Organising Assistant
Fight for justice. Build power. Win real change.
Work for ACORN and help build a movement
Working class people in our country face huge problems. Our grandparents and great-grandparents fought to win decent, dignified lives, but these victories have been slowly eroded over the last few decades, for one simple reason: ordinary people didn’t have enough power. ACORN exists to build the power of working class people to transform our society into one that works in our interests. We use collective action to win real, concrete changes to improve our lives and the communities around us.
We operate on the simple idea that there are more of us than there are of them, and that if we use that strength in numbers there’s nothing we can’t win. Since ACORN began in 2014, we’ve:
- Directly stopped hundreds of evictions, through mobilising our members to defend each other
- Won the biggest improvement to renters’ rights in a generation, ending ‘no-fault’ evictions
- Won local campaigns all over the country, tackling any issue that we’re affected by. Caps on bus fares, free school meals, street safety improvements, more public toilets, an end to bullying bailiffs – we’ve fought, we’ve won.
- Built a democratic organisation of thousands of people across 30 towns and cities, all fighting with one purpose: to build the power that we need to win the lives we deserve.
But we’re only just getting started. Now we’re looking for an Organising Assistant to join our team to build that power in Manchester. An organiser’s job is to bring new members into ACORN, develop their skills, confidence and leadership, and take collective action to win!
Job Details
💸Salary
£24,479, rising to £24,729 after probation passed. Will go up in line with the Living Wage.
🏖️Holiday allowance
28 days plus bank holidays
🔎Location
In the community across Manchester, with work in our Manchester office
🕑Hours
35 hours a week
🌟Benefits
Generous holiday allowance, potential for flexi-time, £100 annual wellbeing bonus, progressive leave policies, extensive trainings and development days (including one week’s immediate organiser training), workplace healthcare plans and more!
🚀Reporting to
National Organiser
What Organisers at ACORN actually do
As an ACORN Organiser, your job is to grow the union by recruiting new members, developing leaders, building strong local groups, and supporting people to take action together on the issues affecting their lives.
That could mean:
- Organising drives to set up new ACORN groups
- Supporting members facing eviction, bailiffs or unsafe housing
- Building effective campaigns on issues affecting our members
- Developing and training new leaders
A big part of the role is talking with people directly — through door knocking, street stalls, phone calls, meetings and community outreach. Around half of organisers’ time is spent having conversations with people in the community and bringing them into the organisation.
Most importantly, you’ll help people move from feeling isolated and ignored to becoming part of a powerful union.
As an Organising Assistant you will work closely with an experienced organiser who you shadow, learn from and collaborate with. We find that this is a great way to begin learning how to organise and build skills, confidence and experience.
What we’re looking for
You do not need formal qualifications or previous organising experience.
We’re looking for people who:
- Are motivated by injustice faced by our communities
- Believe in the power of organising people
- Are good listeners and can communicate with people with a range of opinions and backgrounds
- Can motivate and inspire others
- Are resilient, proactive and have a strong worth ethic
How we support and develop our staff
ACORN places huge value in developing skilled organisers and pride ourselves in developing the best community organisers in the country.
You’ll join a supportive and ambitious team committed to building long-term grassroots power and winning meaningful change.
All Organisers receive:
- A full week of intensive community organising training
- Close support and mentoring throughout probation
- Ongoing professional development and organiser training
- Opportunities to progress into more senior roles in the organisation
We also pride ourselves on being a flexible, supportive workplace that goes above and beyond to adapt to the needs of our staff – whether that’s around caring responsibilities, adjustments for disabilities, or for other personal circumstances.
What our members say
“ACORN means hope. It’s that simple.”
“ACORN has given me the strength I never knew I needed to find passion again in my life. Being homeless stripped me of every last ounce of self-worth and confidence in myself to fight. However, ACORN showed me not to give up… that I can do this.. and I am not alone!”
“I’ve never done anything like this before I joined ACORN. I speak in branch meetings and I speak at actions; I’ve been on the news and everything. It’s something I’ve never done, so for me it’s just given me more confidence – I feel empowered. Every single action that we do, big or little, the wins that we have, they mean something and they change someone’s life in whichever way, and I just love being a part of it.”
“ACORN means so many things to me. The biggest thing is that it feels like the only tool we have to fight back against all the unfairness in this country. Before I joined ACORN I’d felt that unfairness for my whole life but never really knew where I could channel this energy. ACORN just gives me a purpose, and makes me really feel like I’m living my values. It just makes my life feel so much more fulfilled, like it’s got a purpose, even though that might sound a bit dramatic.”
“My confidence has totally changed, I feel more powerful and I have been able to confront power. I have always had a voice but I was scared to speak but now, with the union, I have learnt the power of fighting together as one.”
What our staff say
“Working for ACORN as an organiser is an empowering and enriching experience. Every day we’re out organising in the community, we’re changing people’s lives, and we ourselves are changed in the process. This is no ordinary job, it’s an opportunity to make a difference in an incredibly nurturing and supportive environment.” – Emily, Field Organiser
“As a woman organiser, I’ve been able to play a hugely important role in uplifting women in the organisation. After noticing that the branch I organise had become dominated by men, I created a strategy to develop women members in the group. I organised a Women in Organising training for women members in the branch aimed at building up their confidence and organising skills, and I prioritised getting women to meetings and trainings. As a result, some incredible women members have stepped up and starting taking on leadership in the branch: standing for election, taking on leading roles at actions and planning strategy for our campaigns.”- Anna, Member Defence and Field Organiser
“One of my personal highlights of working for ACORN is being part of a member defence case for Sharon, one of our members in Bristol. Sharon had been fighting the council for five years just to get draughts and cold sorted in her house, and got nowhere. One day I knocked on her door – she didn’t seem keen to chat at first, but once I mentioned housing issues she started explaining her problem to me and we built a rapport. I recruited her to ACORN and we held small meetings in her house with other women members, planning action on the council’s head of housing. We ended up winning our demands for better insulation and a professional survey, and it’s now noticeably warmer at her house. Just as rewarding for me was the way it built Sharon’s confidence, helped build a local ACORN group, and brought together women members. They all had a glass of wine after the win to celebrate!” Em, Field Organiser
ACORN is a Disability Confident Committed employer. If you have a disability and you are happy to disclose this to us, you will have the option to on the application form. Unfortunately if we have a large number of applications we cannot guarantee an interview to every disabled candidate.
To apply
Make a copy of and complete the full Application Form, referring to the Job Description and Selection Criteria
Save your completed application form as a PDF with the file name <YOUR NAME, role> e.g. JANE SMITH LeedsCommunityOrganiser.pdf
Submit via email to workforacorn@acorntheunion.org.uk with ‘Application: <Job Title>’ as the subject line
Once you have submitted your application please complete this diversity monitoring form
If you require paper versions of this application form & diversity monitoring form, please write to workforacorn@acorntheunion.org.uk
Deadline
The deadline for applications is Sunday, September 13th, 2026 at 6pm. Late applications will not be considered. If you have any questions, please contact us at workforacorn@acorntheunion.org.uk
Interviews
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview via zoom, involving three tasks and a Q&A on the week of Monday, September 21st, 2026.