Policy Analyst

Job Description

The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia (ACLU-VA) is growing! We are hiring a Policy Analyst Manager who will help develop and implement our legislative and advocacy priorities by conducting rigorous research, tracking our legislative priorities, and building trusted relationships with members of the community and elected and appointed officials. As a member of the Advocacy Team, the Policy Analyst will provide detailed research and analysis and work to draft legislation, develop policy positions, track our work, lobby on behalf of legislative priorities, coordinate legislative meetings, create compelling testimony, and work with community partners to help further our organizational policy goals. The Policy Analyst will utilize the levers of local and state government and work closely with community members to help galvanize support for ACLU of Virginia policy objectives advancing civil rights and civil liberties in a specific region.

Who We Are

The ACLU-VA strives to be Virginia's premier guardian of civil liberties and a recognized champion of civil rights for all Virginians. For nearly a hundred years (50 in Virginia), the ACLU has made a profound difference in the lives of clients and community members, as well as historic contributions to our country and state. Now, more people than ever before have turned to the ACLU to fight back against unprecedented new attacks on civil rights and liberties. We are also committed to pursuing impactful policy changes at the local and statewide levels to achieve racial equity and advance civil liberties and civil rights for everyone. The ACLU-VA is committed to ending racist policing, cutting the number of people incarcerated in Virginia, increasing access to quality mental and medical care, ending sex and gender-based discrimination at work and in schools, and securing a constitutional right to vote for everyone.

What You'll Do

You'll help us protect and advance the ACLU's mission by:

• Helping to develop and implement ACLU-VA’s legislative agenda and advocacy priorities, including but not limited to lobbying local government officials, members of the legislature, their staff and the Governor’s office, analyzing and tracking legislation, drafting legislation or amendments, and preparing and delivering written and oral testimony
• Coordinating and participating in legislative meetings to advocate on behalf of ACLU-VA’s legislative agenda
• Creating and maintaining a system for analyzing and tracking bills, maintaining departmental calendar, converting legislative information into direct member and volunteer engagement opportunities, and planning and managing engagement opportunities
• Conducting rigorous policy research and fact finding that will help to develop mission aligned policy solutions
• Drafting clear and concise policy memos on a range of civil liberties and civil rights issues that will enable strategic legislative drafting and policy recommendations
• Working with Legal and Advocacy Teams and the directly impacted community to draft and analyze legislation that advances our organizational goals, and producing written materials that will influence policy positions and prospective legislation
• Building and maintaining trusted, respectful relationships with community members, partners, local coalitions, elected officials, and other decision makers that share our strategic priorities
• Leading research and writing memos to achieve policy objectives in priority areas and engaging in public education around activities that increase public and impacted community awareness of, and opportunities to engage on, policy and research objectives

Who You Are

Our "Must Have's"

• At least 2 years of experience conducting policy research and working with community most impacted by policies
• Experience researching, collecting, and synthesizing large amounts of information from a range of sources and providing recommendations on next steps
• Proven ability to write and communicate clearly and effectively, and proficiency with office technology and information systems
• Willingness and availability to work beyond the normal workday, on weekends, or more than 40 hours a week as necessary, and willingness and ability to travel throughout Virginia, and occasionally to other states for conferences and training
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects, ability to build and maintain genuine and strong relationships, ability to communicate effectively, ability to be resilient, and ability to think critically and strategically
• A commitment to the mission and values of the ACLU-VA, including racial, gender and economic justice and civil rights and an understanding that these issues are central to the overall protection of civil liberties

What Else You Should Know

The ACLU-VA is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. Therefore, the ACLU-VA encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, and veteran status and commits to comply with all applicable equal opportunity and nondiscrimination laws and to refrain from unlawful discrimination.

Salary is based on market factors and individual experience and abilities. The salary range for this position is $58,870 to $79,170. To preserve the opportunity for advancement, we do not typically hire above the mid-point of the range of $69,020. In addition, we offer excellent benefits include paid time off, generous paid holidays, a 401k plan with employer contribution, medical and dental insurance, life insurance, and income replacement during illness through a combination of annual sick leave, short-term and long-term disability insurance.

Due to COVID-19 and our desire to keep our employees safe, our organization is following our long-term remote work policy (to be discussed during the hiring process). All ACLU-VA staff members must reside within Virginia or within a 150-mile radius of our downtown Richmond office.

What Now?

Please review the complete job description on our Careers page and apply from our career site. A resume and cover letter will be required. Our HR team will review applications on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Link: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/jobs/Apply/1282055

Submit your application as soon as possible. We will begin reviewing applications on a rolling basis. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

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