The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky

Position Announcement
Program Associate
April 2008

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky (ACLU) is seeking a full-time Program Associate to advance our public education and legislative advocacy programs within Kentucky. The ACLU is the nation’s foremost organization defending and advancing civil rights and civil liberties principles through advocacy, litigation, legislative activities, and public educational programming.

The Program Associate works to raise public awareness about civil liberties and engage our members and other concerned individuals, organizations, and communities in advocacy for their rights on a local, state and national level.

The Program Associate will report to the Executive Director and will work closely with other ACLU-KY staff members in addition to key programmatic officers at the National ACLU.

To learn more about the work of the ACLU and the civil liberties principles we uphold, please visit www.aclu-ky.org and www.aclu.org.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Advocate for ACLU positions at the Kentucky General Assembly, including helping to identify, analyze, and prioritize important legislative issues, draft proposed bills and policy briefs prior to and during session, meet with legislators and their staffs, testify at hearings, and identify and work with allies on our issues.
• Help prioritize relevant civil liberties and civil rights issues, and appropriately allocate his or her own time and the time of volunteers and interns.
• With our partner organizations, coordinate a statewide campaign around felony disenfranchisement
• Identify and develop relationships with individuals, and organizations across lines of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religious affiliation and socio-economic circumstances to establish potential coalitions within these communities.
• Assist in the development and distribution of public education materials, press releases, opinion pieces, fact sheets, and other publications including utilization of web-based technologies.
• Work with staff and members to develop/implement community public education programs and outreach efforts throughout the state with existing chapters and/or ACLU area members.
• Design and implement a volunteer engagement strategy to aid in educational events, lobbying and fundraising.
• Assist in seeking out private grants, identifying and soliciting major gifts, and supporting special fundraising events in collaboration with the Development Director, the Executive Director, and the staff team.
• Work as part of the ACLU staff team, understanding the connections and overlaps between program areas, administration, litigation, and fundraising.
• Attend ACLU functions, such as the annual membership meeting and Bill of Rights Dinner, occasional Board meetings, and other ACLU events. Assist the Executive Director in maintaining a strong team spirit within the office.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Valuable areas of experience include public policy, politics, legal, non-profit, advocacy or public education.
• Demonstrated interest in, enthusiasm for, and commitment to the mission and principles of the ACLU.
• Lobbying experience preferred.
• Knowledge of Kentucky politics, issues, regions and organizations is desirable.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to coordinate multi-media communications.
• Evidence of a commitment and an understanding of how to work effectively in and with diverse communities; a personal approach that values the individual and respects differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability and socio-economic circumstance.
• Ability to speak Spanish is a plus.
• Experience organizing issue-oriented campaigns.
• Excellent organizational skills; independent worker with ability to motivate, work well with, and lead others.
• Experience in successfully directing volunteers, and demonstrated leadership skills and ability to motivate others.
• Strong public speaking ability.
• Ability to travel throughout the state and to manage and accommodate a work schedule that will include evening and weekend commitments.
• Ability to work on several projects at various stages of completion.
• Basic office Computer skills.
• Demonstrated ability to be self-motivated and independent in addition to working as part of an effective staff team.

Personal Attributes:

• Leader
• Initiative
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Strong communicator
• Strong facilitator
• Strategic
• Creative
• Constructive
• Respectful of others
• Ability to cope with changing and uncertain circumstances
• Organized Confident and capable
• Committed and dedicated
• Ability to guild trusting, challenging relationships
• Collaborative

Compensation:
The ACLU of Kentucky offers an excellent benefit package including paid vacation, medical and dental insurance, pension plan, and generous paid holiday, commensurate to experience.

To Apply:
Please send letters of interest, resume, and 3 professional references to:

Program Associate Search Committee
ACLU of Kentucky
c/o Michael Aldridge
315 Guthrie Street Suite 300
Louisville, KY 40202
or
by email to michael@aclu-ky.org

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, which will not be before April 25, 2008. Please indicate where you learned of this posting.

The ACLU of Kentucky is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.