Co-op Education Consultant

TITLE: Cooperative Education Consultant (independent contractor)

LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA – hybrid (remote/in person)

SCHEDULE: part-time, 20hrs/week. Occasional weekend and evening hours are expected

CONTRACT PERIOD: March 11 – July 31, 2026

PAY: $44 per hour, up to 420 hours total

APPLY HERE by Sunday March 9, 2026

About L.A. Coop Lab:
The purpose of the L.A. Co-op Lab is to reduce inequality and the harmful consequences of rapid gentrification and displacement across L.A. by developing  worker cooperatives –– businesses that are democratically owned and controlled by the people that work there.

We invest in groups of people and communities who desire a more democratically owned and governed workplace, particularly those who have been undervalued and pushed to the margins of the economy due to race, origin, economic or immigration status, gender, disability, and age. Access to local cooperative business ownership is one alternative to wage theft, exploitation and the scarcity of important goods and services in our neighborhoods.

We work with communities that have historically been denied access to good jobs, capital, and capacity building that is tailored to their needs. L.A. Co-op Lab also provides access to non-extractive capital via our membership in Seed Commons, a national financial cooperative that is dedicated to financing worker and community owned businesses as a pathway towards economic and racial justice.

L.A. Co-op Lab accomplishes our purpose through:

• Cooperative business development, technical assistance, and coaching tailored to the knowledge and needs of workers
• Designing and deploying co-op curriculum that fills a gap in LA’s community development and economic justice landscape
• Providing non-extractive financing for worker-owned businesses in LA, via our membership in Seed Commons

Responsibilities:

The Co-op Education Contractor will work closely with our Co-op Development team to design, supplement, and potentially deliver L.A. Co-op Lab’s 2026 educational curriculum and programming – with a specific focus on more fully incorporating Latin American history and political perspectives into our curriculum materials and supporting our immigrant-led cooperatives. This role will primarily collaborate with our staff to bolster our cultural competence and tailor curriculum so that it is accessible, engaging, and culturally relevant for workers and co-op members. They will also potentially work alongside our team to facilitate workshops that support leadership development, asset building, and long-term sustainability of worker-owned cooperatives in Los Angeles in accordance with our principles of economic and racial justice.

This role will focus on the following areas of work through July 2026:

Internal Training + Education (50%)

• Provide internal training and political education for L.A. Co-op Lab’s staff team – support our education and co-op development team to grow our understanding of the history and politics of cooperative economics in Latin America. We envision this as facilitating 2-4 internal workshops or discussions for our staff.
• Act as a thought partner with programmatic staff to offer insight and perspective around how to best approach cooperative development and education from an explicitly political lense, with care given towards the particular histories and cultures of our communities, many of which are rooted in Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela, and other countries of the North and Central American diaspora

Program + Curriculum Design (25%):

• Collaborate closely with Co-op Development staff to build interactive educational curriculum for L.A. Co-op Lab’s workshops and technical assistance offerings – with a specific focus on supporting our work with immigrant-led cooperatives
• Tailor curriculum to specific industries, and communities and implement popular education, language justice, cultural competence, and accessibility frameworks. This may include some translation as appropriate and agreed upon.
• Create new and improve existing templates and tools to support cooperative management, such as: leadership development, accountability processes, and decision making
• Review and offer recommendations to improve and adapt L.A. Co-op Lab’s educational materials for aspiring and existing worker cooperatives. This may include but is not limited to: our online course library, free office hour consultations, print booklets, and recurring educational events for the community

Cooperative Education (25%):

• Co-lead, facilitate, and deliver bilingual tailored educational workshops alongside our staff team – to support emerging cooperatives in low-wage industries such as garment, carwash, and recycling
• Support the design and implementation of our 2026 Solidarity Summer education series, which will provide training and development for cooperatives across Los Angeles. We anticipate this series will begin in June and include both in person and remote sessions.
• Collaborate effectively across organizations and maintain strong relationships with our key partners, including Los Angeles–based worker centers, cooperative developers, and economic justice allies

Deliverables:

• 2-4 Internal education sessions for L.A. Co-op Lab staff to sharpen our perspectives and grow our understanding of the history and politics of cooperative economics in Latin America
• 3-5 new and/or updated tools & templates for bilingual, accessible and culturally competent cooperative education (e.g. a bilingual glossary of cooperative language, training slides templates, etc.)
• Curriculum Review Report – outlining feedback and recommendations for improvement on curriculum materials (may include online and print materials)
• Delivery of 1-3 bilingual tailored education sessions for current and prospective cooperative members, as mutually agreed upon

Qualifications:

Our ideal candidate would have some combination of the following qualifications:

• Strong experience + perspective in one or more of the following areas: Latin American history and politics, especially with (but not limited to) a particular focus on any or all of the following countries: Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Venezuela, popular education and curriculum design,
  community education, cooperative economics and/or cooperative development, community or labor organizing
• Cultural fluency grounded in Latin American liberation ideology, with the ability to clearly articulate political perspectives, engage people with varying levels of experience, and connect political context back to cooperative practice
• Experience or training in popular education and adult learning, with comfort designing meetings, workshops, and trainings for groups of 10–30 participants
• Leadership Development experience – ideally you are able to contribute concrete tools, practices, and structures to support individuals and groups to take ownership over themselves, their lives, their cooperative businesses, and communities.
• Passion, interest, or connection to the cooperative movement – particularly worker-cooperatives, cooperative economics, and democratic management. Familiarity with the language and structure of worker cooperatives is a major plus!
• Demonstrated commitment to economic justice and experience working with diverse groups of people including BIPOC, immigrant, LGBTQIA+ and working class communities. Connection to community or labor organizing is a plus.
• Dedication to effective communication and relationship-building. Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills, strong writing and verbal communication abilities, and adaptable and flexible when necessary.
• Self-motivated and highly collaborative. You have the ability to work independently and manage multiple projects with minimal supervision and also coordinate closely with team members, cooperatives, and partners.
• Computer proficiency and strong organizational systems, including experience with tools such as Google Workspace, Calendly, Airtable, Learnworlds (online learning platform).
• Bilingual Spanish + English is required. This position requires written and spoken Spanish and English fluency. An understanding of (or excitement to learn) Language Justice practice and frameworks is a plus.

Location: Los Angeles, California (greater metro area). This is a hybrid position requiring both in person and remote work. Some local travel to and from workshops and meetings is required.

Compensation: 

• $44 per hour, up to 420 hours total
• Flexible work schedule
• Reimbursement for project specific expenses (i.e. mileage, printing, etc)
• The opportunity to learn more about cooperatives, contribute to LA’s growing solidarity economy, and network with others in similar positions
• The opportunity to participate in a growing and democratically organized team

TO APPLY: please complete an application + submit your resume here by Sunday March 8, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, we aim to make a hiring decision by mid-March