Deputy Legislative Director

American Civil Liberties Union

Harrisburg, PA, USA

Published: 6/14/2022

Full Time

Job Description

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania (ACLU-PA) seeks a Deputy Legislative Director to advance the ACLU-PA’s policy priorities through legislative, coalition, and program advocacy while engaging ACLU-PA members and supporters in the work of the organization.

The ACLU-PA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest organization, dedicated to defending and enhancing personal freedoms protected by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights through litigation, legislative advocacy, and community education. The ACLU-PA has three offices, around 40,000 members and donors, 37 employees, and an almost $8 million operating budget.

Working under the direction of the legislative director, the Deputy Legislative Director will primarily be responsible for advancing the ACLU-PA’s policy agenda with state lawmakers and will serve as the principal liaison to legislators and legislative staff. The Deputy Legislative Director will also assist in managing the core responsibilities of the ACLU-PA’s legislative work, including coordinating the ACLU-PA’s role and participation in several local and statewide coalitions, supporting the work of ACLU-PA’s projects and campaigns, and developing our constituent lobbying program.

This position works in close collaboration with other staff, including legal, communications, and mobilization, on integrated advocacy initiatives to enhance the overall political capacity and effectiveness of the organization.

This is a non-exempt full-time position based in Harrisburg, with some travel to other parts of the state, and will be registered as a lobbyist in Pennsylvania. We currently offer a hybrid, flexible work schedule. People with personal experience being incarcerated or otherwise impacted by the criminal legal system are encouraged to apply.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Specific responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:

Lobbying and legislative advocacy

In collaboration with the legislative director, the deputy legislative director will:

Serve as the principal liaison to legislators and legislative staff.
Lobby members of the state legislature and their staff, developing long-term, strategic, and meaningful relationships with elected officials to advance ACLU-PA objectives.
Develop multi-issue subject matter expertise on policy and legislative issues to inform ACLU-PA’s strategic advocacy efforts.
Manage legislative actions, briefings, trainings, constituent meetings, and lobby days.
Analyze and track legislation and state budget proposals that affect civil liberties and solicit feedback and analysis on bills from staff and allies as needed.
Develop formal, written positions on legislation, write and deliver testimony, and conduct additional research when necessary.
Research and draft fact sheets, issue papers, and/or legislative reports. Contribute to the creation of advocacy materials to educate policymakers and the public on legislative priorities.
Manage and maintain the ACLU-PA’s legislative scorecard.

Constituent, coalition, and partner engagement

In collaboration with the legislative director, the deputy legislative director will:

Engage ACLU-PA constituencies in legislative lobbying efforts, including assisting with the ACLU-PA’s constituent lobbying program that trains and facilitates engagement between interested constituencies, partners, and allies and their elected officials.
Cultivate and maintain relationships with allied organizations, coalitions, and other important partners to further the ACLU-PA’s legislative, issue and policy priorities.
Update ACLU-PA legislation tracker(s) for stakeholders.
Serve as the legislative liaison to select coalitions—providing assistance such as legislative updates, strategic advice on bills of interest to those coalitions, and attending/participating in coalition events.
Represent the ACLU-PA in stakeholder meetings, community events, panels, rallies, news conferences, and trainings.

ACLU-PA program and campaign support

In coordination with the legislative director, the deputy legislative director will:

Manage ACLU-PA targeted legislative campaign(s) as needed.
Collaborate with ACLU-PA staff to prioritize and determine legislative strategy and to ensure legislative work is integrated into ongoing policy campaigns.
Work with national ACLU experts to align state-level public policy goals with national priorities.
Contribute to blog posts, podcasts, and responding to press requests and inquiries.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Expressed commitment to the ACLU-PA’s mission and core priorities, including criminal legal reform, voting rights, First Amendment rights, immigrants’ rights, TLGBQIA+ equality, privacy and security, racial justice, and centering those directly impacted by these issues.
Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging, using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in race, ethnicity, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstances.
Execute other projects and tasks as assigned by the legislative director.
Demonstrated commitment to working collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum 2-3 years of direct legislative advocacy experience at the state level or at least 3-5 years experience with legislative or policy-related work, preferably in Pennsylvania.
Expert understanding of the legislative process and policy-related strategic planning.
Experience coordinating or organizing legislative, policy, political campaigns, public education, or issue-based advocacy campaigns.
Experience engaging with volunteers and stakeholders and working cooperatively with coalition partners or allied organizations.
Demonstrated ability to thoughtfully plan and implement short and long-term integrated legislative and policy strategies.
Demonstrated ability to work respectfully, effectively, and collaboratively with diverse staff and a variety of stakeholders, including coalition and community groups, members, policymakers, volunteers, and organizational partners across the political spectrum.
Demonstrated ability to work independently as needed and manage multiple projects with competing deadlines, while maintaining a strong attention to detail.
Strong communication skills, both written and oral, as well as the ability to articulate complex issues and communicate them clearly, respectfully, and effectively to a variety of audiences.
Exceptional analytical, research, and writing skills.
Ability to keep organized in a fast-paced environment and adjust to frequently changing demands.
Strong commitment to advancing the ACLU’s values, mission, and goals, with an understanding of the range of civil liberties and civil rights issues and their implications.
Commitment to diversity; a personal approach that values the individual, respects differences, and promotes inclusion of all identities.
Commitment to the highest ethical standards of lobbying and professionalism.
Ability to work flexible and/or occasional overtime or irregular hours, particularly during legislative session and travel throughout the state, as needed.
Preferred familiarity with Pennsylvania’s legislative process, geography, demographics, and general political landscape.
Preferred proficiency in: G-Suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms); PLS (Pennsylvania Legislative Services), BillTrack50 or other bill tracking platforms; Airtable; Squarespace.
Commitment to diversity and inclusion. Respect differences in race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ability, and socio-economic background.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The ACLU-PA offers a generous and comprehensive compensation and benefits package, commensurate with experience and competitive with public interest salaries. The annual salary for the position is $80,000. Benefits include 11 paid holidays along with generous vacation (including two paid shutdown weeks a calendar year) and sick leave; half-day Fridays; individual/family employer-provided health insurance; life insurance and long-term disability; and a defined contribution plan with employer match. This position is full-time, salaried, and non-exempt.

ACLU-PA has a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and candidates receiving a job offer will be required to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to commencing employment. Exemptions to this requirement will be considered on a case-by-case basis in accordance with applicable law. This position will be part of labor union NOLSW/UAW Local 2320.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, three professional references (please include email, phone, and relationship to you), and a sample of your previous legislative work (e.g., policy paper, legislative campaign plan, bill analyses, lobby day training materials, or similar related work) via our career page https://aclupahr.applytojob.com/apply. No phone calls please. All applications are treated confidentially.

To comply with state ethics law, applicants who have served as a public employee with the PA House or Senate must allow one year to elapse between their public employment and the start date for this position. See 65 Pa.C.S. §1103(g).

Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled, at which time this announcement will be removed from our website.

The ACLU-PA is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU-PA encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or record of arrest or conviction.

ACLU-PA’s hiring process will comply with Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Records Screening Standards (“Ban the Box”) ordinance.

This job posting provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. It does not represent a contract of employment. ACLU-PA reserves the right to change the description and/or posting at any time without advance notice.

ABOUT ACLU-PA

The ACLU-PA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest organization, dedicated to defending and enhancing personal freedoms protected by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights through litigation, legislative advocacy, and community education. It is a fast-paced environment that addresses headline-making issues with powerful personal stories and dynamic, precedent-setting solutions. The ACLU-PA has three offices, ten volunteer chapters, over 40,000 members and donors, 35 employees, and a $5.3 million operating budget.

The ACLU-PA comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union (the “Union”) of Pennsylvania and the ACLU Foundation (the “Foundation”) of Pennsylvania. The Union is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation, and ACLU membership dues fund its lobbying work. Donations to the Union are not tax-deductible. The ACLU Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Foundation funds support litigation and public education efforts. Donations to the Foundation are tax-deductible. The Major Gifts Officer is an employee of the ACLU Foundation of Pennsylvania.

Both the ACLU of Pennsylvania and the ACLU Foundation of Pennsylvania have the same overall mission, and share office space, employees, and the same board of directors. The two entities are jointly known by the term “ACLU-Pennsylvania.”

To learn more about the work of ACLU-PA, please visit www.aclupa.org.

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