The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas (ACLU) seeks a full-time, sophisticated, dynamic team-player to be its Director of Public Policy and Advocacy. The ACLU fights for individual rights and fundamental freedoms for all, through education, litigation, and policy advocacy. The ACLU promotes and defends civil rights and civil liberties, including First Amendment rights, Equal Protection, Privacy, and Due Process. Located in beautiful Austin, the ACLU of Texas has 17 staff members, 23 board members, statewide membership, and an annual budget of $1.6 million.
The Texas ACLU works collaboratively with ACLU affiliates across the country, and particularly with those along the Southern US border.
Position Overview and Functions:
The Director of Public Policy and Advocacy directs the organization’s efforts to achieve policy change that protect and advance civil liberties. The Public Policy and Advocacy Director is a member of the ACLU of Texas’ leadership team and is responsible for advancing the organization’s civil liberties agenda before the state legislature, executive branch and city councils, school board and county commissions, as appropriate. This includes identifying policy change opportunities, policy research and writing, developing issue campaigns and messaging, mobilizing constituencies and coalitions, and working with coalition partners as well as decision-makers. Current priority programs include immigrants’ rights, religious freedom and the over-policing of our public school students. Other areas of work include: free speech and association, voting rights, racial justice, LGBT issues, criminal justice and reproductive freedom. The Director of Public Policy and Advocacy supervises the organization’s community and membership mobilization efforts, promotes team work among all staff, and reports to the Executive Director.
Specific duties and responsibilities include:
• Analyze the civil liberties implications of legislation before the legislature and implement strategies for an affirmative agenda as well as to defeat legislation, including lobbying committee members, educating the executive and legislative staffs and providing committee testimony on behalf of the ACLU of Texas and securing strong bipartisan sponsors of ACLU initiatives.
• Conduct and oversee policy research and drafting, working closely with the legal department as appropriate.
• Develop strategies for involving members and local leaders in the work of the organization at the local level, monitoring local initiatives and legislation and mobilizing our grassroots for local action.
• Develop strategic campaigns related to local, state and national policy objectives working collaboratively with other staff and ACLU offices.
• Build and nurture effective multi-organizational coalitions and alliances on priority issues and campaigns.
• Oversee the scheduling of meetings and events in Legislators’ districts to provide an opportunity to bring ACLU members closer to their elected representatives and senators.
• Work with the public education department to develop affirmative media opportunities around ACLU issues.
• Build and manage the ACLU’s relationships with public officials.
• Support the work of the program committee of the ACLU of Texas Board of Directors.
• Work evenings and weekends and travel when necessary, including attending board of director meetings and donor cultivation events.
• Other tasks as assigned by the Executive Director.
Qualifications:
• Commitment to and knowledge of civil liberties.
• Excellent writing, speaking and analytic skills; the ability to explain complex civil liberties issues to the public.
• Five years professional experience in policy advocacy, policy research and analysis, coalition building, civil liberties law, or a related field. Experience preferred in coordinating successful political, legislative, or activist campaigns.
• Familiarity with and/or expertise in a broad range of civil liberties issues, particularly immigrants’ rights and other border issues, but also including individual liberties, racial justice, criminal justice and issues involving youth.
• Experience in managing complicated projects, including organizing allies, volunteers, interns, and activists.
• Ability to work with diverse groups of people, bridging partisan politics and developing what at times seem to be unusual allies.
• Experience with on-line organizing, communication, and activism technology.
• Demonstrated initiative, creativity, follow-through, and results.
• Creative, result-oriented, self-starting, willing to learn, and able to manage multiple ongoing projects.
• Ability to work with diverse communities; ability to speak Spanish preferred.
• Highly self-motivated, organized, and adaptable.
Compensation:
Salary dependent on experience and qualifications. Excellent benefits.
To apply:
Applicants should submit a resume and a cover letter describing, in particular, the applicant’s interest in working for the ACLU and what makes him or her the best person for the position. Finalists for the position will be expected to draft legislative talking points for a specific bill, deliver a 3-minute speech and participate in a mock media interview. The deadline for applications is June 30, but the position will be kept open until filled. Please include a copy of the ACLU of Texas Employment Application Form, which is located on our website, www.aclutx.org, under “Career Opportunities”.Applications should be sent electronically in MS Word format or Adobe PDF to: aclujobs@aclutx.org or to the attention of HR Public Policy Director Search, ACLU of Texas P.O. Box 12905 Austin, Texas 78711
The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.
The ACLU based in Texas comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and the ACLU Foundation of Texas. Both organizations have the same overall mission and share office space and employees. The ACLU has two separate corporate entities in order to do a broad range of work to protect civil liberties. This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name “ACLU.”
