Working at Sojourners
Our Values and Commitments
At Sojourners, we come to work every day because God has invited us to sustain, care for, and build a more just world. We prioritize building an equitable, sustainable, and inclusive future as an organization so that we can better advance our mission and serve justice movements for decades to come.
Sojourners is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive and equitable culture and does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Our staff include a diverse cross section of Christians who belong to Protestant, Catholic, evangelical, and many traditions across the spectrum of U.S. and global Christianity.
Belonging
- We value a team culture that includes and supports everyone, especially those with historically marginalized identities or less power.
- Team members are acknowledged for their contributions, creating a sense of importance and belonging.
- All staff treat each other with respect and professionalism. We build community while maintaining personal and professional boundaries.
Equity
- We speak out against inequities, consider issues of power and fairness, and advocate for just treatment in our daily work.
- We are committed to fair recruitment, hiring, pay, and treatment for staff at all levels of the organization.
Accountability
- We hold ourselves accountable for our impact in our daily work and interactions. We own our mistakes and work to repair harm and rebuild trust. We accept feedback with equanimity.
- When we commit to a project, decision, or goal, we follow through and make it happen.
Listening
- We actively seek, listen to, and amplify our colleagues' perspectives on issues affecting our team and organization.
- We act on feedback when possible and communicate how we’ve responded.
- We are committed to evolving and growing together to continually improve our organizational culture and Christian witness.
Faith Inspires our Commitment to Diversity
Diversity holds profound spiritual significance because it reflects the biblical teaching that every person is created in the image of God, affirming the inherent dignity and worth of all humanity. In the Beloved Community there is no place for hierarchies based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social identity, or economic status.
As we strive to answer God's call to the ministry of reconciliation, we humbly seek forgiveness, restoration, and commit to accountability. Instead of denying or erasing the uniqueness woven into Creation, we are called to celebrate this diversity, recognizing it as essential to showing God’s strength.
Benefits
We are dedicated to creating a positive faith-based work environment that reflects a healthy work-life balance. All full-time employees are eligible for the following benefits.
These benefits include:
- Fully paid health insurance coverage for you and your family
- Optional dental coverage at an additional cost
- A fully paid life and disability insurance plan
- Generous PTO: 20 days of paid vacation and 12 days of paid sick/personal leave per year
- 12 weeks of parental leave
- 401k plan with employer match
- Sabbatical leave
Current Opportunities
Sojourners has an opening for a Chief Program and Impact Officer with an understanding of our work and mission, advocacy issue areas, and effective media engagement to join our Washington, D.C. staff. This position works closely with Sojourners’ President and COO to oversee all major branches of our mobilizing and communications work, including campaigns, church engagement and training, racial justice, government relations, and media. Additionally, the position will work with the Chief Advancement Officer to develop the financial portfolio of our mobilizing programmatic work. This position will serve on the Executive Team.
Responsibilities:
- Work with the President to develop a vision and strategy for mobilizing that is aligned with our organizational strategic plan and integrates our campaigns, advocacy, and communications staff. Lead the mobilizing team to accomplish that vision and ensure it is integrated and coordinated across the organization.
- Supervise and support the Senior Director of Campaigns and Mobilizing to design and implement Sojourners’ campaigns, which includes online mobilizing (with the Digital Mobilizing Manager) and strengthen the team’s project management and campaigning skills.
- Ensure and foster coordination with the Advancement Team and others on campaign funding and reporting.
- Supervise and support the Senior Director of Campaigns and Mobilizing, Racial Justice Director, Congregational Education and Outreach Director, and Political Director to maintain and strengthen relationships with external partners, elected officials, and coalitions related to campaigns work and organizational priorities.
- Work with the President to develop and oversee executive and organizational messaging efforts.
- Supervise and support the Director of Communications to leverage the President’s and other Sojourners’ voices in national, regional, political, and religious media. Oversee the implementation of media strategy and development of a communications plan. Oversee the tasks to strategize, write, and distribute relevant media advisories, press releases, and press kits.
- Identify and cultivate new opportunities and build new contacts to leverage Sojourners’ message in the media.
- Work with the Senior Director of Marketing to develop and implement new media opportunities and messaging cohesion.
- Work with the Editor in Chief and Senior Director of Marketing to coordinate and maximize growth across the organization’s social media.
- Foster professional development, cohesion, and growth of mobilizing staff and fellows.
- Oversee the development and stewardship of the mobilizing budget.
- Write and speak on behalf of Sojourners’ campaigns as needed.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- At least 10 years’ experience in strategic planning, media relations, message development, coalition work, budgeting, program management, and supervision.
- Digital mobilizing experience, including building online audiences and communities
- Knowledge of social and economic justice issues and scriptural tenets that undergird Sojourners’ involvement in them; understanding of and commitment to Sojourners’ faith-based mission.
- Excellent communication skills, including writing and editing, speaking and briefing.
- Knowledge and experience with multiple media platforms.
- Exceptional project management skills to handle several assignments simultaneously, attention to detail, and ability to multitask and prioritize; excellent interpersonal skills essential.
To Apply:
Please send a cover letter, resume, and three professional reference contacts to jobs@sojo.net or Chief Program and Impact Officer Search, Sojourners, 408 C St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. This position will be based in the Washington, D.C. office with minimum in-office days required.
Sojourners is an equal opportunity employer that continually seeks to diversify its staff and create an inclusive and equitable culture.
The starting annual salary for this position is $100,000 to $130,000, based on experience. Excellent benefits package includes fully paid health insurance, 20 days paid vacation, 12 days paid sick/personal leave, 401(k) plan, and a positive, faith-based work environment.
Sojourners has an opening for a Political Director to develop and implement Sojourners’ policy strategy, positioning, framing, messaging, and advocacy for outreach and impact on Capitol Hill and the public sector. The Political Director works with the President, Senior Director of Campaigns and Mobilizing, and other staff to maximize Sojourners’ influence in the policy arena and advance the organization’s mission and priorities.
This is a full-time position based in Sojourners’ Washington, D.C. office.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and manage organization’s policy and advocacy agendas with public sector and government representatives, including Executive, Legislative, and Judicial, as well as state and mayoral representatives as needed.
- Monitor relevant activity on Capitol Hill and in the executive branch, forecast policy trends, and identify opportunities for advocacy.
- Conduct comprehensive legislative, regulatory, administrative, and legal research and analysis related to Sojourners' policy priorities and develop policy recommendations for both internal and external use.
- Maintain and build relationships with external public sector partners and coalitions, including working with the Circle of Protection and guiding Sojourners’ anti-poverty portfolio.
- Provide political and policy advice to organizational leadership.
- Evaluate sign-on and endorsement opportunities.
- Review organizational materials, including action alerts, press releases, statements, and fundraising proposals and letters, for policy consistency and 501(c)(3) compliance.
- Pitch op-eds on relevant topics to Sojourners editorially independent print and online publications and external media.
- In consultation with organizational leadership, identify and evaluate opportunities for influencing public narratives to advance organizational priorities.
- Work with the Director of Campaigns and Mobilizing to research policy issues, track legislation, and develop an internal campaign strategy.
- Mentor, equip, and support government relations of campaign leads to help them more effectively engage government entities.
- Work in coordination with other mobilizing directors and relevant SojoAction team members to develop and implement grassroots/grasstops advocacy and mobilizing strategies to achieve programmatic goals, including FRAN.
- Coordinate grassroots advocacy efforts with the Mobilizing Team, with the goal of educating and mobilizing partners to take action that can influence federal and state policy formation through online Action Alerts, curriculum development, and church network development.
- Promote effective and clear communication within the mobilizing team and cross-organization teams.
- Represent the organization externally, including through public speaking.
Qualifications:
- Master's degree in public policy, public administration, social work, theology, or related field, or juris doctorate, plus five years’ experience with policy advocacy; OR a Bachelor’s degree and 8+ years’ experience with policy advocacy in one or more of Sojourners’ policy priority areas.
- Capitol Hill familiarity and experience; established relationships with religious and secular public sector partners.
- Excellent communications skills, including public speaking and writing.
- Attention to detail and deadline-driven timelines, and a high standard of work product.
- Knowledge in Sojourners issues, mission, non-profit status, and positioning in the faith-based mobilizing context.
- Strength and experience in cross-team leadership and collaboration.
To Apply:
Please send a cover letter, resume, and three professional reference contacts to jobs@sojo.net with the subject line Political Director Search. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. This position will be based in the Washington, D.C. office with minimum in-office days required.
Sojourners is an equal opportunity employer that continually seeks to diversify its staff and create an inclusive and equitable culture.
Starting annual salary for this position is $75-85,000, based on experience. Excellent benefits package includes paid health insurance, 20 days paid vacation, 12 days paid sick leave, 401(k) Plan, and a positive, faith-based work environment.
Position summary:
Sojourners seeks a dynamic managing editor for online content and to lead the team that produces award-winning daily news, opinion, and culture coverage for sojo.net.
Our ideal candidate will be an experienced editor, skilled at managing both people and projects, who feels at home in a fast-paced digital media environment of a Christian nonprofit organization. We want someone who is creative, hands-on, and strategic: full of ideas for new stories and projects, but also eager to roll up their sleeves and test those ideas against engagement data, team feedback, and budget considerations. We’re looking for someone enthusiastic about Sojourners’ editorial mission as an independent, award-winning publication of faith, culture, and politics — someone who brings a nuanced understanding of Christian faith and social justice to the stories they publish, the way they manage a diverse team, and their navigation of an ever-changing media landscape.
Editorial responsibilities:
- Define clear editorial goals for sojo.net, develop new areas of growth, and assist with evaluating and improving content in collaboration with the Editor-in-Chief, online editors, Audience Engagement Manager, and Editor of Sojourners.
- Oversee all aspects of online editorial calendar and publication process, including story development, soliciting, assigning, editing, crafting headlines, selecting photos, and publication.
- Ensure all content on online publication conforms with Sojourners in-house style and editorial mission.
- Monitor national and international news with an eye to developing coverage of religion, faith, politics, and social justice.
- Collaborate regularly with monthly print magazine editorial team and help shape editorial retreats alongside Editor of Sojourners print magazine and Editor-in-Chief.
- Collaborate with online editorial team on three newsletters: SojoMail, Verse & Voice, and The Reconstruct.
- Collaborate with Editor-in-Chief, Editor of Sojourners magazine, Audience Engagement Manager, Senior Marketing Director, and Advancement Team to develop grant-funded projects and track meaningful metrics.
- Report and write articles for digital and print publications.
Leadership responsibilities:
- Lead and supervise online editorial team (Senior Associate Opinion Editor, Senior Associate News Editor, and Senior Associate Culture Editor) and provide additional management support to those supervising fellows, cohort members, or contracted reporters.
- Oversee online columnist and freelancer contracts and payment.
- Represent online editorial team on Sojourners Management Team.
- Assume web-related duties of Editor-in-Chief in their absence.
- Additional duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- Applicants based in D.C. or willing to relocate are preferred; if not local, applicants must be willing to travel to the DC office 2-3 times per year.
- At least 6+ years of online journalism experience; experience in nonprofit journalism a plus.
- Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communications skills.
- Experience with web publishing, content management systems, and audience engagement metrics.
- Proven success at managing both people and projects.
- Nuanced understanding of Christian faith and diverse movements for racial and social justice.
- Desire to work in a Christian workplace that strives to continually deepen its commitments to faith and social justice.
To Apply
Please send a cover letter, resume, and three professional reference contacts to jobs@sojo.net or Managing Editor, sojo.net search, Sojourners, 408 C St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
Sojourners is an equal opportunity employer that continually seeks to diversify its staff and create an inclusive and equitable culture.
Starting annual salary for this position is $70-80,000, based on experience. Excellent benefits package includes fully paid health insurance, 20 days paid vacation, 12 days paid sick leave, 12 paid holidays, 401(k) plan with employer match, and a positive, faith-based work environment.
Sojourners is an ecumenical Christian media and advocacy organization that works toward social and racial justice. We are looking for someone who seeks to combine their interests in social justice and faith with their fundraising experience to contribute to the mission and future of Sojourners.
The Director of Foundation Relations is a key member of the Advancement Team and will initiate, maintain, and strengthen relationships with foundations to advance philanthropic support for our organization. The director will collaborate with Sojourners’ leadership and staff to develop high quality proposals, reports, and other materials for foundation donors. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who is highly motivated, able to work independently, and adept at juggling multiple priorities.
Responsibilities:
- Design and implement strategies and activities to increase support from existing foundation funders and identify new potential foundation support, working closely with the Chief Advancement Officer and senior leadership to drive fundraising strategy.
- Partner with Sojourners’ senior staff to cultivate relationships with both current and prospective donors and support foundation fundraising.
- Collaborate with program staff to develop concepts and proposals.
- Provide grants management by meeting with program staff on a quarterly basis.
- Prepare foundation materials—including but not limited to proposals, project budgets for proposals, letters of inquiry, grant reports, agreements, emails, presentations, and acknowledgment letters—by drafting original copy, editing, and formatting as needed.
- Ensure high-quality stewardship by coordinating intra-organizational efforts to produce grant reports and meet funder requirements.
- Research the giving interests of foundation funders and stay abreast of philanthropic trends and recent foundation giving.
- Identify new opportunities for funding that align with Sojourners’ programs through prospect research.
- Lead the planning and execution of meetings with foundation staff; research and draft briefings for executive leadership in advance of foundation meetings; and prepare senior staff for foundation meetings and phone calls.
- Liaise with program and finance staff to track grant spending.
- Forecast foundation revenue and participate in annual budget process.
- Perform other duties as assigned or needed to move forward Sojourners’ foundation relations portfolio.
Required and Preferred Skills:
The ideal candidate is goal-oriented, a self-starter, has attention to detail, and is a problem solver.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Minimum five years of professional experience—including at least three years of foundation relations and grants management experience or comparable work with foundations.
- Demonstrated success managing relationships with both program officers and internal colleagues to create the conditions for success.
- Demonstrated success in soliciting and renewing contributions from foundations by articulating a compelling case for support through multiple communication tools.
- Knowledge of social justice philanthropic sectors including democracy, health equity, economic justice, and racial justice is desirable.
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Strong written and oral communication skills.
- Strong analytical and prospect research skills.
- Strong interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work both independently and as a member of a team.
- Knowledge of Raiser’s Edge database is desirable.
- Support for Sojourners’ mission.
- Candidates in the local area are preferred, but Sojourners is open to a remote position.
To Apply:
Please send a cover letter, resume, and three professional reference contacts to jobs@sojo.net or Director of Foundation Relations search, Sojourners, 408 C St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
Sojourners is an equal opportunity employer that continually seeks to diversify its staff and create an inclusive and equitable culture.
Starting annual salary level for this position is $70,000 - $80,000. Excellent benefits package includes fully paid health insurance, 20 days’ paid vacation, 12 days’ paid sick leave, 401(k) plan with employer match, and a positive, faith-based work environment.