Doulas

 

POSITION: BIPOC English speaking doulas, BIPOC (Bilingual, Spanish speaking) Postpartum doulas 

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REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS:

Director of Birth support, Director of Programming 

 

LOCATION:

Great Austin area and surrounding counties/areas including Manor, Kyle, Cedar park, etc

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POSITION TYPE: Contractor
 

START DATE: February 2024

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ABOUT MAMA SANA VIBRANT WOMAN (MSVW) 

MSVW is a woman of color led nonprofit cooperative and sisterhood of 8 full time staff and 12 contractors dedicated to disrupting capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy and institutional abuse through shared leadership and focus on whole-woman wellness. We work as community members, birth companions and organizers to expand the capacity of cooperative, collective and community based projects through education, training and companionship. 

Our programming ranges address the full spectrum of reproductive care with an emphasis on the relevance for Black women, mental health & wellness and a network of holistic support services. 

The MSVW collective is currently composed of staff members, birth companions who assist families with prenatal and postpartum care, volunteers, interns and an active Board of Directors.

We began our community work in 2009 as Mamas of Color Rising and transitioned to nonprofit status in 2016. In 2023, we transitioned to a worker led cooperative model. 

We are committed to supporting each other as a collective with shared power and autonomy within the organization. Mama Sana Vibrant Woman is more than a job; it is a project that we are passionate about, a support system, and a space to enact and build our lifestyle, politics and our vision for the world and the movements we want to see. 

 

MISSION 

Envisioning a just and loving world where all parents receive attentive, quality, loving care, Mama Sana Vibrant Woman (MSVW)’s mission is to improve pregnancy and birth outcomes for communities of color in Central Texas by providing education and support services. Established in 2012, MSVW provides culturally appropriate, quality prenatal and postnatal care to people of color through prenatal and postpartum groups, one-on-one support, childbirth preparation workshops, wellness clinics, and a birth companion (doula) program. These programs provide care to the most vulnerable in our community while also training the next generation of birth workers of color in Texas. 

 

WE ARE HIRING BIRTH/POSTPARTUM DOULAS

We are looking to hire birth and postpartum companions as contractors. It is of utmost importance we hire individuals interested in workers co-op structure . We are looking for doulas who are excited about committing to the cooperative for at least 1 year. We are strongly invested in equipping staff with the necessary autonomy to make decisions within their role, anti-Black racist practices, holistic reproductive justice and creating new ways of being outside of capitalism, homophobic, racist and patriarchal systems. 

While we prefer the candidate to be located in the Austin, Texas area, we are willing to consider applicants from anywhere in Travis county/ Williamson county. Due to the nature of our work, all companions must have the flexibility in availability to attend to participants, attend meetings and other MSVW events 

This opportunity requires a minimum commitment of being on-call on a rotating week-long back-up schedule ,to be determined during the onboarding process,  and potentially very long hours at births. 

Because we are a smaller staff, we all share the work involved in running the organization. However, we envision hiring people who would primarily be plugging into caring for our clients on the perinatal  journey. You would join us in working with other community institutions, Birth worker groups and social and economic justice nonprofits as facilitators of workshops, meetings and other community engagement roles. 

 

THIS IS WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for BIPOC people who have an unwavering commitment to social and reproductive justice. We want people who are excited about the prospect of working with organizations to help them transform and grow, who feel passionately about building leader-full movements, and who feel energized and confident facilitating meetings, workshops and engagement sessions. We want people who have a solid foundational understanding of reproductive justice and energy to build up this area of expertise.

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POSITION SUMMARY 

The Director of Advancement is one of three Co- Executive Directors and will primarily oversee all of the organization's fundraising and manage financial relationships with grantors and donors. You would collaboratively build and implement a strategy for sustaining and increasing the organization's revenue . This includes interacting with donors, planning fundraising events, and seeking out opportunities for financial support through grants and sponsorships. The Director of Advancement is responsible for leading MSVW fundraising efforts, supporting with grant reports and managing the Data and Evaluation Coordinator and communication consultant. You would support MSVW to create and access resources in the spirit of abundance, ensuring that funders are in alignment with our values and principles and that funding is focused on our participant and community needs. You would join us in working with other community institutions and economic justice nonprofits. 

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Currently looking for Hispanic Bilingual (spanish) postpartum doulas and Black English birth doulas 

Please see our general candidate criteria document for more information about what we are looking for.

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REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERTISE

• Full Spectrum/Postpartum doula training or certification

• Lactation knowledge and literacy 

• Been to a hospital birth and home birth (only applies to birth doula)

• Has support at least 5 families in the postpartum period (only applies to postpartum doula)

• Must be able to engage conversations of reproductive justice, race, gender and other issues of power with comfort

• Strong communication skills including:

  • Written communication skills (specifically the ability to communicate client journey debrief (labor,birth, emotions, etc), ability to create thorough reports and resources; ability to respond fully, clearly and reliably to email and other communication channel (ie. Slack)

  • Verbal communication skills (ability to speak confidently and clearly with clients about our work; ability to communicate respectfully and directly with co-workers and clients; ability to navigate tense or challenging interpersonal dynamics in a way that aims for resolution and de-escalation)

• Experience and competency working with communities of color 

• Organization skills, in particular time management

• Relationship building skills

• Experience working in a team while also completing independent task

• Capacity for travel in and around central texas 

 

DESIRED SKILLS & EXPERTISE

• Fluency in one or more languages other than English (especially Spanish)

• Lactation knowledge and literacy 

• Has support at least 5 families in the postpartum period

• Desired problem-solving skills

• Understands the importance of culture competent care

• First aid training (adult and infant) *will provide training if necessary 

• Attention to detail, complemented by the ability to see the big picture

• Trauma informed care training

• OR knowledge around birth 

• Ability to translate medical  jargon especially regarding Cesareans and inductions

• Ability to communicate  with health care and stay within their doula scope

 

PREFERRED

• Experience working with Slack, Asana, Apricot, Network for Good and Google drive

• Comfortable learning and working with new technology 

 

COMPENSATION

Compensation for the birth doulas position is ​$2333.67 per month. Compensation for the postpartum  doulas position is ​$ 1833.34 per month. Birth and Postpartum doulas should expect to serve  Twenty- four (24) participants a year or two (2)  participants a month. (Participants vary). This payment is paid on a retainer basis upon receiving of approved invoice and completed data entry. 

 

Here is how you apply:

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to info@msvwatx.org by January 15, 2024. Please, no phone calls. 

People of Color, trans and gender nonconforming people, people from poor and working class backgrounds, and women are encouraged to apply.