American Civil Liberties Union

Career Opportunity
REGIONAL ADVOCACY AND POLICY STRATEGIST – IMMIGRANTS’ RIGHTS [ASD-34]
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation
Affiliate Support and Advocacy Department

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU), founded in 1920, is a nationwide, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with more than 500,000 members dedicated to the principles of liberty and equality embodied in the U.S. Constitution.  The Affiliate Support and Advocacy Department of the ACLU’s National Office seeks a full-time Regional Advocacy and Policy Strategist to be part of a new campaign to fight state anti-immigrant laws.The Regional Advocacy and Policy Strategist will be based in one of the following locations – Atlanta, Kansas City, or St. Louis.The position is for two years with the possibility of renewal for a third year.

OVERVIEW

The ACLU is launching a nationwide and coordinated campaign of litigation, advocacy, and public education to fight back against state laws aimed at harming immigrants.  The Regional Advocacy and Policy Strategist will be part of an exciting new interdisciplinary team based in a region where the civil liberties threats to immigrants are especially dire. The team will integrate and capitalize on the expertise of staff focused on litigation, communications, advocacy, and alliance and coalition building.  The Strategist will bring a creative organizing and strategic advocacy planning perspective to the interdisciplinary regional team.

Since its inception, the ACLU has maintained a commitment to protecting and promoting the civil rights and civil liberties of immigrants and their families. The ACLU has been at the forefront of almost every major recent struggle on behalf of immigrants’ rights. In recent years, state and local lawmakers around the country have adopted unconstitutional legislation and policies designed to take federal immigration regulation and enforcement into their own hands.  Laws like Arizona's SB 1070 invite racial profiling against Latinos, Asian-Americans, and others presumed to be "foreign" based on how they look or sound. They also authorize police to demand papers proving citizenship or immigration status from anyone they stop and suspect of being in the country unlawfully.  Through an integrated team including advocacy staff, litigators, communications specialists, federal lobbyists, and ACLU affiliates, the ACLU leads the multi-pronged efforts to defeat these and other misdirected anti-immigrant laws.

Through its affiliates, members, and national staff, the ACLUhas a presence in every state across the country.  Requiring significant and frequent travel, the Strategist will work closely with ACLU affiliates on the ground in a dedicated region, their state partners, and impacted communities to aggressively battle state and local attempts to pass anti-immigrant legislation, as well as to push for positive measures that protect immigrants from discrimination and assist their efforts to integrate into civic life.  The Strategist will work with affiliates to design multi-faceted advocacy campaigns, focusing on strategic alliance formation, public engagement, coalition building, and mobilization of supporters and impacted communities to advance immigrants’ rights.  

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• In conjunction with litigation, communications, and other advocacy staff, provide strategic guidance to ACLU affiliates in a dedicated region to assist with state-based advocacy efforts, including developing campaign objectives and strategies, coalition building, community organizing, and decision-maker engagement to further public policy outcomes.
• Assist affiliates and help develop capacity to carry forth strategic alliance building efforts with law enforcement, businesses, faith-based groups, labor, and other key allies.
• Participate in interdisciplinary planning to achieve policy goals within a dedicated region.
• Travel within the region to assist and support policy advocacy.
• Monitor state policy activity including legislation that is relevant to immigrants’ rights.
• Draft policy analyses designed to effect change by state policymakers.
• Develop and produce advocacy tools for ACLU affiliates to assist their state-based advocacy efforts.
• Develop affiliates’ expertise in immigrants’ rights and other key civil liberties issues.
• Create best practices for use in other regions.
• Speak publicly at state and local forums, conferences and meetings.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree plus a minimum of two years’ experience in developing and coordinating successful legislative, political, or organizing campaigns. Preference will be given to candidates with higher levels of experience. 
• Excellent analytic, writing, and strategic planning skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are essential.
• Ability to synthesize complex issues and present them to a lay audience.
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences, including attorneys, advocates, impacted communities, and the general public.
• Ability to take initiative, think creatively, work well under pressure, and manage multiple priorities and projects effectively.
• Ability to handle multiple priorities in a fast paced environment under tight deadlines.
• Ability to work with staff at all levels in the organization, including the ability to work with colleagues remotely.
• Strong and demonstrated interest in civil liberties and social justice issues; familiarity with immigrants’ rights preferred. 
• Experience working with immigrants and communities of color required.
• Fluency or strong proficiency in spoken and written Spanish strongly preferred.  
• Frequent travel is required.

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

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Please indicate in your cover letter where you learned of this career opportunity.

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 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”.

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, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, and veteran status.   We encourage any applicants who need accommodations in the application process to contact: HrjobsINCLReq@aclu.org.