About the Position

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The Program Assistant will support and work closely with the President & Chief Strategist in leading administrative support to the President & Chief Strategist, Office Management, coordination of project’s operations and communications support, and operations management for the Transgender District. Under the direction and vision of the project’s President & Chief Strategist, the Program Assistant will serve in a project support capacity, aiming to achieve the project’s mission of creating an atmosphere that celebrates the ongoing presence, culture, history, and resilience of transgender people in San Francisco’s Tenderloin area.

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About the Transgender District

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Founded in 2017, The Transgender District is the first legally recognized transgender district in the world. Named after the first documented uprising of transgender and queer people in United States History- The Compton’s Cafeteria Riots of 1966- the district encompasses 6 blocks in the southeastern Tenderloin and crosses over Market Street to include two blocks of 6th street.  In 2016, the City of San Francisco renamed portions of Turk and Taylor- to commemorate the historic contributions of transgender people- renaming them “Compton’s Cafeteria Way” and “Vikki Mar Lane” respectively. 

This urban region of the city’s Tenderloin District has held a documented ongoing presence of transgender residents as early noted as the 1920’s- with the Tenderloin having been known as a “gay ghetto” during the 1930’s to the 1960’s- prior to the birth  of the internationally renowned Castro District in San Francisco. This area is home to the city of San Francisco’s first LGBT bar, and various community spaces, gathering sites, and hotels with cultural significance for the broader transgender and queer  community in the Tenderloin. 

The mission of the Transgender District is to create an urban environment that fosters the rich history, culture, legacy, and  empowerment of transgender people and its deep roots in the southeastern Tenderloin neighborhood. The transgender district  aims to stabilize and economically empower the transgender community through ownership of homes, businesses, historic and  cultural sites, and safe community spaces. 

Within our founding are core values of creating an effort that facilitates the healing, economic empowerment, and cultural enrichment of transgender people in the Tenderloin district- who have and are plagued by social and structural violence,  marginalization, disenfranchisement and abject poverty- and yet maintain a fiery resistance and unfaltering resilience. 

We aim to create an urban environment that celebrates the transgender tipping point in the United States and the world, while educating the world of the deep profundity of transgender culture and our contributions to the liberation of humankind. 

The cultural district is led by the visioning of its co-founders, and by Co-Founder - President & Chief Strategist Aria Sa’id, highly acclaimed political strategist and transgender advocate. The project is fiscally sponsored by the St. James Infirmary- the nation’s only peer-based occupational safety clinic for sex workers and their families.

 

 

What You’ll Do

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This is perhaps unlike any other job in the nonprofit/NGO sector you’ve ever had. Our project team is committed to free thinking, pushing innovative ideas, and reimagining a world in which transgender people in the Tenderloin are socially, culturally, and economically empowered. Every day we fuse our efforts and energies towards shaping a future in which transgender people are thriving. The role is part of a locally and internationally recognized endeavor where your day-to-day work features exciting and demanding challenges, growth, autonomy, think-tank style strategy, and bold curiosity and commitment towards social change. In our team, we focus on contributing transformative thinking, growth, and high impact change for transgender people, and our neighborhood.

 

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Day to Day of the Job

 

This role is a 100% in-person position- as our efforts are specifically place based. Eligible candidates should/will have physical presence in the Bay Area, and undergo regular COVID screenings.

 

This role is a hybrid of administrative & operations management and community engagement. Here’s a snapshot of what the position requires day to day:

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Administrative Support to the President & Chief Strategist: Responds and follows up as necessary to all inquiries coming into the President & Chief Strategist. Schedules and coordinates appointments/meetings, internal and external, for the ED. Prepares edits and/or revises written documents & press releases as prepared by ED, as needed. Prepares and reconciles the President & Chief Strategist’s office budget, expense reports, check requests, credit card statements, and other similar reports; Support the President & Chief Strategist in planning and coordinating logistics for Founder’s Annual Retreat; Staff retreats; etc.; Additional duties as assigned by the President & Chief Strategist. The Program Assistant serves as direct support to the Office of the President, as well as Directors of the Transgender District.

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Operations Support: The Program Assistant will lead office management and administrative lead tasks including, but not  limited to: Responding to inquiries from the project’s website and social media; Coordinate and maintain the project’s  Dropbox servers; Schedule internal meetings and manage the organization-wide calendar; Monitor the administrative email  account and calendar; Manage incoming and outgoing mail and packages; Purchase office supplies, snacks and equipment  for office and program events; Review and manage receipt justification for staff expenses, reimbursements, CEO credit  cards, etc. on a monthly basis; Manage the project’s email distribution lists, etc.; Coordinate travel itineraries for  conferences, work trips, etc. as needed.

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Finance & Development Support: The Program Assistant will support the fundraising and development team with processing and recording donations; creating and sending donor acknowledgement letters; maintaining spreadsheets with donor tracking & grants in process, etc.

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Community Program Support: Support the organization’s directors on event planning & coordination, outreach & public relations as needed.  Attend local and national conferences, convenings, coalitions, meetings as needed and as directed by the President & Chief Strategist, on behalf of the Transgender District; Support in the creation of presentations, speeches, etc.; Assist in the preparation of policy reports, publications, etc.; Support the Director of Social Justice Initiatives in facilitation of the Community Advisory Council; Support the Director of Cultural Affairs with arts and cultural programming, etc. 

 

Government Relations: The Program Associate will support the President & Chief Strategist in active participation of government alliance efforts, urban planning working groups, public policy development, and more. 

 

Community Engagement: Under the direction of the President & Chief Strategist, the Program Assistant will lead day-to-day community engagement, town halls, and focus group efforts for transgender communities in the Tenderloin neighborhood. The PA will recruit and convene a Community Advisory Council of transgender community stakeholders and Tenderloin residents to support campaigns, the grand opening of our community center, and our historical, cultural, and socio-economic assessments that will shape our strategy for the next decade. The Program Associate will support efforts through stewarding and leveraging strategic partnerships and relationships with community leaders, public officials, Tenderloin residents, and key partners- that help advance the most marginalized of the local transgender community through representing the cultural district in various arenas- city hall, community events, and everything in between. 

 

Events Management: In partnership with the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships + Deputy Director, this role will support production and the day-to-day management of upcoming events, street festivals, luncheons, summits, conferences and more. From cultivating sponsorships to cover costs of programming- to managing support staffing and venue, and much more- the Program Associate is skilled in producing mid to large scale events and programs.

Professional Development: The Program Assistant will actively participate in professional development opportunities, training, coaching, workshops, conferences, etc. as assigned to ensure sustainable impact in this role, as determined by the Executive  Director.

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Compensation

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$60k-65k annual salary DOE (Full Time Salary at 4 work days a week (32 hours) 

 

Generous PTO Program + Semi-Annual Performance Bonus Pay Program. 

We are pleased to offer 100% employer sponsored, premium PPO healthcare (medical, dental, vision, chiropractor, acupuncture, mental health + flexible spending/commuter benefits, etc). 

In addition, Paid Holiday, Vacation, and Sick Time.  

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Required Experience & Qualifications

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•1-3 years of experience in administrative or operations coordination for nonprofit efforts in transgender communities, with a focus on culturally competent community engagement with Black and Brown transgender women in areas of high poverty and disenfranchisement. 

•1-2 years of experience in event planning support for LGBT communities 

•1-2 years of experience in grassroots community organizing, political education and/or representing the lives, humanity and needs of transgender women of color in an advocacy context 

• Demonstrated commitment to a broad range of social, racial, and economic justice issues and an understanding of the multiple transgender and gender non-conforming communities the Transgender District serves. 

• Demonstrated ability to code-switch as needed for multiple arenas of community engagement- from engaging with trans folks  of color to engaging with public officials, to engaging with philanthropic institutions, etc. 

• Ability to write and speak persuasively; excellent written and oral communication skills 

• Impeccable attention to detail. 

• Discretion in handling highly confidential information 

• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment. 

• Demonstrated experience in setting strategy and managing goals, developing and implementing              plans, managing people and  budgets 

• Outstanding organizational skills; initiate and complete multiple tasks on time with competing                  priorities and deadlines.

• Demonstrated talent for recruiting, managing and inspiring volunteers. 

• Strong technology and analytic skills: proficiency in Word, Outlook, Excel, Salesforce, and other applications as needed and  experience setting up and tracking data management systems.

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Physical Qualifications: 

Regularly sit, talk, run, move equipment, hear, and visually interact with students/staff 

Work at a desk and computer screen 

Regularly use close and distance vision 

Be able to occasionally lift up to 15 lbs. 

Work in a traditional climate-controlled office environment

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Candidate shall be a leader who is

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• Passionate about The Transgender District’s mission with knowledge of transgender communities and issues, and an intersectional analysis informed by economic, racial, social, and gender justice values. 

• Resourceful and innovative: bringing an optimistic, can-do, hands-on approach to achieving the most possible with the resources available and responding flexibly as opportunities and events arise. 

• A team builder and inspiring leader: able to work effectively in a diverse workplace; motivate and support volunteers; nurture staff growth, and promote high performance and accountability; 

• Straightforward and self-possessed; one who shares information readily, listens as well as gives advice and respects the abilities of others; diplomatic 

• Willing to do what it takes: including local and national travel and long hours across multiple time zones, when needed.