Deputy, Affiliate Program and Strategy

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Deputy, Affiliate Program and Strategy in the Affiliate Support & Nationwide Initiatives Department of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month.

The Affiliate Support and Nationwide Initiatives Department (ASNI) builds state capacity and strengthens the connections between the ACLU and its network of 54 state affiliates and their 1,500 staff members across the country. Their work constitutes an unparalleled bulwark defending and advancing our civil liberties and civil rights. ASNI staff lead efforts to build program, build organizations, and drive resources to key battles across the country, positioning the nationwide organization for future challenges.

The Program and Strategy Team of ASNI works with ACLU affiliates in two interrelated ways. The team builds and cultivates excellence and fosters alignment in communications, legal, and advocacy programs in ACLU affiliates. The team also works with affiliate and national staff to drive and coordinate regional and nationwide efforts to advance civil rights and liberties issues, such as voting rights and restoring rights at the border. The team collaborates with other ASNI colleagues, ACLU national office partners, and ACLU affiliate program staff to win major victories, build goal-oriented programs, and support strong and resilient organizations that center equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Reporting to the National Director, Affiliate Support & Nationwide Initiatives, the Deputy is a member of the Department’s senior leadership team and oversees a team dedicated to building affiliate capacity in the ACLU’s 54 state offices in all aspects of human capital management and operations, developing and sharing best practices, guidance, and tools for sound human resources practices and financial and administrative operations. They work to integrate strong leadership practices into department activities and work with affiliates to advance a leadership mindset that drives innovation and high impact programming across the nationwide enterprise.

They are an expert in organizational development, change management, leadership, strategic planning, and board governance. They work closely with the Department’s Director, a member of the National ACLU senior leadership team, and Deputy Director, to devise nationwide programs and practices that position the ACLU network for the future and to ensure it accomplishes its mission.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

Leadership and Management

• Serves as a Chief-level leader within the department, contributing to the development and execution of high-level organizational strategy, ensuring alignment with the national strategy framework while recognizing affiliate independence
• Leads a program and strategy team, setting vision, priorities, and overseeing execution to build high-performing teams within ASNI
• Works closely with the departmental leadership team to develop the leadership capabilities of department staff and drive impact across affiliates
• Champions a multi-disciplinary approach to ensure that ASNI programs contribute to a positive organizational culture within affiliates
• Operationalizes department norms and values, ensuring adherence to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (EDIB) principles
• Implements change management practices to expand affiliate program capacity while mitigating organizational impacts on affiliate staff
• Advises on grants to affiliates to ensure strategic investment
• Acts as a key representative and ambassador for ASNI, advocating for affiliate interests in national program development and execution
• Prepares and manages the annual team budget, oversees consultant contracts, and ensures fiscal responsibility
• Builds strong relationships with national office leaders and affiliate Executive Directors to align programmatic priorities and drive shared impact

Building State Capacity

• Leads initiatives that build legal, communications, advocacy, organizing, and electoral program capacity within affiliates
• Promotes “campaigning” as a strategic framework to achieve clear, winnable objectives that strengthen affiliates’ long-term power
• Enhances affiliate electoral capacity to advance policy objectives through voter engagement, constituency-building, and candidate-related efforts within legal parameters
• Strengthens affiliate legal capacity for impact litigation, strategic legal partnerships, and other high-impact legal interventions
• Develops affiliate strategic communications capabilities to influence key audiences using paid, earned, shared, and owned media channels
• Builds affiliate organizing capacity to foster deep community relationships, mobilization efforts, and volunteer leadership programs
• Supports affiliate legislative capacity to develop lobbying strategies, cultivate bipartisan relationships, and drive policy change
• Leverages national and affiliate expertise to drive aligned, high-impact program work
• Oversees affiliate-centered program working groups and learning communities, identifying and scaling best practices
• Ensures that new affiliate program staff are effectively onboarded and engaged in nationwide strategy

Multi-State Initiatives

• Oversees major multi-state program initiatives that drive policy change with national implications
• Ensures multi-state initiatives integrate capacity-building goals to sustain long-term affiliate impact
• Works with national office leaders and key affiliates to identify shared policy objectives requiring coordinated strategy and execution
• Facilitates internal communications to coordinate stakeholders and align multi-state initiatives
• Drives strategic grant-making and resource allocation to support regional, multi-state, and nationwide initiatives

In addition to:

• Provides high-level strategic counsel to the ASNI Director on matters affecting affiliates and department priorities
• Resolves obstacles and conflicts constructively to strengthen internal and external relationships
• Travel required as necessary to support affiliate engagement and strategic priorities
• Engages in special projects and additional responsibilities as assigned

FUTURE ACLU'ERS WILL

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• Significant leadership experience managing teams and networks, particularly in a federated structure
• Substantial experience in direct advocacy on civil rights and liberties issues
• Strong strategic thinking skills, with the ability to align state and national objectives
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills, with experience leading large-scale trainings
• Demonstrated ability to build credibility and influence across diverse stakeholders
• Proven success working in cross-functional, multi-disciplinary teams to achieve organizational goals
• Highly organized, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage complex projects
• Willing to take on both high-level strategic work and essential operational tasks
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage, motivate, and influence stakeholders at all levels
• A continuous learner with a curiosity-driven mindset and a commitment to innovation

COMPENSATION

WHY THE ACLU

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.

We know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and know that what we offer is essential not just their work, but to their overall well-being.

At the ACLU, we offer a broad range of benefits, which include:

• Time away to focus on the things that matter with a generous paid time-off policy
• Focus on your well-being with comprehensive healthcare benefits (including medical, dental and vision coverage, parental leave, gender affirming care & fertility treatment)
• Plan for your retirement with 401k plan and employer match
• We support employee growth and development through annual professional development funds, internal professional development programs and workshops

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Accessibility, equity, diversity and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change. 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, anti-ableism, 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.

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage 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.

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 benefits.hrdept@aclu.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.