Director of Strategy & Innovation

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Director of Strategy & Innovation in the Strategy Office 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 works on some of the most pressing civil rights and civil liberties issues facing American society today. The Strategy Office supports the ACLU to advance civil rights and liberties for all through the development and delivery of a bold strategy with shared goals that maximizes our impact today and in the long-term. The office resides within the Executive Department, which drives strategic direction, governance partnership, and a values-driven and inclusive culture.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

The Director of Strategy & Innovation will report to the Chief Strategy Officer and work collaboratively with other members of the Strategy Office and stakeholders across the organization.

The Strategy Office sets strategy at multiple levels within the organization, that sync with and reinforce the others. The ACLU's 2030 Strategy is the result of a national strategic planning process that aligns the organization around a set of strategic priorities – some are related to how we advance fundamental civil rights and liberties issues while others are focused on more internal aspects of our theory of change. The Strategy Office facilitates this strategy setting process every four years in close partnership with organizational leadership and then serves as the central engine to drive implementation. Each year, departments create annual plans that define their priorities and translate them into coherent, executable strategies to advance the 2030 Strategy, utilizing the frameworks, tools, and guidance provided by the Strategy Office. These plans form the foundation for resource allocation decisions. The Strategy Office also works with cross-functional experts (Legal, Communications, and Advocacy) to create clear actionable strategies for the ACLU’s leading 5-7 issues (e.g., immigration, voting rights, LGBTQ rights). The Strategy Office works deeply with cross-departmental issue teams to develop issue-based strategic plans that align shared goals and tactics.

The Director will work with organizational leadership and subject matter experts to set strategy across these levels and will identify, incubate, promote and advance bold innovative shifts that will take the ACLU to the next level. The Director will support the organization in successful strategy delivery, driving priority initiatives and monitoring progress and capturing learnings along the way. The Director of Strategy & Innovation serves as an internal convener, steward, and integrator of the ACLU’s work – creating strategic alignment and coordinated execution across many departments within the organization.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

• Architect and author cohesive and impactful strategies that draw on the ACLU’s extensive internal expertise, your own experience and relationships, research, consultation, data, and landscape analysis.
• Facilitate strategic planning sessions with Senior Leadership and subject matter experts, asking probing questions, working through misalignment, recommending shared goals and tactics, and driving key decision points.
• Understand progress towards our strategies by driving an evidence-driven approach that includes identifying what success looks like, facilitating moments for evaluation and learning, and using those insights to inform decision making.
• Facilitate difficult conversations and drive strategic decisions with senior leaders, and present recommendations to senior audiences, including the executive team and board of directors.
• Identify, incubate, and advance new, bold ideas that progress civil rights and civil liberties and/or take the ACLU to the next level. This may include bringing in outside experts, conducting landscape analysis, leading conversations on where the ACLU can play a distinctive and impactful role in addressing the most pressing challenges ahead, creating scalable pilots and evaluating success, and making recommendations for future investments.
• Lead large, complex cross functional initiatives that unlock opportunities, drive efficiencies, or address challenges in service of our strategies.
• Develop and drive adoption of standardized strategic frameworks, tools, and processes while regularly identifying improvements based on collected learnings.
• Create regular internal communications and champion change management to promote awareness and understanding of our strategies, developments, and important decisions.

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

• Demonstrated strategic planning expertise for an organization of similar complexity and scope, and experience aligning policy, political, and communications strategies.
• A facilitation practice, centered on asking difficult questions, synthesizing diverse perspectives, and framing choices and decisions in a way that builds consensus and makes colleagues feel heard
• Exceptional organizational, planning and project management skills with demonstrated ability to manage large, complex projects and prioritize effectively against simultaneous demands 
• Familiarity and understanding of issue areas relating to civil rights and civil liberties and/or related legal and advocacy fields
• Experience driving an evidence driven approach to meaningfully track progress against strategic goals and using quantitative and qualitative data to inform strategic decisions
• Strong analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• A skilled relationship builder, communicator and leader, who effectively listens to and understands a range of approaches and opinions with an open mind, confidently embraces feedback, and motivates stakeholders to collaborate
• Ability to navigate disagreement and/or conflict in a way that maintains a comfortable and collaborative team environment while advancing team priorities
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information clearly and professionally for a senior audience
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and manage multiple demands effectively in a dynamic work environment
• A collaborative and trusted partner who brings sound judgment, integrity, initiative, and a constructive approach to working with others
• Experience operating successfully in an organization with a federated structure a bonus

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 complete the Accommodation Request Form

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

The Department of Education has determined that employment in this position at the ACLU does not qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.