Director Of Strategy & Innovation

Title: Director of Strategy & Innovation

Office: National Offices

Location: Washington, District of Columbia, United States

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks a full-time position of Directors of Strategy & Innovation in the Executive Department of the ACLU’s National office in Washington, D.C./Remote*.

The ACLU works on some of the most pressing civil rights and civil liberties issues facing American society today. In any given year, the ACLU selects 3-5 issue areas (reproductive rights, transgender justice, etc.) as priorities for our cross-functional, nationwide work; the Strategy Office focuses on those Priority Issues while also supporting the ACLU’s work in our other core issue areas (disability rights, privacy, etc.). This work requires strategic alignment and coordinated execution across many departments within the organization. With that in mind, the ACLU seeks two full-time Directors of Strategy & Innovation.

Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer, the Directors of Strategy & Innovation are key members of the ACLU’s new Strategy Office. The Strategy Office is charged with ensuring that the ACLU works in a coordinated way to protect and advance civil rights and civil liberties in the United States. The office resides within the Executive Department, the visionary center of leadership of the nation’s primary defender of civil liberties. The Executive Department manages the strategy and mission driving the ACLU’s 600+ employees and $350M+ plus operating budget. The Strategy Office is now at the center of this work, led by the Chief Strategy Officer and supported by future Directors of Strategy & Innovation, who work in close collaboration Executive Department leaders, including the Deputy Executive Director for Strategy and Culture, and the Executive Director.

Working with cross-departmental Priority Issue teams, Directors of Strategy & Innovation will serve as the internal conveners, stewards, and integrators of the ACLU’s organization-wide work related to our Priority Issues. Directors of Strategy & Innovation will spearhead the overall strategy process, multi-year budgets, and cross-departmental alignment for their associated Priority Issues. During the strategy and budget setting process Directors of Strategy & Innovation will work in concert with the ACLU’s experts in the Legal, Political Advocacy, Affiliate Support, Communication, and other departments to plan and harmonize activities across departments toward a shared set of multi-year goals for their associated Priority Issues. In doing so, Directors of Strategy & Innovation ensure that the ACLU takes an integrated advocacy approach, combining and sequencing the appropriate tactics - legal, advocacy, communications, and others – to accomplish strategic goals. In addition, Directors of Strategy & Innovation facilitate communication and shared work on Priority Issue areas through cross-departmental teams on an ongoing basis, to ensure continued alignment, execution of shared strategies, and key adjustments to strategies based on changing circumstances.

Directors of Strategy & Innovation will also provide key support to experts and teams working on core issue areas to ensure integrated strategic planning, operational coordination, and organizational readiness. The threats to civil rights and liberties may change at any time and different issues may be prioritized by the ACLU in response. Directors of Strategy & Innovation will work with other members of the Strategy Office to be alert to emerging threats to civil liberties and civil rights and be prepared to identify needs to shift priorities.

*Note: this position may be approved for remote work from a different U.S. location

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Planning & Consulting (50%)

• Identify opportunities to align National ACLU and state affiliate strategy on associated Priority Issue(s) in close partnership with the Affiliate Support and Nationwide Initiatives Department
• Work with Chief Strategy Officer and organizational leadership to implement a system (objectives, metrics, data sources, etc.) that embeds principles of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) for monitoring and evaluating progress against Priority Issue strategies
• Be the main point person for a set of Priority Issue areas in the organization-wide strategic planning and budgeting process in consultation with associated ACLU leadership
• Be the architect of cohesive and impactful Priority Issue strategies that draw on ACLU expertise, your own experience, relationships with other movement players, research, consultation, data, and landscape analysis

Cross Departmental Coordination & Facilitation (25%)

• Create regular internal communications that inform the organization about progress and developments related to issue areas
• Be a ready collaborator with colleagues in our Development and Communications departments to ensure that timely, accurate programmatic input is injected into development campaigns and external messaging
• Regularly join or convene teams working on core issue areas to support collaboration, decision making, and goal setting
• Lead strategy execution for Priority Teams including convening, agenda setting, progress tracking, accountability, and lifting information and analysis from inside and outside the ACLU

Strategy Office Team Alignment & Support (25%)

• In coordination with colleagues, create and maintain a risk register for Priority Issues so that associated mitigation and management plans can be created with relevant experts in advance
• Support Chief Strategy Officer in standardizing and implementing organization-wide strategic planning processes that are data driven, inclusive, aligned with movement-level goals and movement partners, and forward looking
• Support the Chief Strategy Officer in creating templates, tools, and systems to harmonize strategic planning and budgeting across the organization

Embedded Responsibilities

• Demonstrate a commitment to the mission of the ACLU
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance
• Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding the values in program development, policy application, and organizational practices and processes
• Demonstrate a commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Proven track record of managing high impact integrated advocacy programs in support of civil rights, civil liberties, or other strategic objectives.

• Adept project manager with experience motivating effective team members, as well as experience managing team administrative capacities (meeting facilitation, budgeting, etc.)
• Expertise in aligning and sequencing policy, political, and communications strategies.
• Experience in a comparable advocacy organization or nonprofit with demonstrated expertise in issue areas relating to civil rights/civil liberties (i.e., voting rights, racial justice, reproductive freedom, immigration, LGBTQ / transgender justice, free speech, etc.). Some familiarity of legal programs and litigation strategies preferred.
• A skilled facilitator, who synthesizes diverse perspectives to frame choices and decisions in a way that builds consensus and makes colleagues feel heard
• Demonstrated strategic planning expertise for an organization of similar complexity and scope.

• A skilled communicator, who effectively listens to and understands a range of approaches and opinions with an open mind, and who confidently embraces feedback
• Ability to navigate disagreement and/or conflict in a way that maintains a comfortable and collaborative team environment while advancing team priorities
• A strong writer, who communicates clearly and succinctly and can also produce templates and tools for others to provide information
• An experienced team leader, who motivates team members to collaborate and encourages accountability by following up on individual action-items
• Experience developing and owning a specific team’s strategy and/or strategic plans from start to finish, including tracking progress against goals

• Ability to work across multiple disciplines and to engage coalition partners, donors, and activists more directly in ACLU’s programs
• A demonstrated commitment to the principles of EDIB and nonpartisan protection of civil liberties and civil rights
• Unimpeachable integrity, self-confidence, a high level of energy, and good sense of humor.
• Experience operating successfully in an organization with a federated structure a bonus
• Experience working successfully in a dynamic, high-pressure environment requiring adaptation and composure
• Demonstrated commitment to civil liberties and civil rights work and communities the ACLU serves

COMPENSATION

The annual salary for this position is $206,637 (C2 Level). This salary is reflective of a position based in [New York, NY]. This salary will be subject to a locality adjustment (according to a specific city and state), if an authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting. Note that most of the salaries listed on our job postings reflect New York, NY salaries, where our National offices are headquartered.

ABOUT THE ACLU

The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union – beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.

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 from government abuse and overreach.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. 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 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.

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, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Black people, Indigenous people, people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people; women; people with disabilities, protected veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals are all strongly encouraged to apply.

The ACLU makes every effort to assure that its recruitment and employment provide all qualified persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions.

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 email [email protected]. 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.