Application Deadline: September 30, 2021
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU-WA) is seeking an Integrated Advocacy Director (IAD). The ACLU-WA has grown in the breadth and depth of its advocacy over the past several years. The ACLU-WA uses multiple advocacy tools to protect and advance the civil rights and civil liberties of everyone in Washington State. These tools include litigation, legislation, activism, public education, and policy advocacy among others. After engagement in a sweeping strategic planning process, we created this new position—the Integrated Advocacy Director (IAD)—to help lead and coordinate our broad array of work.
We seek an experienced, innovative, and collaborative leader who works well with diverse groups of people to lead the implementation and coordination of the ACLU-WA’s strategic work through the functional program areas of: Legal/Litigation; Political Strategy; Policy Advocacy; Information and Referral; Communications. Each of these areas is led by an experienced individual who in turn supervises team members.
Reporting to the Executive Director, the IAD will serve as the hub for cross-departmental strategies on issues that require coordination across ACLU-WA’s legal, lobbying, communications, organizing, and policy teams. The IAD will be responsible for coordinating the organization’s high-level advocacy strategy, planning, cross-functional integration between the program areas, and resource allocation. The IAD will also lead the development of evaluation and learning tools and processes consistent with our strategic framework to assist in determining the best strategic use of resources and determination of advocacy areas. Working with leaders in the various program areas, the IAD will lead implementation of the comprehensive strategic framework for the organization and will be responsible for managing resources and ensuring that the ACLU-WA integrates the components of the strategy to advance equity and racial justice. In concert with others, the IAD will ensure that resources are deployed in ways that help further cross-team collaboration and achieve organization-wide goals. The IAD will play an important role in making strategic decisions about choosing priorities and choosing tactics. The IAD is a member of the Leadership Team.
OVERVIEW
The ACLU of Washington is a leader among state affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union, the country's premier guardian of liberty. We work in courts, legislatures, and communities to protect and extend American rights to freedom, fairness, and equality. The ACLU is both nonprofit and nonpartisan. We are supported by more than 135,000 members, activists, and donors.
The ACLU of Washington is committed to ending racism in Washington State and throughout the country. This includes how we work with each other, and with our partners and allies in the communities we serve. We are committed to bringing anti-racism to all aspects of ACLU-WA's internal and external functions, including but not limited to recruitment; hiring and human resources; strategic planning; ally, donor, and volunteer relations; Board and committee processes; and deciding what cases to litigate and what legislation to support and oppose. We are looking for candidates who share this commitment to advancing racial justice, both internally in our organization and externally in the communities that we serve.
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, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, socio-economic circumstance, or record of arrest or conviction. We do not conduct criminal background checks on our candidates.
The IAD’s core responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Supervision & Support
- Provide supervision and support to the Legal Director, Political Director, Director of Policy Advocacy Group, the Information and Referral Program Managing Attorney, and an associate.
- Support the individuals listed above, and other relevant program staff in the use of integrated advocacy strategies across the organization. Build tools and processes to facilitate integrated advocacy.
- Foster a culture that promotes teamwork and professional growth while holding teams accountable to the organization’s performance standards.
Planning, Implementation and Evaluation
- Engage creatively with the ACLU-WA Strategic Planning Roadmap and Programmatic Strategies Planning Processes (developed through the 2020 strategic planning process) and foster a common vision of large-scale impact and change.
- Lead the program planning and work plan processes to set goals, assess progress, ensure collaboration, and foster learning across issues and strategies. Help guide and direct the work under the plans, hold team members accountable to the plans, evaluate and measure progress.
- In concert with Directors and advocacy teams, develop plans, gather data, and conduct evaluations of program priorities and initiatives.
- Provide support and oversight to ensure the effective implementation of programs.
Resources, Operations, and Infrastructure
- Work in conjunction with Director of Finance and Administration and Department Directors on the development and management of the Integrated Advocacy departments’ program budgets, guiding resource allocation and resource deployment.
Equity and Racial Justice
- Participate in ACLU-WA’s race equity work. This may include utilizing ACLU-WA race equity tools, adopting ACLU-WA race equity practices, serving on the Race Equity Team or subcommittees, etc.
- In conjunction with relevant staff, develop and strengthen partnerships with organizations working with communities most impacted by civil liberties and civil rights violations.
- Advance the organization’s strategies in a manner that increases the power and voice of impacted communities for sustained change.
General Management
- Serve on the organization’s Leadership Team.
- In conjunction with the Executive Director, support the work of the ACLU-WA board by providing regular, timely and accurate information and reports to the board for program planning and evaluation.
- Collaborate with the ACLU National office on nationwide and statewide issues.
- Help to represent the organization to the media, stakeholders, task forces, and others as needed.
- Take on other duties as assigned by the Executive Director.
· Ideal candidates will have an awareness of, and willingness to engage in, the difficult and transformative work of challenging systems of oppression, institutional and structural racism, and implicit bias, with attention to this work as it pertains to both internal and external personal, organizational, and systemic work.
· Demonstrated commitment to civil liberties, social justice, and race equity.
· A commitment to diversity; a personal approach that values the individual and respects differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstance.
· Minimum of 8 + years of relevant experience including at least 5 years in senior-management roles that required significant judgment, emotional intelligence, and management finesse (relevant experience in any sector is welcome).
· A law degree is required with at least ten years’ experience actively practicing law, or equivalent experience in policy advocacy.
· Excellent analytic, problem solving, and coaching skills; adept at overseeing and executing strategic projects with significant visibility and impact. Demonstrated ability to resourcefully solve problems.
· An awareness of the impacts of secondary trauma in the workplace.
· Excellent organizational skills including exceptional attention to detail, ability to meet deadlines and accomplish work in order of priority while driving and achieving strategic objectives.
· Accessible, flexible, decisive, and supportive management style that inspires trust and confidence while creating space for collaboration and shared decision making when possible. Ability to inspire staff to work together in pursuit of a common mission and hold them accountable for accomplishment of objectives. Ability to provide clear direction, delegate well and assume ultimate responsibility. Ability to develop and nurture highly talented and diverse staff.
· Understanding of oppressive systems and experience using strategies that create systemic and lasting change.
· Demonstrated ability to develop and manage effective teams in a fast-paced, complex, non-profit environment.
· A diplomatic advocate with active listening skills who can connect with people from different backgrounds, build relationships across differences, and navigate and resolve conflict in a manner that values and respects relationships with people at all levels, both within and outside of the organization.
· Effective written and oral communication skills; excellent interpersonal skills.
· Experience in resource allocation, budgeting, and resource deployment.
· Competence in the use of office computer applications, electronic databases, and electronic legal research.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The ACLU of WA is dedicated to centering equity in all aspects of the organization and, as such, has adopted a salary scale for measuring how to best compensate its employees. The salary for this position is $169,317 - $183,814. A range indicates the intention to accommodate those with varying years of relevant experience, as determined by the salary scale.
This position is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act and requires a willingness to work beyond our standard 7-hour workday, including evening and weekend meetings and events.
Benefits include three weeks of vacation, thirteen sick days, fifteen holidays, fully paid employee medical, dental, vision, and disability insurance, a generous retirement plan, and an ORCA card, the regional transportation pass.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY
This position will head a department of 29 staff, directly supervising 5 staff. The number of direct reports and department size is subject to change.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The ACLU-WA’s staff of 40+ employees and numerous volunteers generally work in a standard office setting in downtown Seattle between the hours of 9am and 5pm (see below for information on operations during the COVID pandemic). The physical demands and work environment described below represent those required and encountered by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Ability to type on a keyboard and view a computer screen for long periods of time.
- Ability to sit or stand for extended periods.
- Ability to travel locally/regionally/across the state a minimum of 5 days a month/as needed.
- Ability to work some evenings, weekends, and holidays.
- Ability to periodically work long and extended hours.
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 description and/or posting at any time without advance notice.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
To apply, email a cover letter and resume to [email protected] and include in the subject line of the email: your name and Integrated Advocacy Director. In your cover letter, please indicate where you learned of the posting. Applications will be accepted until September 30, 2021, at which time the job announcement will be removed from our website at www.aclu-wa.org/careers.
*Please note: the ACLU-WA is closely following the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). Currently, we are all working remotely and will begin transitioning back to the office in the fall with a goal of opening fully in early 2022. We will continue to carefully monitor public health pronouncements and recommendations.
As an organization, we value working together and look forward to when we can return to our office. Candidates outside of Seattle and/or Washington State will be considered for this position with the understanding that relocation to the Puget Sound region will be required possibly before we fully open.
To aid remote work, we provide laptops, home office supplies, certain equipment, and technology support. You will need an effective WiFi connection and a way to reach you by phone. This position is eligible for either a work phone or phone stipend, as well as an additional $100 stipend each month to help cover any additional costs while working from home.
The ACLU of Washington comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, Inc. and the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington Foundation. The two corporations share the same overall mission, office space, and employees. This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name “ACLU of Washington”.