Director of Editorial Strategy & Storytelling, Brand Studio

ACLU - National Office • New York, NY

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

The ACLU seeks a full-time Director of Editorial Strategy & Storytelling in the Marketing & Communications 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 ACLU Marketing & Communications Department creates, maintains, and expands message narratives to engage our supporters and other target audiences, to help protect and expand civil liberties and civil rights, and illustrate the value and impact of the ACLU’s work. Through our messaging, engagement with newsmakers, our written and social content, branding, and visual identity, we encourage support for the ACLU and help to create a more perfect union. Reporting to the Head of Brand Studio, the Director of Editorial Strategy & Storytelling is a senior leader within the Brand Studio unit of the Communications & Marketing team. They are charged with aligning and advancing the organization’s storytelling and editorial strategy across teams and platforms. This role leads the development of a unified editorial vision that connects content across the ACLU’s ecosystem - through editorial planning, creative campaign building, story gathering infrastructure, ethical storytelling practices, and deep cross-functional collaboration. The Director of Editorial Strategy & Storytelling will work closely with the Head of Brand Studio to guide narrative priorities across departments, ensuring that storytelling efforts are rooted in strategy and research, aligned with advocacy goals, and designed to grow and diversify the ACLU’s audience in ways that support the needs of local, state and national ACLU entities. The ideal candidate is a strategic storyteller with exceptional writing, research and project management skills, capable of translating complex legal and policy issues into accessible narratives and sourcing powerful stories and storytellers who bring our broad civil liberties agenda to life. Equal parts editorial architect, research translator, and creative campaign strategist, the Director of Editorial Strategy & Storytelling will partner with the Head of Brand Studio to lead a coordinated storytelling roadmap and editorial calendar that aligns with the ACLU’s legal, policy, and advocacy priorities. They will build and manage a centralized story bank to elevate impactful narratives and storytellers, and transform complex legal, policy, and research insights into clear, values-driven storytelling. The Director of Editorial Strategy & Storytelling manages the Managing Editor and Content Writer, providing editorial guidance, mentorship, and strategic direction to help them deliver consistent, high-quality content that aligns with the ACLU’s voice and goals. They will also oversee the ACLU’s editorial style guide, story gathering protocols, and ethical storytelling practices, serving as the organization’s go-to resource for how stories are collected and told - setting standards, coaching staff, and providing training on strategic, inclusive, and trauma-informed storytelling that aligns with the ACLU’s values and the communities we serve.

Requirements

• Extensive experience leading editorial strategy, storytelling, or communications within a mission-driven organization, newsroom, or advocacy environment.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and research synthesis skills, with a demonstrated ability to translate complex legal, policy, or research materials into clear, accessible, and compelling narratives.
• Proven ability to work across large, complex organizations to build processes that align priorities, reduce redundancies, and strengthen collaboration, particularly in siloed or overlapping work environments
• Deep understanding of ethical, inclusive, and trauma-informed storytelling practices, including experience sourcing and working with storytellers from historically marginalized communities.
• Experience leading and mentoring high-performing teams, including managing editorial workflows, fostering professional growth, and cultivating a collaborative and inclusive creative environment. Experience giving tough feedback and improving performance.
• Strategic thinker with a strong grasp of campaign development, audience engagement, and narrative strategy across digital platforms such as blogs, podcasts, video, and social media.
• Familiarity with editorial calendar development, story banking systems, and tools that support cross-team content coordination.
• Experience collaborating with legal, policy, marketing, and digital teams to identify strategic storytelling opportunities aligned with organizational priorities.
• Strong project and time management skills, with experience overseeing vendors, managing budgets, and coordinating timelines and deliverables.
• Familiarity with Microsoft and Asana tools
• Ability to balance long-term planning with fast-paced, real-time storytelling demands, especially during major legal or policy developments.

Responsibilities

• Team Management & Development
• Editorial Leadership
• Editorial Standards & Practices

Benefits

• 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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees