Advocacy Director

Job Description

ADVOCACY DIRECTOR

Full Time - Exempt Position

The American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho seeks a dynamic team player to lead the organization’s Advocacy Department, which includes managing administrative and legislative work, and community organizing campaigns and projects. The Advocacy Director will oversee a growing department of staff, including a legislative policy strategist, a campaign strategist, advocacy fellows, and interns who work together to achieve the organization’s strategic priorities. The Advocacy Director oversees the development and implementation of long and short-term goals to advance high impact strategic campaigns and projects with the goal of organizational integration. The Advocacy Director will partner closely with leaders and staff of other departments.

This is a full-time, exempt position based in Boise that reports to the Executive Director. The successful hire must reside in Idaho before employment can begin.

About the ACLU:

The ACLU is the nation’s premier guardian of liberty. A nationwide, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, the ACLU is dedicated to defending and expanding civil rights and civil liberties across the country. The ACLU of Idaho and its foundation operate jointly as private nonprofit organizations devoted to furthering the ACLU’s mission in Idaho. The ACLU of Idaho combines legal, policy, organizing and communications approaches to maximize its impact. We partner with individuals and communities impacted by injustices to inform and mobilize people throughout the state. The people in the center of the struggles for justice, who feel the impact in their daily lives, are especially important allies.

Our staff of 10 full-time, one part-time employee, and interns work in a fast-paced, friendly office in the heart of downtown Boise, Idaho (due to COVID-19, our office is currently working in a hybrid environment splitting time between the office and remote). We are a majority minority staff from all over the country and world and have chosen to make Idaho our home, but we enjoy frequent, deep, and positive collaborations with staff across the ACLU network at ACLU National and other ACLU state affiliates. All ACLU of Idaho staff have a strong community organizing background, and we strive to ensure that our work is deeply informed by the communities we serve. Our supportive, inclusive, and empowering work culture has created opportunities for staff to grow with and within the organization and we have benefited from exceedingly low turnover and very long job tenures. We enjoy autonomy and collaboration.

Our current organizational priority is work in racial justice and immigrants’ rights. Our legislative/organizing team focuses on additional defensive battles in LGBTQ+ equality and offensive and defensive work in criminal legal system reform.

Boise, the City of Trees, is the capital of Idaho and the core of a metro area of 749,000 people. The city enjoys all four seasons in a dry climate and offers an exceptional quality of life and a diverse business community with high tech and healthcare as the largest employers. Recreational activities include whitewater rafting and kayaking, climbing, fishing, hunting, and Nordic, alpine, and backcountry skiing. There is a 190-mile foothill trail system for hiking and mountain biking and a 25-mile riverside greenbelt along the Boise River which flows through the city. Easy access to diverse outdoor activities and unspoiled wilderness is unmatched. Downtown offers thriving restaurants, shops, concerts, and public markets, and an ever-expanding number of local microbrew pubs and wineries. Over 95 languages are spoken in Idaho. The Treasure Valley, which includes the cities of Boise, Meridian, Nampa, and Caldwell is home to the state’s largest Latinx community. Boise is also a hub for LGBTQ communities and political activism in Idaho. Boise is a refugee resettlement city.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Oversee and manage the ACLU of Idaho's legislative and administrative advocacy work, including lobbying, policy advocacy, and community organizing to achieve the organization's strategic priorities.
• Collaborate with the Legal Director to implement integrated advocacy campaigns; ensure coordination and integration of Legal and Advocacy Department work plans.
• Develop strategic campaigns and strategies to advance the organization’s strategic priorities at the state, city, and county levels.
• Develop legislative and administrative engagement in line with organizational priorities; make ultimate decision on whether and how to engage on an issue, with the oversight of the Executive Director
• Oversee the ACLU’s Legislative & Policy Strategist to identify, analyze, and track all legislation before the state legislature that affects civil rights and civil liberties.
• Oversee the ACLU’s Legislative & Policy Strategist to identify and draft amendments and legislative proposals, as well as prepare and deliver testimony and supporting materials.
• Cultivate relationships with key high-level elected and appointed officials.
• Develop key high-level relationships and collaborations with community groups, coalitions, and funders in the state and nationally that are aligned with our strategic priorities work.
• Work with ACLU’s Campaign Strategist, advocacy fellows and interns to develop and engage a broad base of community support to advance the ACLU of Idaho’s strategic priorities and campaigns.
• Identify opportunities on select emerging issues and develop priority goals in collaboration with staff to advance the organization’s strategic priorities.
• Primary spokesperson on non-legal advocacy matters, including legislative and administrative advocacy.
• Work with the Executive Director in personnel management, including hiring, promotions, performance evaluations, performance improvement plans, and professional development plans for staff in the Advocacy Department.
• Supervise Legislative & Policy Strategist, Campaign Strategist, and other staff in the Advocacy Department as appropriate.
• Work closely with the Director of Finance and Administration and Executive Director to develop the annual Advocacy Department budget that will create the internal capacity to achieve the organization’s strategic priorities.
• Collaborate with the Director of Philanthropy and participate in meetings related to organizational fundraising as requested to discuss the programmatic work in the Advocacy Department.
• Work with staff in the Communications Department to advance the organization’s non-legal programmatic work, by supporting in preparing and editing talking points, press statements, and opinion editorials.
• Ensure the Executive Director is adequately informed of Advocacy Department work, prepare reports, and provide support as needed.

Minimum requirements:

• An understanding of and enthusiasm for civil liberties and civil rights and personally committed to advancing the ACLU’s values, mission, goals, and programs.
• Commitment to race and other forms of equity, both internally in our organization and externally in the communities that we serve.
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences regarding race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability, and socio-economic circumstance.
• Ability to travel locally, regionally, and nationally as needed.
• Ability to work evenings as needed, including long hours during the legislative session.
• Ability to commute to meetings and events in Boise and throughout the state, and sometimes on short notice.
• Strong and demonstrated managerial skills with an ability to work interdepartmentally.

Qualifications:

• At least five years of substantial experience in management, community organizing, and policy work.
• Ability to skillfully supervise department staff, fellows, and interns.
• Strong leader with the ability to inspire and help others reach their potential.
• Strong analytical, research, writing and oral advocacy skills, as well as the ability to articulate legal concepts and complex issues and communicate them tactfully and effectively to a variety of audiences.
• Exceptional initiative, vision, and ability to develop and implement short and long-term integrated advocacy strategies.
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively with diverse staff, coalitions, and community groups, motivate volunteers, work across the political spectrum, and value differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation/identity, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstance.
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively and lead on a variety of projects with other staff members as well as community organizations and coalitions.
• A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; a personal approach that values the individual and embraces differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstance.
• Excellent leadership vision, initiative, and ability to design new programs and policy strategies utilizing a broad range of tactics, and guide others in their implementation.

Compensation :

The pay range for this position is expected to begin between $80,000-$85,000, but with an overall range under the ACLU of Idaho’s structured pay scale of $80,000-$100,000.

Excellent benefits include 100% employer-paid premiums for medical, vision and dental insurance, 401(k) plan with an employer match, life and long-term disability insurance, sabbatical eligibility after five years, up to 16 weeks paid family leave, and generous paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave. The ACLU of Idaho invests in each staff member’s professional development.

ACLU of Idaho will provide up to $3,000 to support relocation expenses.

To Apply :

Submit:

• A résumé.
• A one- or two-page cover letter that identifies evidence of a clear, strong, and proven commitment to public interest work and explains how your experience and skills will advance the mission of the ACLU.
• Contact information for three references.

Send to: [email protected] .

Please reference “Advocacy Director” in the email subject line and indicate in your cover letter where you found this job listing. The interview process will likely consist of two interviews with the hiring committee and skills test assigned as homework. If travel is required during the interview process, expenses will be reimbursed by the ACLU of Idaho.

Review of applications on a rolling basis. The position will remain open until filled. Absolutely no unsolicited calls, please .

If you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying, please e-mail [email protected] . If we select you for an interview, you will receive more information about how to request accommodations for the interview process.

We strongly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, immigrants, women, people with disabilities, bi- or multi-lingual (including Indigenous languages) speakers, bicultural individuals, members of the LGBTQ and two-spirit community, those who have been formerly incarcerated or are currently under supervision, and other people from underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. We seek to build a team that reflects that diversity. All qualified applicants who share our vision and who have a desire to contribute to our mission are encouraged to apply.

The ACLU of Idaho advances equity and inclusion in the workplace by providing equal employment opportunity to support a work environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (over 40), sexual orientation, military and veteran status, arrest or conviction record, and any other basis prohibited by law. The ACLU of Idaho embraces Fair Chance policies.

The organization also provides reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. Our equity and inclusion commitment applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, advancement, training, problem resolution, and separation from employment. Through this commitment, the ACLU of Idaho strives to establish and maintain an equitable and accessible work environment that is supportive and free from discrimination.

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