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Assistant Director

General Duties
The Assistant Director is a member of the ACLU of Southern California’s leadership team and, under the direction of the Executive Director, plays a key role in shaping the future of the ACLU/SC and increasing the effectiveness and capacity of our organizing strategies and public policy campaigns. This is a temporary one-year job assignment.

The ACLU of Southern California is actually two entities: the “Union” a 501c (4) and the “Foundation” a 501c (3). They are managed by two separate boards with some overlap between them. The Foundation board has 76 elected members and the Union board has 60 elected members. All board members serve staggered three-year terms. The board oversees the organization through several standing committees and occasionally creates ad hoc committees to focus on discrete aspects of the organization.

The ACLU/SC has regional chapters across Southern California, as well as a Singles Chapter, and a Lesbian/Gay Rights Chapter. The ACLU/SC also has offices in Orange County and Sacramento.

Specific Duties
The Assistant Director has three core areas of responsibility: (1) primary responsibility for expanding ACLU/SC’s Field program; (2) internal management and support of the organization and (3) facilitating a collaborative, strategic, and efficient workflow among the legal, legislative, public education, communications, and development activities and the regional offices.

Membership mobilization and action.The Assistant Director works with the ACLU’s Field staff, attorneys, and Legislative Director to implement the following:


  • Lead effective high impact campaigns for civil liberties utilizing ACLU/SC’s combination of legal, legislative, public education, communications and organizing strategies;

  • Develop and implement strategies to deploy ACLU/SC members and supporters, along with new members as advocates for civil liberties;

  • Supervise Field staff to provide guidance and support to ACLU/SC’s local chapters, including satellite offices, campus clubs and local action committees and to build effective multi-organizational coalitions on priority issues;

  • Collaborate with the ACLU National office on national and statewide issues and ballot measure campaigns;

  • Work with the Communications Director to integrate new technology as a tool for activists to advance ACLU’s program goals.



Coordinate the work of the ACLU of Southern California’s Regional Offices.

  • Work with the Chief Financial Officer, ensuring that the regional office operations are managed efficiently and effectively;

  • Work with the Development Director, Special Events Manager and Field staff, ensuring that local events are well-planned and executed;

  • Facilitate communication and coordination as appropriate between regional affiliates and national office in New York;

  • Work with Senior Legal Management, ensuring that legal department functions are communicated and coordinated among staff.



Facilitate the smooth functioning of the office and organization.

  • Organize and attend board and committee meetings.

  • Ensure the work of the ACLU is coordinated strategically across departments, fits within the strategic plan, and that project directors are providing quarterly reports as needed;

  • Facilitate communication among the senior management and staff by scheduling regular meetings;

  • Work with Development Director and Executive Director to assist with the raising of individual gifts and foundation grants.



Qualifications

  • Extraordinary leadership and management skills;

  • Management experience (supervising staff, managing budgets and effectively juggling multiple priorities and projects) and the ability to manage and work effectively with other professional staff and to motivate and interact with multi-racial, multi-generational activists and ACLU/SC leaders;

  • Ability to form and articulate a strategic vision for an effective field program and for coordination of ACLU/SC’s multi-disciplinary strategies;

  • Substantial experience in developing successful political/legislative and activist campaigns, including experience with on-line organizing and communication;

  • Familiarity and/or expertise in a broad range of civil liberties issues, the death penalty, criminal justice issues, reproductive freedom, and equal justice on the basis of race, gender, disability, and sexual orientation, and interest in economic rights as a civil liberties issue;

  • Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, as a public spokesperson and advocate; a “quick study” on an array of issues, including the ability to analyze and articulate legal concepts and other complex issues and communicate them to a variety of audiences;

  • A demonstrated commitment to the cause of civil liberties and civil rights and the mission of the ACLU;

  • Personal enthusiasm and optimism, along with a sense of humor.

  • Work demands frequently require working evenings, weekends and holidays.

  • Additional duties and job assignments will be assigned and established by the Executive Director, as needed.

  • This is a temporary one year job assignment.



To Apply:

Email resume and substantive cover letter. No phone calls, please. Filing deadline, 5 p.m. April 16, 2010.

The ACLU of Southern California is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Women, people of color, people with disabilities, people over 55, and people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender are encouraged to apply.

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