Senior Communications Strategist, Reproductive Freedom

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks a full-time position of Senior Communications Strategist, Reproductive Freedom in the Communications & Marketing Department of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY or Washington, DC. 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 also 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.

This position is part of a collective bargaining unit. It is represented by ACLU Staff United (ASU). 

WHAT YOU'LL DO 

Reporting to the Associate Director, Strategic Communications, the Senior Communications Strategist, Reproductive Freedom will play a critical role in developing and executing communications strategies that advance the ACLU’s work on reproductive freedom. The strategist will execute strategies through collaboration with communications colleagues, digital team members, organizers, lawyers, lobbyists, state advocates, vendors, and partner organizations. The strategist will engage target audiences about ACLU litigation and advocacy; secure news coverage about ACLU efforts; build messaging; create content for publications and the website; and, plan events such as mobilization activations, and issue teleconferences.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

• Create multi-faceted communications strategies on a wide array of civil liberties and civil rights issues, including, but not limited to advocacy and litigation around immigrants’ rights, voting rights, LGBTQ rights, criminal justice reform, reproductive rights, and digital privacy
• Develop and implement organizational communications strategies to further the ACLU’s brand recognition among target audiences
• Strategize to determine the most effective spokespeople for disseminating the ACLU messages and brand
• Develop multi-faceted communications plans, which include goals, audience definitions, messaging, media relations strategies, use of ACLU digital platforms, and nationwide advocacy, to change hearts, minds, and laws
• Participate and help lead cross-functional teams (legal, advocacy, digital content) to shape messaging for ACLU initiatives to maximize their communications value and effectiveness, as well as the visibility of the ACLU
• Increase coverage of ACLU issues and ACLU 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 digital team, program staff, and relevant working groups to have them produced in line with agreed strategies
• Identify and lead response to breaking news events, often making sensitive judgment calls in emerging civil liberty and civil rights crises
• Create and refine 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 copy for ACLU National and affiliate teams
• Be able to accurately and swiftly engage in rapid response moments across platforms
• Develop and pitch feature stories
• Prepare clients, organizers, litigators, state advocates, and other spokespeople for media appearances
• In coordination with multi-media staff, conceptualize, script, direct, and produce video content relating to civil liberties and civil rights issues
• Provide guidance to 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

• Significant experience in a combination of the following areas: media, strategic communications, journalism, content creation, digital communications, and public relations
• Experience working on issue-based advocacy and public awareness campaigns, and in communicating complex issues to a variety of targeted audiences
• Must possess strong organizational skills, be detail-oriented and possess the ability to follow projects through to completion
• Ability to communicate persuasively and professionally, in writing through media relations materials, op-eds and blog posts, and to communicate verbally to a wide variety of media, political, stakeholder, and influencer audiences
• Experience working with the media and cultivating relationships with print, radio, television and online journalists
• Proven experience in exercising judgment in breaking news and rapid response environments
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Associated Press style required

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 ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

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