Communications Strategist, First Amendment

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Communications Strategist, First Amendment in the Communications & Marketing Department of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY or Washington, D.C. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month. 

The ACLU communications department creates, maintains, and expands message narratives to engage our supporters and other target audiences, to help protect and expand civil liberties and civil rights, and illustrate the value and impact of the ACLU’s transformational work. Through our messaging, engagement with newsmakers, our written content, creative branding, and visual identity, we encourage support for the ACLU and help to build a more perfect union.

WHAT YOU'LL DO 

Reporting to the Director of Strategic Communications, the Communications Strategist, First Amendment will be responsible for developing and executing communications strategies that advance the ACLU’s work on First Amendment litigation and advocacy. 

YOUR DAY TO DAY

• Create multi-faceted communications strategies which include goals, target audiences, messaging, media relations strategies, for all digital platforms and earned media, and advocacy, to educate, motivate, and influence target audiences
• Help develop and implement organizational communications strategies to further the ACLU brand awareness
• Strategize to determine effective spokespeople for disseminating the ACLU messages and brand      
• Participate and help lead cross-functional teams (legal, advocacy, digital content) to shape communications plans for ACLU initiatives to maximize their communications value and effectiveness, as well as the visibility of the ACLU
• Increase coverage of ACLU issues/messages by cultivating and maintaining relationships with key reporters, editors, producers and bookers
• Identify needs for digital content and written materials, and work with the cross-organizational digital team and relevant teams to have them produced in line with agreed strategies
• Identify and lead response to breaking news events, often requiring sensitive judgment calls in emerging civil liberties and civil rights crises.
• Create and/or work to produce communications content, including talking points, news releases, op-eds, letters to the editor, blog posts, backgrounders, social media content, comics, videos, infographics, interactive web features, and social media content
• Accurately and swiftly engage in rapid response moments across platforms
• Develop and pitch feature stories
• Prepare clients, organizers, litigators, advocates, and other spokespeople for media appearances  
• Identify needs and work in coordination with multi-media staff to conceptualize, script, direct, and produce video content relating to civil liberties and civil rights issues
• Work in collaboration with the litigation and advocacy teams and senior staff to develop communications strategies and tactics for federal and state legislative and advocacy initiatives     
• Provide guidance to ACLU affiliates in the development of communications materials and strategy, when necessary

FUTURE ACLU'ERS WILL 

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• Professional experience in a combination of the following areas: media, strategic communications, journalism, content creation, digital communications, and public relations
• Ability to communicate persuasively and professionally, in writing through op-eds and blog posts, and to communicate verbally to a wide variety of media, political, stakeholder, and influencer audiences. Proven experience exercising judgment in breaking news and rapid response environments
• Experience working on issue-based advocacy and public awareness campaigns, and in communicating complex issues to a variety of targeted audiences
• Experience working with the media and cultivating relationships with print, radio, television and online journalists
• Strong writing/editing skills; proven record of published content; strong command of AP style
• Experience working with digital content, including multimedia
• Demonstrated ability to influence colleagues across the board, and an ability to work collaboratively with others including cross departmentally as part of a team. Thinks big picture and can bring together different work streams

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 3 years of experience in the areas stated above and/ or a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications or a related field is preferred
• Familiarity with Cision, Critical Mention, or other media relations software a plus
• Understanding of trends and best practices for online campaigning, and best practices for communicating via email, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter/X, preferred

COMPENSATION

WHY THE ACLU

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.

We know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and know that what we offer is essential not just their work, but to their overall well-being. 

At the ACLU, we offer a broad range of benefits, which include:

• Time away to focus on the things that matter with a generous paid-time off policy
• Focus on your well-being with comprehensive healthcare benefits (including medical, dental and vision coverage, parental leave, gender affirming care & fertility treatment)
• Plan for your retirement with 401k plan and employer match
• We support employee growth and development through annual professional development funds, internal professional development programs and workshops

OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change.  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.

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage 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.    

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 benefits.hrdept@aclu.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

Salary : $101,604