CAREER OPPORTUNITY
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS (COMM-10)
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT

For over 86 years, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has served as the nation’s primary protector of the liberties that define our democracy. The national organization, its 53-staffed affiliates, almost 300 chapters and over 500,000 members remain a bulwark in the defense of liberty. The ACLU is seeking a national Director of Communications.

This is a unique opportunity for a talented communications professional to play a leading role in framing the debate over civil liberties and civil rights as well as enhance the effectiveness of the most prominent national organization dedicated to preserving these rights at a time of almost unprecedented assault on our fundamental liberties. The rights of the accused, free speech and the right to dissent, due process, habeas corpus, privacy, separation of church and state, reproductive rights, lesbian and gay rights, racial profiling, immigrants’ rights and traditional civil rights are all at risk. In response to this threat, the ACLU has gathered the support of a broad coalition of conservatives, moderates and progressives to protect these rights and to grow on this strong foundation.

This opportunity is also occurring at a time of an unparalleled change in the speed and methods of communicating ideas. The ACLU has made an unambiguous and unwavering commitment to the importance of communications as a central and essential element in the success of its mission. While much of the ACLU’s work has taken place in courtrooms and in legislative bodies, in recent years, the organization has placed greater emphasis on the role of communications in framing the debate on its issues, building support, and increasing the impact of its work.

The Director of Communications reports directly to the national Executive Director, Anthony D. Romero, and is a member of the organization’s senior management and leadership team and will play a leading role in guiding the future of the ACLU.

This assignment calls for a combination of active commitment to the ACLU’s values, communications, advocacy and management skills, entrepreneurial creativity, and energetic commitment to taking the initiative in framing the debate and defining the organization, rather than allowing its opponents to do so. The successful candidate will be expected to craft the organization’s strategy to engage the media, decision makers, the general public, funders, “card-carrying members,” communities of color and the next generation of civil libertarians. The successful candidate will be expected to work with the senior leaders to craft an effective communications strategy for the national organization.

OVERVIEW
The Director of Communications is responsible for all communication functions of the ACLU, including media relations, website content, information marketing, and branding and positioning.

The Communications Department has grown considerably and now plays a leading role in articulating the positions and establishing the public voice of the ACLU. A measure of its success is the pervasiveness of the phrases, “Driving While Black” and “Keep America Safe and Free,” both of which were products of the work of the ACLU and have been part of an effort to take the initiative in defining the organization and its issues.

Over the past couple of years the Communications Department has also overseen the production of a television series about ACLU cases that has aired on the satellite network, Link TV and cable network, Court TV.

With an operating budget of $6.992 million, the department is currently staffed by 27 employees, including the Communications staff in the ACLU Washington Legislative Office, and is organized into media relations, publications and website development.

The Director of Communications is also responsible for overseeing the work of outside consultants who provide polling and message development assistance; executing paid advertising efforts in print, on radio and on the web; and assisting with website design. There is also an annual 501(c)(4) advertising budget for which responsibility is shared between the Director of Communications and the Washington Legislative Director.

In addition to the work of the national office, each of the ACLU’s 53 affiliates undertakes communications efforts. It is anticipated that in the future, the Communications Department will provide increased support and leadership to the affiliates to accomplish this endeavor.

CHALLENGES FOR THE NEW DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

The leadership of the ACLU faces a multitude of external and internal challenges. Advances in civil liberties and freedom are not made in a vacuum. Progress always produces a reaction. Our society is constantly and rapidly changing, creating new issues and requiring new communication strategies to address them.

The organization seeks an outstanding communications professional who will provide wise, disciplined and strategic advice on communications to the leadership of the organization. It is expected that he/she will use a wide range of communications tools to further the never-ending struggle to protect and defend civil liberties and to increase awareness of the ACLU, its mission and programs among decision-makers and the general public.
Working closely with the members of the executive team, the Director of Communications will lead the ACLU’s effort to integrate communications strategies into every aspect of the organization’s work, so that it can most effectively and efficiently achieve each of its objectives.

The new Director of Communications will be expected to build on the impressive work that has been done to date and attend to the following challenges during the first 18 to 24 months of his or her tenure:

• Assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges facing the ACLU’s current communications operation and develop a comprehensive and cohesive communications strategy that will ensure that the message of the organization reaches and influences its targeted audiences.
• Strengthen the ACLU’s media presence and ensure the strengthening of relationships with key print, online and broadcast journalists and editors.
• Integrate sophisticated communications strategies into all stages of the legal and other work of the national ACLU and enhance the capacity of the organization to implement these strategies so that it can maximize its influence on attitudes, policies and behavior.
• Work closely with the National Board, senior staff, and affiliates to develop and execute plans that tie together legal, legislative, development and communications objectives.
• Ensure there is a standard of excellence in all communications activities, establishing an appropriate degree of consistency in both the messages conveyed and the means and methods employed to convey them.
• Ensure that the online presence is influential, user-friendly, high quality and consistently branded.
• Work closely with staff to develop and improve structures and systems that facilitate increased collaboration among affiliates and between affiliates and the national staff in communications efforts.
• Work closely with the Development Department to develop strategies for the recruitment of new members, focusing on people of color and young people, and provide assistance in conducting presentations to major donors.
• Continue to increase the organization’s use of sophisticated technology so that it can maximize efforts to communicate its message more broadly and effectively.
• Evaluate the influence and impact achieved by the communications strategies of the ACLU.

JOB DESCRIPTION
As the preceding discussion makes clear, this is an extremely important opportunity to play an integral role in leading the ongoing effort to protect the liberties that define our democracy. The ideal candidate will possess a personal commitment to the values and mission of the ACLU and have substantial leadership experience in strategy and message development on a national scale. He/she will also be experienced at integrating communications strategy into the fabric of an organization and effectively reaching and influencing intended audiences.

While no one person will possess all of the qualities described below, the ideal candidate will have the following qualifications and professional experience.

Professional Qualifications

• A record of success in a senior level communications position in the government, not-for-profit or private sector.
• Direct and substantial experience involving message strategy and development on a national scale.
• A record of success in creating and implementing advocacy communications strategies for a large, complex organization.
• A seasoned and skillful manager with a record of recruiting and developing a diverse and talented advocacy communications staff. A person who places a high priority on the professional development of staff through delegation of responsibility and expert tutelage.
• Broad experience with public policy issues, particularly those involving civil liberties, civil rights and human rights.
• Experience using state-of-the-art communications technology creatively and effectively.
• Significant successful experience dealing with the national media.
• Strong personal diplomacy, including a highly professional temperament, the ability to work in a collaborative team environment, and an ability to lead a strategic change process while valuing the organizational culture.
• Superb interpersonal skills with an impressive history of forging strong relationships with multiple stakeholders.
• Proven ability to manage and prioritize a multi-million dollar communications budget with many outside vendors and internal projects.
• Extraordinary writing and editing skills and demonstrated ability to handle complex and controversial issues and to translate information about them to broad audiences.
• Strategic thinker on positioning and strengthening the ACLU’s public image and reach.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• A deep and demonstrated commitment to the protection of civil liberties.
• Superior communication skills, including an ability to develop messages that promote public awareness of the need to defend civil liberties and build constituencies for the ACLU and the ability to make informed decisions on the most appropriate and effective spokesperson and forum for those messages.
• Excellent listening skills and an ability to inspire trust and confidence, while remaining open to and unthreatened by input and feedback from others.
• Excellent interpersonal skills necessary to operate effectively in a large and decentralized national organization, with affiliates, professional staff and active volunteers.
• Resiliency, tenacity, an abundance of energy, enthusiasm, creativity, and common sense along with well-honed strategic judgment that establishes early credibility. Stamina for the task at hand, including the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and under deadline pressure.
• Patience, personal grace in dealing with a broad spectrum of personalities, and good humor in leading the day-to-day work of the department to foster ease of partnerships with other members of the executive team.
• A management style that is accessible, flexible, decisive, and supportive. An ability to provide clear direction and delegate where appropriate while assuming ultimate responsibility for the effective performance of the Communications Department.
• Team building skills that inspire staff to work together in pursuit of a common mission and an ability to hold them accountable for the accomplishment of objectives.
• Unimpeachable integrity, self-confidence and the ability to demonstrate grace under pressure.
• Comfort with controversy.
• A strategic ability to identify new trends, seize opportunities and integrate communications activities with programmatic initiatives and formulate comprehensive campaigns.
• Ability to create, implement and evaluate long and short term strategic plans.

TO APPLY
Please send a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume by e-mail to hrjobs@aclu.org. Reference COMM-10/ACLU-W in the subject line or send your resume by mail to:

Human Resources
RE: COMM-10/ACLU-W
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18^th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, which will not be before December 23, 2008.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.