The Director of Policy is a member of the ACLU-VA leadership team and provides vision and direction for its legislative and policy programs. The Director is responsible for advancing policy change and building organizational capacity through the development and integration of organization-wide and community policy tools – litigation, legislative, community leadership, and public education. The Director collaborates internally and externally to find policy change opportunities and bring together the most effective blend of strategies to achieve ACLU-VA’s desired outcome. The Director also participates in setting organizational goals and priorities, strategic planning, developing and managing the organization’s budget, and assisting in raising funds to carry out the ACLU-VA mission.

Responsibilities:

Leadership and Management:

Develop and manage the ACLU-VA legislative and policy infrastructure, increasing political power by helping to design—with the Chief Program Officer and Program teams—multi-year policy campaigns and developing internal structures to advance policy and organizational objectives.
Shape and oversee growth and direction of the ACLU-VA policy team, ensuring the organization is deliberate about utilizing an integrated set of legislative, litigation, organizing, and community building tactics that will create sustainable progress toward achieving policy and organizational building goals.
Create scalable and efficient systems and processes that facilitate and bolster lateral cooperation and cross teamwork between National staff, legal, communications, organizing, operations, development, and policy staff.
Train, develop and manage all ACLU-VA policy staff, building comprehensive program plans and coaching staff on how to effectively plan, execute, and debrief policy projects and campaigns.
Create systems that support efficient lateral and upward collaboration, build and maintain a positive team culture, and assure staff accountability to short- and long-term goals (both external and internal/administrative).
Co-develop and manage with the Chief Program Officer the annual budget for policy projects; and
Assist with fundraising and board of directors’ activities.
Ensure that the ACLU-VA’s policy department is committed to promoting equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB) and to amplifying the voices of marginalized communities.

Strategic Planning for Policy Change and Organizational Growth:

Oversee development of year-round policy program, working with Chief Program Officer and other staff to develop overarching policy agenda and set direction of the policy program.
Oversee development of multi-year non-partisan issue advocacy campaigns that incorporate legal and legislative remedies in a way that elevates community input and organizing strategies and brings allies together to increase our ability to win.

Communications Facilitation:

Working closely with our communications staff, facilitate the development of a comprehensive communications plan for our multi-year campaigns that supports our campaign goals and influences our targets while establishing communications specific objectives that will employ traditional and new media and ultimately expand our audiences.
Collaborate with communications staff on planning and production of educational advocacy materials that will enhance and amplify message and empower members and volunteers to engage with our policy objectives.

Required Qualifications:

At least three years of experience planning and executing large scale electoral, organizing, or issue advocacy campaigns.
At least three years of supervision experience that includes supervising staff from diverse life experiences and backgrounds.
Broad knowledge of the legislative and administrative processes at the state and local levels, and an ability to show specific knowledge of Virginia or an approach to learning Virginia-specific processes.
Demonstrated ability or willingness to learn and work within an integrated advocacy framework and collaborate with Legal, Organizing, and/or Communications teams to achieve affiliate program goals.
Willingness and availability to work beyond the normal workday, on weekends, and/or more than 40 hours a week as necessary.
Willingness and ability to travel throughout Virginia, and occasionally to other states for conferences, trainings, legislative office visits and affiliate events as needed and to be in Richmond during the entirety of legislative sessions.
Proficiency with office technology and information systems, including databases, state and local legislative information systems or bill trackers, online communications, word processing, project management systems, and spreadsheets.
Proficiency with program level budget management or willingness to learn.
A commitment to the mission and values of the ACLU of Virginia, and to racial justice and civil rights issues and an understanding that these issues are central to overall protection of civil liberties.
A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, to refrain from unlawful discrimination and to comply fully with all applicable laws; a personal approach that values the individual and respects differences of race, ethnicity and national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ability and socio-economic circumstance, and able to work with diverse individuals within the organization and broader community.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS & ABILITIES:

Excellent writing and public speaking skills.
Ability to provide clear direction, set priorities, meet deadlines, and hold staff accountable to deadlines on concurrent projects in a fast-paced, occasionally stressful environment.
Well organized with strong ability to manage your own time.
Ability to provide clear, direct feedback and coach others on time management and process-oriented planning.
Ability to communicate clearly and reliably, collaborate and “manage upwards” to a supervisor.
Ability to motivate, inspire, influence, and generate action across the political and power spectrum both internally and externally.
Ability to learn and understand multifaceted administrative systems and think comprehensively and within an integrated framework alongside legal, organizing, and communications teams to help build and grow a theory of change for a difficult problem or multi-year goal.
Ability to work independently and collaborate with others as a part of a team, and to supervise staff who may work both independently and as members of a team.
Strong self-starter with a creative and resilient mindset to solving problems individually and in a team setting.
Ability to plan, coach others on planning, and provide meaningful and critical feedback on planning and execution of programs.
Strong interpersonal communication skills and ability to have difficult conversations.
Once employed by the ACLU-VA, the applicant must reside within daily commuting distance of our Richmond office, and have the ability to be on-site at the General Assembly during legislative sessions as much as needed.
Access to reliable transportation.