Area Field Services Director

This position is responsible for providing guidance and leadership to the efforts of the International Union and affiliates in mobilizing the membership in support of the union’s programs.

DUTIES: 

• Responsible for coordinating the resources and services provided in the assigned area in the most efficient, economical and effective manner possible.
• Plans, assesses needs, and allocates resources; oversees the progress and effectiveness of each; guides staff toward successful completion of projects.
• Identifies the range and types of programs and services to be tailored to affiliates' needs, including political action campaigns and legislative initiatives, collective bargaining and negotiation assistance, leadership training and other educational needs, public relations programs, and constitutional and administrative functions.
• Actively promotes AFSCME’s organizing agenda with affiliates, building political support and encouraging creation of strong organizing capacity at the affiliate level.
• Extends cooperation and assistance to other unions and independent public employee organizations and coalitions to further AFSCME's goals.
• Cultivates and encourages independent public employee groups and organizations to seek affiliation with AFSCME by becoming aware of their interests, providing assistance where appropriate, and offering programs and services that improve their bargaining position.
• For internal organizing, works with affiliates in finding ways to increase membership activity within the locals, including developing and implementing organizing drives, developing strategies and tactics, and conducting orientation sessions.
• Serves in an advisory capacity to affiliates by drawing on the negotiating experience of the area to recommend courses of action to pursue.  Assigns area office staff or requests headquarters staff specialists to participate in fact-finding hearings and prepare testimony on specific issues.  Occasionally conducts negotiations during critical stages or in conducting the initial round of negotiations and contract ratification of a new local.
• Encourages affiliates to conduct active voter and issue campaigns during election periods.  Assigns staff to coordinate campaigns, prepare materials, and conduct training sessions.  Monitors events to assess strategies and tactics.  Encourages affiliates to conduct fund-raising events to raise monies for the PEOPLE fund.
• Establishes contacts and maintains liaisons with key local/state candidates, providing them with information and background materials when requested along with AFSCME's position on various issues.
• Works jointly with other unions, local and state labor councils, coalitions, and citizen groups on issues that impact on AFSCME members and the public.
• Identifies and recommends potential volunteer organizers from within the AFSCME membership.
• Encourages affiliates to use the union's educational capability to develop potential officers and members and possibly establish their own in-house education/training programs. Requests AFSCME educational/subject specialists to work with and train affiliates and to offer a range of educational courses spanning leadership training and political action campaigning to benefit plan issues and publishing newsletters.
• Actively seeks to raise affiliate visibility among the membership, their communities and within AFSCME by encouraging them to establish communication vehicles such as regular bulletins, newsletters and the like as well as seeking media coverage of newsworthy events.
• Arranges for media coverage and press/television conferences whenever the President or Secretary-Treasurer are visiting the area as appropriate. Briefs both on general activity level, special events, issues of local interest, and politically sensitive topics.
• Performs constitutional and administrative oversight dealing with affiliate operations, including acting as administrator of locals and councils that are defunct or experiencing financial and leadership difficulties and establishing of new locals and councils encompassing the development of constitution, budgets, and operating structures.
• In consultation with Headquarters, resolves jurisdictional and political differences between affiliates, as appropriate.
• Manages the area office's human and financial resources; determines the programmatic capability; administers the physical facility; and establishes and maintains all necessary business and operational relationships required to manage an enterprise efficiently.
• Holds staff accountable for performance and results and engages staff in semi-annual performance review.
• Performs related work as required.

REQUIREMENTS: 

Education & Experience:

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a degree in labor studies, labor relations or political action.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of experience in union leadership acting in an official capacity to plan, administer and coordinate major union activities or a combination of education and experience.

Skills:

• Advanced knowledge of labor unions and organizing as well as labor laws, both public and private sector.
• Advanced ability to plan, organize and coordinate work activities.
• Advanced ability to establish and maintain effective work relationships. 
• Demonstrated ability to supervise staff and fiscally manage large budgets. 
• Advanced oral and written communications skills.
• Advanced ability to analyze research data and make logical conclusions.
• Skilled in the use of personal computer and associated software. 
• Bi-lingual skills may be desirable in certain assignments. 

Travel & Work hours

• Extensive travel and extended work hours are required.
• Valid driver’s license required.