Deputy Director, National Organizing

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Deputy Director of National Organizing in the Organizing Division of the National Political Advocacy Department of the ACLU’s National office in Washington, DC. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month. 

The National Political Advocacy Department builds power to achieve an accountable, representative democracy. We have ambitious goals across Reproductive Freedom, Democracy and Voting Rights, Systemic Equality, Immigration, Trans Justice, Criminal Justice and other core issues in order to protect and expand civil rights and civil liberties, and advance the freedom, equality, ability to prosper, and humanity of all People.  

Our department conducts analysis, develops policy, crafts world class campaigns and situates the ACLU to have impact across legislative, administrative, and electoral levers. We are policy experts, lawyers, community organizers, lobbyists, campaign strategists, electoral specialists, program managers and more. We partner across the ACLU to drive national efforts, and support and amplify the priorities of our affiliates. We work to center principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in our approach.  

WHAT YOU'LL DO 

Reporting to the Director of National Organizing, the Deputy Director of National Organizing serves as a key strategic partner in building power to achieve an accountable, representative democracy. Working within the National Political Advocacy Department's Organizing Division, you will lead and oversee a portfolio of programmatic organizing work that operates across geographies and movement spaces, including mass mobilization, campus organizing, and other constituency-based organizing efforts as the program evolves. You will manage senior staff and consultants, represent the ACLU at senior coalition tables, and collaborate across ACLU's national departments and state affiliates. You will help shape the ACLU's grassroots engagement on critical issues including Reproductive Freedom, Democracy and Voting Rights, Systemic Equality, Immigration, Trans Justice, and Criminal Justice, while identifying strategic organizing opportunities and building durable organizing infrastructure across our priority programs. 

YOUR DAY TO DAY

• Plan and assist in planning organizing-based actions (both traditional field organizing actions and distributed/digital actions) for nationwide campaigns and major state and local campaigns and events 
• Manage staff, including remote staff and consultants, for program success and professional growth 
• Conceive, revise and share stories of organizing work, successes and lessons learned, within the ACLU and with current and prospective volunteers and volunteer leaders 
• Collaborate with colleagues in the ACLU’s national departments and ACLU state affiliates, as well as national coalitions, academics/researchers, consultants and other allies as necessary 
• Collaborate with national and affiliate communications staff to contribute to earned media coverage of grassroots organizing projects and events 
• Assist with national coalition engagement, planning and organizing program execution 
• Advise state affiliates on state-based coalition engagement, when requested 
• Closely track political developments, and identify strategic organizing and advocacy opportunities for the ACLU, including opportunities for multi-state or nationwide program or technology solutions 
• Identify and execute grassroots engagement experimentation, data collection, analysis and results-based recommendations 
• Help shape ACLU’s grassroots engagement on key political issues and pending legislation. 
• Work across a multi-issue spectrum of issues that concern the ACLU 
• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned 
• This position requires flexibility in work schedule and location, including the ability to travel nationally as programming demands and work nontraditional hours  

FUTURE ACLU'ERS WILL 

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• Lead the design, planning, and execution of a portfolio of programmatic organizing work, which may include mass mobilization, campus organizing, and other constituency-based programs to be developed in alignment with ACLU priorities 
• Manage senior staff and consultants leading programmatic verticals, supporting their professional growth and ensuring program success 
• Represent the ACLU in senior coalition spaces with national partners, including coordination on mobilization, election safeguarding, and movement-aligned organizing efforts 
• Build and strengthen infrastructure for sustained constituency-based organizing, including ladders of engagement that move participants from one-time actions into long-term involvement 
• Identify strategic organizing opportunities tied to political developments, and surface opportunities for multi-state, nationwide, or movement-wide program approaches 
• Collaborate with colleagues in the ACLU's national departments and ACLU state affiliates, as well as national coalitions, academics and researchers, consultants, and other allies as necessary 
• Collaborate with national and affiliate communications staff to contribute to earned media coverage of grassroots organizing programs and events 
• Conceive, revise, and share stories of organizing work, successes, and lessons learned, within the ACLU and with current and prospective volunteers and volunteer leaders 
• Advise state affiliates on coalition engagement, program implementation, and constituency-based organizing approaches when requested 
• Identify and execute organizing experimentation, data collection, analysis, and results-based recommendations across the program portfolio 
• Help shape ACLU's grassroots engagement on key political issues and pending legislation 
• Work across a multi-issue spectrum of issues that concern the ACLU 
• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned 
• This position requires flexibility in work schedule and location, including the ability to travel nationally as programming demands and work nontraditional hours 

COMPENSATION

The ACLU is committed to equity, transparency, and clarity in pay. Consistent with our compensation philosophy, there is a set salary for each role based on geographic work location. The annual salary for this position is $196,369 (Level D), reflecting the salary of a position based in New York, NY.  Salaries are subject to a regional pay adjustment if authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting.     For details on our pay structure, please visit: https://www.aclu.org/careers/ACLU_Geographic_Pay_Structure-July_2024.pdf  

WHY THE ACLU

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people.

We know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and know that what we offer is essential not just their work, but to their overall well-being. 

At the ACLU, we offer a broad range of benefits, which include:

• Time away to focus on the things that matter with a generous paid time-off policy
• Focus on your well-being with comprehensive healthcare benefits (including medical, dental and vision coverage, parental leave, gender affirming care & fertility treatment)
• Plan for your retirement with 401k plan and employer match
• We support employee growth and development through annual professional development funds, internal professional development programs and workshops

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Accessibility, equity, diversity and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change.  We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression, anti-ableism, and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage 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, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.    

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please complete the Accommodation Request Form.  If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

The Department of Education has determined that employment in this position at the ACLU does not qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.