Reporting to the Associate Director for Strategic Communications, the Communications Strategist will

play a critical role in developing and executing communications strategies that advance the ACLU’s work

on civil liberties. The strategist will work to advance the agenda of the ACLU through collaboration with

Communications colleagues, lawyers, lobbyists and state advocates to develop and implement

communications goals and strategic plans. The strategist will also engage target audiences about

litigation and advocacy; create content for publications and the website; and, plan events such as issue

teleconferences.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 Lead the development of multi-faceted communications strategies on a wide array of civil liberties

issues, including criminal and racial justice, immigrants’ rights, voting rights, LGBT, reproductive

rights, and national security, technology and privacy. Develop and implement general

communications strategies to further the ACLU brand as needed. Participate in shaping

communications plans for legal cases and initiatives to maximize their communications value and

effectiveness, as well as the visibility of the ACLU.

 Develop multi-faceted communications and media plans, which include message development,

web presence, advocacy and social media, to educate, motivate, and influence target

audiences.

 Work in collaboration with the advocacy team to develop communications strategies and tactics

for state legislative and advocacy initiatives.

 Develop and update issue talking points (in the form of message grids); work with lawyers and

advocates to develop messaging on sensitive and/or controversial issues.

 Prepare clients, litigators and other spokespeople for media appearances.

 Collaborate with the senior writer/editor, and serve as the legal and advocacy teams’ point person

for the ACLU Blog of Rights, by helping to conceptualize, draft and edit blog posts.

 Write and edit website text, reports and other communications materials.

 Strategize to determine the most effective spokespeople for disseminating the ACLU messages

and brand.

 Provide assistance to affiliates in the development of communications materials and strategy,

when necessary.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

 Bachelor’s Degree in Communications or a related field required.

 A minimum of five years of professional experience in a combination of the following areas:

media, strategic communications, digital communications, and public relations.

 Experience working on civil liberties issues strongly desired.

 Experience in communicating complex issues to varied audiences.

 Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work collaboratively with others in a team

environment.

 Must possess strong organizational skills, be detail-oriented and possess the ability to follow

projects through to completion.

 Strong writing and editing skills; ability to produce clear, concise materials on tight deadlines.

 Experience working with the media and cultivating relationships with print, radio, television and

online journalists.

 Experience promoting issues through social media required.

 Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Associated Press style required. Familiarity with Vocus

public relations software a plus.

 Experience at a public relations agency highly desired.

 A demonstrated interest in civil liberties and passion for the work of the ACLU is essential.

COMPENSATION

The ACLU offers a generous and comprehensive compensation and benefits package, commensurate with

experience and within parameters of the ACLU compensation scale.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit a letter of interest (with salary requirements), a resume and a writing sample (no more than

three pages in length) to hrjobsCOMM@aclu.org - reference [COMM-34/ACLU-W] in the subject line.

Please indicate in your letter where you learned of this career opportunity.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.