Elected vs Hired Roles
Coordinator roles in TogetherOS can be filled through two pathways:
Elected Roles
Best for: Roles with high community visibility and trust requirements
Examples:
- Proposal stewards
- Rotating moderators
- Community representatives
- Governance coordinators
Process:
- Nominations open to all members
- Candidates present their qualifications
- Community votes (consent-based)
- Winner serves a defined term
- Subject to recall at any time
Hired Roles
Best for: Technical or operational roles requiring specific skills
Examples:
- System administrators
- Project coordinators
- Technical leads
- Operational managers
Process:
- Role requirements defined by community
- Admin committee reviews candidates
- Hiring decision made transparently
- Contract terms are public
- Subject to recall at any time
Key Similarities
Both types of coordinators:
- Execute collective will — they don't make policy
- Are accountable — all actions logged
- Are recallable — can be removed by community
- Are transparent — role, term, and performance are public
When to Use Which
The community decides for each role. General guidelines:
| Role Type | Pathway | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| High-trust, community-facing | Elected | Trust must be earned through vote |
| Technical, skill-specific | Hired | Technical skills can be evaluated |
| Emergency/temporary | Hired | Speed matters |
| Long-term, visible | Elected | Ongoing legitimacy needed |
Social Economy Integration
Hired roles are part of our social economy. Compensation comes from the cooperative treasury, with terms decided collectively. This creates meaningful work within the cooperative system.