The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a national not-for-profit public interest organization devoted to the defense of the Bill of Rights, invites applications for the full-time position of an Advocacy Coordinator to be housed in the Racial Justice Program of the National Legal Department in New York City. The Advocacy Coordinator will work on promoting restoration of the voting rights of American citizens with past or pending criminal convictions. The Coordinator will report directly to Senior Policy Counsel working on this issue.
Position Description
The principal role of the Advocacy Coordinator is to conduct public education activities that promote restoration of the right to vote for citizens with felony convictions, working with ACLU affiliates, as well as the ACLU’s national and state partners in the Right to Vote campaign. (The Right to Vote Campaign is a collaboration of national organizations working with state based advocates to remove barriers to voting for individuals with felony convictions so they may freely participate in the democratic process.) Specific responsibilities include:
· Conducting public education activities with allies, media, disfranchised citizens and communities of color disproportionately affected by loss of voting power, including through strategic use of existing education tools, updating those tools, and creating new tools.
· Working with state-based advocates and coalitions to advance policy reform.
· Supporting the Senior Policy Counsel in efforts to expand franchise in states, assisting in implementation of successful legislation, and ensuring compliance with state laws that protect voting rights.
Experience and Qualifications
· Bachelor’s degree required, J.D. desirable;
· Minimum two years’ experience coordinating national public education campaigns that involve community outreach and development of public education materials;
· Strong working knowledge of felony disfranchisement;
· Excellent writing skills;
· Strong verbal and interpersonal communication skills;
· Ability to synthesize complex issues and present them to lay audience;
· Ability to think strategically about promoting organization’s mission and issues;
· Ability to take initiative and work independently;
· Ability to travel;
· Demonstrated interest in civil liberties and civil rights.
Compensation
The ACLU offers a generous and comprehensive compensation and benefits package, commensurate with experience and within parameters of the ACLU compensation scale.
The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals to apply.
The ACLU comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation. Both the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation are national organizations with the same overall mission, and share office space and employees. The ACLU has two separate corporate entities in order to do a broad range of work to protect civil liberties. This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name “ACLU.”
How to Apply:
Application Procedure
Please send letter of interest, current resume, names and contact information of three references and a writing sample of not more than three pages:
Human Resources
American Civil Liberties Union
Re: Advocacy Coordinator, Racial Justice [LGLF-44]
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004
OR hrjobs@aclu.org RE: [LGLF-44]
Applications accepted until position is filled, which will not be before June 30, 2006.
Please indicate in your cover letter where you found this job posting.