Career Opportunity
ADVOCACY DIRECTOR [SD-05]
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation
ACLU of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, SD
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU), founded in 1920, is a nationwide, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with more than 500,000 members and is dedicated to the principles of liberty and equality embodied in the U.S. Constitution. The ACLU of South Dakota in Sioux Falls, SD is seeking applications for the full-time position of Advocacy Director.
OVERVIEW
The ACLU of South Dakota is a national chapter of the ACLU and conducts state based advocacy through public education, litigation and lobbying. The ACLU of South Dakota is the newest national chapter of the ACLU and it is quickly growing with the recent addition of a National Office in North Dakota. The ACLU of South Dakota and the National Office of North Dakota handle issues regarding reproductive freedom, voting rights, the rights of lesbian, bisexual and transgender as well as many other civil liberties issues.
The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota, National Chapter seeks an experienced leader to serve as its Advocacy Director. This position will play a leadership role in enhancing the overall capacity and effectiveness of the organization’s policy and field work and for membership mobilization and action on ACLU issue campaigns shaping the future of the ACLU of South Dakota and the National Office of North Dakota.
The Advocacy Director will be part of the ACLU of South Dakotas’ leadership team and will report to the Executive Director and work in collaboration with the Communications Director in organizing and leading advocacy around ACLU issues in South and North Dakota.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Plan and implement effective multi-disciplinary public policy campaigns for civil liberties, involving a combination of legislative, public education and organizing strategies.
- Mobilize supporters statewide on civil liberties priorities.
- Recruit and develop local leadership in targeted cities.
- Design and implement volunteer engagement strategy.
- Supervise and implement public education events and outreach throughout the state.
- Monitor legislative and ballot initiatives at the local state and federal levels and to actively lobby on matters that pertain to civil liberties at all levels.
- Organize and build successful grass roots lobbying initiatives in South Dakota.
- Build coalitions with other groups and entities regarding legislation that affect civil liberties and maintain relationships with allies on priority issues.
- Work closely with the Communications Director to create materials that advance advocacy goals and assist with public education.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of three of relevant experience.
- Minimum of three years experience overseeing and executing a local, state and legislative agenda that involves both pro-active and defensive work, legislative planning, and long-term campaign building.
- Experience monitoring local, state or national legislative processes.
- Ability to work cooperatively and collegially on wide-ranging projects with other attorneys, staff, and diverse individuals, organizations, and coalitions in the community.
- Demonstrated ability to present complicated legislative issues in a manner accessible to the broader public.
- Experience working in Latin American or Native American communities is preferred.
- Commitment to diversity; a personal approach that values the individual and respects differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability and socio-economic circumstance.
- Strong leadership and team building skills.
- Keen understanding of legislative strategy.
- Excellent research, writing, analytic, and communication skills. Excellent Internet research skills.
- Ability to multiple-task, work efficiently and quickly, meet deadlines and under pressure.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office e.g. Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc., desktop publishing tools and Internet applications.
- Demonstrated experience with online advocacy tools such as e-mail alerts, online petitions, and communications to public officials.
- Bilingual in Spanish or Lakota languages preferred.
- Willingness to travel.
- Strong and demonstrated commitment to civil liberties and social justice issues.
COMPENSATION
The ACLU offers a generous and comprehensive compensation and benefits package, commensurate with experience and within the parameters of the ACLU compensation scale.
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants should send a cover letter (include salary requirements), resume, a list of three references, and a writing sample by email to hrjobs@aclu.org – include Reference [SD-05/WACLU] in the subject line – or by mail to:
Human Resources
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation
Re: [SD-05/WACLU]
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Please indicate in your cover letter where you learned of this career opportunity.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, which will not be before June 23, 2011.
The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals to apply.
The ACLU comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation. Both the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation are national organizations with 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.”
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