Senior Director, National Campaigns

ACLU - National Office•Washington, DC

77d•$242,000 - $242,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As the nation’s guardian of civil rights and liberties, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) dares to create a more perfect union — beyond one person, party, or side, through its mission “to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees”. In a time of unprecedented attacks on civil liberties, the National Political Advocacy Department (NPAD) of the ACLU builds power to achieve an accountable and representative democracy. NPAD seeks a Senior Director of National Campaigns to strategically advance its ambitious goals across Reproductive Freedom, Democracy and Voting Rights, Systemic Equality, Immigration, Trans Justice, Criminal Justice, and Abuse of Power through world class campaigns that activate legislative, administrative, and electoral lever. Partnering across the ACLU, the Senior Director will drive national and federal efforts that support and amplify the priorities of the ACLU and its affiliates. The Senior Director reports to Deirdre Schifeling, the ACLU’s Chief Political & Advocacy Officer. She leads the powerful National Political Advocacy Department that harnesses formidable political and policy forces to advance the rights of people, especially the marginalized. With urgency, courage, and conviction, NPAD mobilizes the ACLU as a powerful force for justice, fully equipped to meet the urgent challenges facing our democracy. To meet this moment, the Senior Director of National Campaigns position demands a strategic and visionary campaigner who has the knowledge and know-how to activate, coordinate, and respond to the rapidly changing attacks on civil liberties. Focused on mobilization and movement-building, the Senior Director will guide an experienced team to win legislative and administrative victories and build the ACLU’s power and momentum, making the organization’s grassroots resistance as powerful and effective as its legal advocacy.

Requirements

Significant leadership running and winning high intensity major issue advocacy campaigns and multi-year efforts at the national level.
Deep experience shifting public opinion through diverse campaign strategies and movement-building.
High level general expertise developed through work for organizations of similar impact and complexity, bringing understanding of campaigns beyond legislative and electoral work.
Exceptional capacity for managing and leading across teams in a matrixed environment.
Strong conflict management skills with ability to bring consensus and/or make decisions where all can agree or “disagree and commit” to move the work forward.
Experienced in leadership and coordination of rapid response.
Effective spokesperson for the organization with honed skills in advocacy, influence, and persuasion.
Brings strong relationships with external constituencies.
Demonstrated commitment to ACLU’s core values of equity, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
A leader and manager who creates a culture of belonging for all; respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers colleagues to do the best work possible.

Responsibilities

Set Direction, Drive Results & Lead Decisively
Create and put in motion a comprehensive national campaign strategy in conjunction with the Chief Political & Advocacy Officer.
Establish priorities and identify mutually reinforcing efforts among the national campaigns.
Maintain the big-picture (a 30,000-foot view) across emerging opportunities and challenges to drive integrated and seamless execution in National campaigns.
Sequence and prioritize the work of multiple complex initiatives.
Connect and amplify emerging trends, identifying common threads across issues.
Inspire confidence by making and enforcing decisions.
Distinguish between nice to have and must have and decisively say yes and not now.
Unify, Coordinate and Optimize
Reinforce the connection and work of the highly skilled national campaigns team and integrate their work to prevent conflicting efforts, inefficiencies, and siloed initiatives.
Provide visibility and oversight across all campaign activities.
Be the connective tissue of national campaigns and NPAD and make sure tactics reinforce each other instead of competing for resources.
Enable success by reducing bureaucratic obstacles and sharpening campaign performance through hands-on support.
Help the team know when and how to work together and which battles to pursue.
Continuously evaluate whether the focus of work represents the highest use of resources.
Ensure campaign activities are strategically sequenced and operationally sustainable for the operations, organizing, and state teams.
Identify and capitalize on missed opportunities.
Support Leadership, Bring Alignment, and Rapidly Respond
Provide insight, clarity, and creativity, and drive well-developed options and decisions as a trusted deputy and thought partner to the Chief Political & Advocacy Officer (CPAO).
Distill complex operational realities into action and strengthen ideas coming from multiple directions in the matrixed organization.
Integrate these ideas into the strategy.
Support alignment between the CPAO and national campaigns team by fostering a culture of accessibility, mutual respect, and shared purpose through channels that reinforce rather than circumvent established roles.
Lead rapid response efforts with experience, agility, and nimbleness.