We are excited to announce a newly created leadership opportunity for a Community Engagement Manager, based in Austin, TX or Dallas, TX. This role represents a pivotal step in expanding our outreach and strengthening our connection with the communities we serve.

The Community Engagement Manager will play a dual role: first as a hands-on contributor, and later as a team leader. During the initial recruitment and selection phase, the manager will independently oversee day-to-day responsibilities, ensuring that our engagement efforts remain strong and effective. As the team grows, the manager will lead the hiring process for approximately three staff members, guiding recruitment, onboarding, and professional development. Once the team is established, the manager will transition into full supervisory responsibilities, shaping the vision, culture, and performance of this new unit. We are seeking to identify a leader who will thrive in both independent and managerial capacities.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Lone Star State. We work in courts, legislatures, and communities to protect and extend the rights of Texans throughout the state. The ACLU of Texas is both a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization. The ACLU of Texas operates professional offices in Houston, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, and Brownsville, Texas.

The Community Engagement Manager is a leadership role within the Policy & Advocacy Department, focusing on community outreach and relationship building on a wide array of challenges to civil liberties in Texas. The manager will help develop and drive a community engagement plan focusing on identified targeted regions. The manager is expected to operate with a fair degree of autonomy and maintain consistent communication with their supervisor and other key stakeholders.

The position reports to the Policy & Advocacy Co-Director and relies on close and frequent communication between and among the Policy & Advocacy, Communications, and Fundraising departments. The Policy & Advocacy team works at the local, state, and federal levels, in close collaboration with other departments within and across the ACLU of Texas and ACLU National. This position requires statewide travel.

• Lead Community Engagement Strategy: Play a key role in the design of and drive the organization’s community engagement efforts for advocacy and outreach. Build and strengthen relationships with community partners.
  and collaborate closely with issue-area leads.
• Manage Membership Engagement Program: Implement, and oversee the membership engagement program in partnership with the CoDirector of Policy and Advocacy, as well as Communications and Development teams.
• Innovate Engagement Approaches: Evaluate and refine creative strategies to deepen engagement with community members in targeted areas.
• Provide Leadership and Mentorship: Guide and support engagement staff by setting clear goals, delegating tasks, and fostering a collaborative, high-performance culture of excellence and shared learning.
• Monitor and Report Metrics: Track, analyze, and report engagement outcomes to inform strategy and decision-making.
• Participate in Planning and Budgeting: Engage in organizational budgeting and action planning processes to ensure alignment with engagement goals.
• Assess and Build Capacity: Identify departmental needs statewide and recruit staff as necessary to meet evolving priorities.
• Other Duties: Perform additional responsibilities as assigned to support organizational objectives.

• Leadership: Effectively leads teams to accomplish goals and assignments. Inspires and motivates others to perform at their best. Operates with autonomy while maintaining collaboration and alignment with supervisors
• Written and Verbal Communication: Produces clear, concise written materials—such as emails, memos, and reports—that summarize information and present actionable options. Communicates with internal and external stakeholders in a professional, empathetic, and transparent manner.
• Organizational Relations: Represents departmental and organizational positions in internal and external interactions to achieve objectives. Responds promptly and effectively to requests for action.
• Teamwork: Fosters a positive, solution-oriented approach in relationships with colleagues and partners. Creates an inclusive environment where individuals share ownership and strive for excellence. Demonstrates integrity, admits mistakes, and builds trust.
• Project Management: Develops project concepts and breaks down activities into manageable tasks. Delegates appropriately to internal collaborators and external vendors. Manages vendors for mediumsized contracts, tracks progress using project management tools, and ensures accountability for deliverables.

• Minimum of five years of experience working in community organizing or political campaigns, and/or public policy research and advocacy; minimum of two years of experience building relationships with BIPOC and/or immigrant communities and identifying and addressing barriers to access to social systems or other opportunities for these communities.
• Demonstrated ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects with close attention to detail, meet deadlines, and refine systems and processes to improve workflow.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly and persuasively convey complex legal and policy ideas internally and externally to varying audiences.
• Ability to nurture and thrive in a highly collaborative environment with people of different identities and experiences committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Ability to work non-traditional hours as needed. Some travel will be required.
• Demonstrated commitment to advancing the ACLU of Texas’ values, mission, and goals, with an understanding of structural racism and interpersonal bias.

• Demonstrated experience in staff management, including setting goals, delegating tasks, mentoring, and fostering a collaborative team environment.
• Proven track record in effective program management, with the ability to design, implement, and evaluate engagement programs that achieve measurable outcomes.
• Familiarity with budgeting and resource allocation processes.
• Fluency in Spanish, Vietnamese, or another widely spoken language in Texas.

The starting salary for this role is $92,000- $101,200 in alignment with parameters of ACLU of Texas’s salary scale.

This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. It does not represent a contract of employment. The ACLU reserves the right to change the job description and/or posting at any time without advance notice.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, previous criminal conviction and veteran status.