The ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties (ACLUF-SDIC) seeks an Organizing Director.

The ACLUF-SDIC is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) civil liberties and civil rights organization. working to advance equality, freedom and justice through public education and litigation. Together with the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties, the 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that does our legislative lobbying work, we are a prominent force for the protection and expansion of fundamental rights in California’s second-most populous county (San Diego) and the county with the highest per capita Latina/o population (Imperial).

While there are more than 50 ACLU affiliates nationwide, our work covers the length of California’s border with Mexico. We work collaboratively with the National ACLU and with ACLU affiliates in California, on the U.S-Mexico border and throughout the United States. In addition, we value partnerships and collaboration with community organizations and groups across the state and throughout the binational border region.

The ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties and ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties (known collectively as ACLU-SDIC) have a proven track record of success combining impact litigation, policy advocacy, legislation, research and analysis, public education, strategic communications and community organizing to achieve meaningful social change. We are dedicated to confronting issues that threaten our most cherished civil rights and freedoms and defending the progress the ACLU has made over its 100-year history.

Deciding to apply for any position is an investment of your time and energy. We are providing the detail below to help you decide if exploring this opportunity feels right to you. To learn more about us and have a small peek into our organizational work, please watch the videos linked below.

Videos: Why we do this work | Hope for the Future

 

Position Summary:

The ACLU-SDIC’s organizing team seeks to center the experiences and leadership of directly impacted people, while also ensuring that non-impacted allies take part in effective and substantive action. The affiliate seeks an Organizing Director who is experienced in strategic planning and critical thinking, while being able to work alongside their direct reports and fulfill day-to-day operations as needed. The primary duties and responsibilities of this position are to lead and manage strategic, effective organizing campaigns that are aligned with the affiliate’s mission and expand and develop ACLU SDIC’s base of supporters. In addition, this position will oversee the development of a civic engagement program during election years.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
Strategy & Evaluation

• Provide overall leadership, management, and support for base building program activities and grow base of supporters
• Plan, develop and implement campaign tactics that will expand participation of the organization’s volunteer base focusing on diverse communities and impacted community members using a regional organizing approach that moves volunteer leaders through a ladder of engagement
• In coordination with the CPSO and other SDIC staff and partners, develop and lead implementation of an organizational electoral strategy, including working with community partners and volunteers to support ballot initiative and legislative campaigns
• Excellent problem-solving skills and solution-oriented approach, and highly adaptable to a shifting landscape and the need to change course or shift approach quickly.

Department Management & Strategic Leadership

• Ability to build a culture of growth and learning among staff and motivate team members to continue to learn and grow in their roles;
• Guide and advise organizing staff in the conception and implementation of mobilization goals, tactics, indicators of success and development of assessment tools
• Demonstrated initiative, responsibility, flexibility, and good and independent judgment, and ability to maintain confidentiality around strategy, personnel issues, and other intellectual property and legal issues;
• Ability to set clear goals for a department/team and hold team members accountable to achieving those goals;
• Facility with planning and implementing field and organizing strategies for successful legislative, policy advocacy, and/or ballot initiative campaigns at the local and/or state level;
• Knowledge of California and/or San Diego and Imperial Counties’ political landscape and major organizational players and legislative and direct democracy processes.
• Work with the CPSO and Policy Director to develop and support grassroots and grass-tops elected accountability campaigns
• In collaboration with External Affairs team, identify and develop storytelling opportunities with key partners and impacted community members
• Ensure collaboration and communication with allies and community partners.

Supervision & Collaboration

• Supervise and coach affiliate organizing team members to develop new organizing, base building and political power building campaign models, strategies and tactics. Ensure that each member of the organizing team has clear workplans, goals and knows what success looks like for their role.
• Champion implementation and expansion of the organization’s leadership engagement ladder through periodic evaluation and ensure development and/or implementation of data management systems, voter file, volunteer engagement and mobilization tools
• As a member of the Senior Leadership Team collaborate with other program directors and ACLU of California entities (ACLU Cal Action, ACLU Nor Cal and ACLU So Cal) as well as our National ACLU office to advance the affiliate’s strategic plan, department and team workplans

 

Administrative

• Manage the organizing department including hiring, supervision, creation and oversight of budget, and professional development for the department.
• Manage consultants and contractors as needed.
• Other duties as assigned

 

Our Must Haves:

• Familiarity with and proven commitment to a broad range of civil liberties issues, such as, immigrants’ rights and other border issues, education equity, racial and economic justice, discrimination, policing, housing, privacy and technology, gender and reproductive rights, and voting rights
• At least seven (7) years of experience in organizing, civic engagement, ballot initiative campaigns, volunteer leadership development, and/or grassroots advocacy;
• 5+ years management experience, including supervising managers and professional organizers.
• Strong candidates will have demonstrated experience using advocacy and community engagement as part of a creative response to civil rights violations in affected communities;
• Experience managing or leading coalitions;
• Strong organizational skills and ability to handle multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
• Experience using constituent management database tools and voter file programs preferred but not required;
• Fluency in Spanish or other non-English language widely spoken in CA preferred but not required
• Work evenings and weekends when necessary.

 

Our Nice to Haves:

• Must understand the difference between a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4).

 

Cultural Competencies:

Demonstrated awareness of one’s own cultural identity, views about differences, and the ability to learn and build on varying cultural and community norms. A complex understanding of racial justice and the urgency of confronting institutional racism and inequity. Commitment to equity and inclusion as organizational practice and culture. Proven track record of working across lines of race, immigration status, ethnicity, language, class, gender and other identities and experiences including record of arrest or conviction. Courage and impeccable integrity.

 

Physical Requirements:

While performing the responsibilities of the job, the employee is required to exchange accurate information, detect/identify documents and the information contained in them, move between areas in and out of the office to complete their role. The employee may need to move various equipment including computer to their work location.

 

Hybrid Working:

The ACLUF-SDIC is headquartered in San Diego, California, though employees have hybrid schedules that allow for remote work.

 

Travel Requirements: Must be able to travel inside and outside CA, including throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties.

 

Compensation:

The classification salary range for this position is $117,000 to $131,000. Salary will be determined by a variety of factors, including the knowledge, skills, and experience of the individual selected.

 

Excellent benefits include four weeks paid vacation; 17 office holidays; 100% medical, vision and dental insurance for staff members and their families; life and long-term disability insurance; gender affirming care, flexible spending accounts, EAP support, and 401(k) plan with employer match and immediate vesting of the employer match.

 

What Now?

Please submit a cover letter explaining your interest in and qualifications for the position as detailed in this announcement, a current resume, writing sample, and names and contact information of three professional references (including as least one supervisor).

Electronic Applications Preferred. To submit your application, please click here.

 

However, hard-copy applications can be mailed to:

Chief Operating Officer
ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties
P.O. Box 87131
San Diego, CA 92138-7131

 

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