Project Manager

Job Description

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Project Manager in the Affiliate Support and Nationwide Initiatives Department of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY.

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.

Reporting directly to the Senior Director, Program and Strategy , the Project Manager has the primary responsibility for providing project oversight and coordination of the department’s multi-state initiatives, primarily the Southern Collective. The Southern Collective is made up of the ACLU’s 12 affiliates in the South – the ACLUs of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. In partnership with ACLU National, the Southern Collective was launched in 2019 to address the challenges in the South that are rooted in its unique history of racial oppression and violence and equally remarkable history of civil rights struggles and victories. The Collective’s strength lies in its power to share and collaborate for change in a region that is paving the way for racial justice nationwide.
This position will participate in meetings and discussions of a highly strategic and confidential nature, will liaise with staff regarding team and organizational initiatives, and will create and manage the structure, schedule, and internal communication plans for related projects to drive their successful completion.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Management

• Serves as lead project coordinator for the Southern Collective and other multi-state initiatives, such as the Southern Border Initiative, and special assignments tasked by the Senior Director of Program and Strategy and the Department’s Director. These include organizing project workstreams, establishing and managing timelines, identifying risks, managing roles and progress to goals, driving accountability, gaining cooperation of others, assisting in resolving potential conflicts, and managing internal communications
• Designs and implements methods for tracking deliverables, schedules, and metrics for projects, providing clear tasks and accountability for project leaders and team members to ensure deliverables adhere to internal quality standards
• Creates and maintains comprehensive project documentation, providing a clear historical record of decisions, systems, procedures and communications involved in each project's completion
• Tracks execution and implementation tasks of the Memorandums of Understanding agreed upon between the department and individual affiliates for direct investments
• Identifies potential efficiencies across initiatives and helps drive toward consistency, shared systems and processes, shared learnings, and alignment across multi-state initiatives within the Department
• Creates and implements effective roll-out plans, conducting post-completion evaluations to determine successful/unsuccessful project elements, and training and onboarding of workstream owners and team members
• Executes specific tasks within projects, including drafting communications and meeting agendas, systems build-out and testing, managing procurement processes, and creating project evaluation and presentation materials
• Establishes and maintains a relationship management database to facilitate smooth navigation of partnerships, coalitions, and relationships with other advocacy, community, grassroots, grass tops, and movement organizations
• Serves as the primary coordinator and manager for convenings, working with affiliate leaders, the Special Events Manager, and other ASNI and national staff to plan and execute remote and in-person gatherings
• Serves as the primary liaison to staff serving in regional positions funded by the Southern Collective, facilitating internal Collective communications and adherence to workstream objectives and deliverables, reporting requirements, and timelines
• Provides the Senior Director and other department leadership regular updates on the progress of projects

Project Budgets

• Works with the program associate to ensure each initiative’s budget is maintained and aligns with the Department’s budget; monitors budget to actual expenditures through the course of the year and reports on progress to goals
• Oversees execution of regional and direct investments to affiliates, and ensures grants are paid according to agreements and updated, as appropriate
• Oversees grant reporting for direct investments in affiliates and provides analytical reports of progress toward goals

Team Coordination; Meeting Facilitation

• Supports the Senior Director of Program and Strategy and Department Director by developing critical communications such as talking points, memos, emails, documents and presentations in support of decision-making and in preparation for important internal and external meetings
• Develops agendas, analyses and materials for team meetings; manages follow-up to key decisions directly with staff
• Facilitates communication and collaborative work with the executive directors of Southern Collective affiliates, and the Steering Committee of the Southern Collective
• Manages systems for communication and collaboration so National and Affiliate staff have the most up-to-date information, feel connected to the larger team and mission, and interconnectedness of projects are realized and leveraged
• Builds relationships and fosters a sense of team in a high-performing work atmosphere
• Assesses projects each week and prioritizes the most critical projects and problem solving for the Senior Director
• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned
• Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding the values in program development, policy application, and organizational practices and processes
• Commitment to the mission of the ACLU
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance
• Commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Exceptional organizational, planning and project management skills with demonstrated ability to manage large, complex projects and coordinate collaborative work processes involving multiple stakeholders
• Flexibility to manage multiple priorities from a variety of sources; organizing and prioritizing effectively to impact areas of greatest need
• Ability to work proactively in an ambiguous, dynamic, fast-paced environment
• High degree of proficiency in Microsoft Office products (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel), and familiarity with project management software or tools (e.g. Asana)
• Willingness to explore and onboard new or emerging systems or technologies to facilitate effective project management and efficiencies
• Experience and/or familiarity with issues, history, and communities in the US South, preferred
• Demonstrated ability to speak, write, and publicly present in a clear, succinct and persuasive manner, such that expectations and timelines are clearly defined
• Strong interpersonal skills that contribute to a collegial working environment

COMPENSATION

The annual salary for this position is $91,237 (H level). This salary is reflective of a position based in New York, NY. This salary will be subject to a locality adjustment (according to a specific city and state), if an authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting. Note that most of the salaries listed on our job postings reflect New York, NY salaries, where our National offices are headquartered.

ABOUT THE ACLU

The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union – beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.

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 from government abuse and overreach.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. 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 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.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU encourages 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. Black people, Indigenous people, people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people; women; people with disabilities, protected veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals are all strongly encouraged to apply.

The ACLU makes every effort to assure that its recruitment and employment provide all qualified persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions.

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 [email protected] . If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.