies that balance organizational storytelling, political education, program visibility, community engagement, and movement amplification.

• Create and oversee original digital content, including graphics, written content, short-form video, campaigns, and multimedia storytelling.

• Identify and implement tools and practices that make digital communications more effective and sustainable.

Publications & Impact Communications

• Project manage the development of FBF's Annual Impact Report and other major organizational publications.

• Work with staff and leadership to translate organizational impact into clear and compelling narratives.

• Publication research and submissions.

Merchandise

• Co-lead the redesign of FBF’s merchandise including identifying local artists to support with the project.

• Ensure stock of FBF merchandise is sufficient for the organization's needs and proactively place orders when necessary.

Media & External Communications

• Support the development of FBF's media and public relations strategy.

• Maintain organizational bios, background materials, talking points, press materials, and other external communications resources.

• Identify relevant media, podcast, speaking, and storytelling opportunities in collaboration with organizational leadership.

• Coordinate incoming communications and media requests and support staff in preparing for interviews and public appearances.

• Build and maintain relationships with aligned media makers, storytellers, cultural workers, and communications partners.

Cross-Team Collaboration & Project Management

• Serve as the primary communications partner for staff across programs, development, operations, and leadership.

• Coordinate contractors, photographers, videographers, designers, printers, or other communications vendors as needed.

• Supervise communications the Communications Coordinator and possibly interns, fellows, or contractors as the communications function grows.

• Maintain and periodically update FBF's internal and public-facing resource materials.

• General event support and communications for events.

• Coalition representation and participation as requested.

Skills & Qualifications

We recognize that strong candidates may bring different combinations of professional, movement, community, and lived experience. We encourage applicants who meet many, but not necessarily all, of the following qualifications:

• 4+ years of communications, storytelling, marketing, journalism, digital media, or related experience, ideally within a social justice, movement-building, nonprofit, or community-based context.

• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing communications strategies and campaigns.

• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills, with the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly across different audiences and formats.

• Strong understanding of narrative strategy and the relationship between communications, culture, organizing, and systems change.

• Demonstrated project management skills and ability to independently move projects from concept through completion.

• Experience managing editorial calendars and multiple communications channels.

• Strong working knowledge of platforms such as Instagram, FaceBook, Squarespace, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mailchimp, Canva, Adobe, Google Workspace, and website content management systems.

• Experience creating visually compelling communications materials and working within an established brand.

• Ability to interpret communications analytics and use them to inform strategy.

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate across roles, programs, and levels of an organization.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities, anticipate needs, take initiative, and meet deadlines with limited supervision.

• Demonstrated commitment to racial, economic, food, and land justice.

• Understanding of, or willingness to engage deeply with, food sovereignty, abolition, collective governance, solidarity economies, and Black liberation.

• Experience working with Black communities, grassroots organizations, movement organizations, or community-led initiatives strongly preferred.

WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Someone who:

• Thinks strategically while also enjoying the craft of making things.

• Can take a broad idea or organizational priority and determine what needs to be communicated, to whom, through which channels, and when.

• Is a thoughtful and curious storyteller who understands that community members are protagonists in their own stories rather than subjects of organizational storytelling.

• Has strong political instincts and is comfortable engaging ideas that do not always fit neatly into traditional nonprofit messaging.

• Can distinguish between what is urgent and what is important and build systems that reduce reactive communications.

• Is comfortable offering recommendations, making decisions within their scope, and taking ownership of projects.

• Values collaboration without requiring constant direction.

• Approaches communications with care, rigor, experimentation, and imagination.

Role Overview

• Role location: Hybrid; Oakland, CA. Regular in-person work and participation in community events required

• Reports to: Co-Executive Director 

• Compensation: $85,000-$85,000 DOE

• Status: Full-time, non-expempt

• Benefits: Medical and more

Applying
Please submit your resume and 3–4 relevant work samples demonstrating your communications experience. Samples may include social media campaigns, newsletters, reports, articles, graphic design, digital campaigns, videos, messaging frameworks, or other communications materials.

Please include a brief response describing your approach to storytelling and communications and your vision for Feed Black Futures brand and communications strategy.

Send application materials to communications@feedblackfutures.org with the subject line “S&C Manager Application.”

Our interview process will consist of 2-3 interviews. After the first interview, we will offer $75 for each additional interview. We may ask applicants to participate in take-home work exercises to prepare for interviews which will be included in the compensation.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Feed Black Futures is a Black, queer-led organization committed to food justice, sovereignty, and healing within our communities. We strengthen Black food economies, cultivate ecosystems for resilience, and address the historical and ongoing harms of carceral violence, land dispossession, and extractive food systems.

Grounded in abolition, self-determination, and collective governance, we build community power toward a future in which Black communities have the resources, relationships, land, and infrastructure necessary to determine how food is grown, shared, governed, and sustained. Our work moves between meeting immediate community needs and building the conditions for long-term food and land sovereignty.

Job Description

The Program Director (Organizing & Community Engagement) will lead the development, implementation, and growth of FBF’s organizing, basebuilding, and membership strategies. This role will build the infrastructure required to develop a strong and politically aligned membership base and will steward the Leadership Council that guides our community-centered strategy.

In this role, the Program Director will directly implement membership recruitment and engagement efforts until junior organizing staff are hired. They will cultivate relationships across the food sovereignty ecosystem, represent FBF in key coalitions, and ensure that our political strategy is aligned with our organizational values of abolition, shared power, and ecological resilience.

This position is both strategic and hands-on- requiring leadership in designing long-term organizing strategy while also facilitating community engagement, events, and basebuilding day-to-day.

The Program Director works closely with the Co-Executive Directors and program staff to ensure strong political alignment, robust membership development, and a healthy culture of collective action

Core Responsibilities

Organizing Strategy, Basebuilding & Membership Development

• Implement all membership recruitment efforts until junior organizers are hired, including direct outreach to farmers, community members, market vendors, policy partners, and religious entities

• Conduct regular basebuilding to achieve targeted recruitment goals and advance our strategic goals

• Build and operationalize systems for membership engagement, including meeting attendance, leadership development pathways, and mobilization to actions and events.

• Support the development, facilitation, and logistics of membership meetings, Leadership Council gatherings, community events, and political education sessions.

• Create systems for data collection and maintenance; ensure timely and accurate data entry into membership databases.

• Oversee and refine engagement structures that move members into deeper leadership over time.

Political Strategy & Coalition Leadership

• Lead the process for identifying campaigns, establishing political priorities, and shaping strategy alongside the Co-Executive Directors and member leaders.

• Represent FBF in coalitions including HEAL Food Alliance, National Black Food and Justice Alliance, and Climate Justice Alliance.

• Strengthen relationships with local, regional, and statewide partners including farmers, community-based organizations, and municipal and state actors.

• Support FBF participation in aligned movements across the solidarity economy, food sovereignty, and racial justice ecosystems.

• Support documentation of FBF’s movement contributions and community impact.

Program Leadership & Organizational Strategy

• Partner with the Co-Executive Directors to build annual and multi-year organizing plans.

• Develop metrics, tracking systems, and evaluation processes to measure basebuilding and leadership development goals.

• Ensure organizing work aligns with FBF’s broader strategic vision and abolitionist values.

• Support grant writing, reporting, and program communications related to organizing and community engagement.

Staff Management & Development

• Supervise up to 4 staff, including community engagement staff and an administrative coordinator.

• Develop staff capacity through ongoing training in political education, basebuilding, leadership development, canvassing, and facilitation.

• Support leaders to create strong, values-aligned committee structures that grow membership and deepen member engagement.

Desired Skills & Experience

• Minimum 5 years experience in community organizing, basebuilding, or movement-oriented program leadership.

• Commitment knowledge of  abolition, food justice, Black liberation, and Just Transition.

• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing political strategy or issue-based campaigns.

• Strong facilitation skills, with experience working across diverse Black, BIPOC, queer, and frontline communities.

• Experience supervising organizers or program staff.

• Ability to design systems for membership engagement, data tracking, and leadership development.

• Strong relationship-building skills across grassroots and institutional partners.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Highly organized; able to manage multiple priorities and timelines.

• Familiarity with digital organizing tools, membership databases, and project management platforms.

Role Details

Location: Hybrid, flexible; Three days a week in person preferred, Oakland, CA.  Reports to: Co-Executive Director
Hours: 40 hours/week; within M–F, 9am–5pm
Compensation: $95,000–$115,000 depending on experience and confirmed funding
Status: Full-time, exempt
Timeline: Initial six-month mutual fit review period; two-year funding commitment with strong potential for extension. Benefits: Medical and more.

Applying
Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter (no more than 2 pages total) addressing the following:

• Describe your approach to organizing and basebuilding. How do you build relationships with community members and support people in moving from initial engagement into deeper participation and leadership?

• What does values-aligned political strategy look like to you, particularly in organizations working toward Black liberation, food sovereignty, and abolition? Please use Just Transition language to establish a common framework and reference any organizing models you have learned from or that you regularly refer to.

• Briefly describe an organizing campaign, membership program, coalition, or community engagement effort you have helped lead. What was your role, what did you learn, and what impact did the work have?

You may also include 1–2 relevant work samples that demonstrate your experience with organizing, political education, facilitation, campaign strategy, membership development, program design, or coalition work. Work samples are optional and may include campaign plans, facilitation guides, political education materials, organizing tools, program frameworks, reports, or other relevant materials. Please remove or redact confidential or identifying community information as needed.

Send application materials to info@feedblackfutures.org with the subject line “PD Application.”

Our interview process will consist of 3-4 interviews. After the first interview, candidates will receive $75 for each additional interview. We may also ask candidates to complete a brief take-home exercise in preparation for an interview; any requested take-home work will be compensated.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.