Communications Strategist, Immigration

About The Job

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Communications Strategist, Immigration in the Communications & Marketing Department of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY or Washington, D.C.

The ACLU Communications and Marketing Department creates, maintains, and amplifies messages and narratives to engage our supporters and other target audiences to help protect and expand civil liberties and civil rights, and also illustrate the value and impact of the ACLU’s transformational work. Through our messaging, engagement with newsmakers, written content, creative branding, cultivation of celebrity and influencer talent and visual identity, we encourage support for the ACLU and help to build a more perfect union. 

Reporting to the Director of Strategic Communications, the Communications Strategist, Immigration will be responsible for developing and executing communications strategies that advance the ACLU’s work on immigrant rights issues.

Responsibilities

• Create multi-faceted communications strategies which include goals, target audiences, messaging, media relations strategies, for all digital platforms and earned media, and advocacy, to educate, motivate, and influence target audiences
• Help develop and implement organizational communications strategies to further the ACLU brand awareness
• Strategize to determine effective spokespeople for disseminating the ACLU messages and brand       
• Participate and help lead cross-functional teams (legal, advocacy, digital content) to shape communications plans for ACLU initiatives to maximize their communications value and effectiveness, as well as the visibility of the ACLU 
• Increase coverage of ACLU issues/messages by cultivating and maintaining relationships with key reporters, editors, producers and bookers 
• Identify needs for digital content and written materials, and work with the cross-organizational digital team and relevant teams to have them produced in line with agreed strategies 
• Identify and lead response to breaking news events, often requiring sensitive judgment calls in emerging civil liberties and civil rights crises
• Create and/or work to produce communications content, including talking points, news releases, op-eds, letters to the editor, blog posts, backgrounders, social media content, comics, videos, infographics, interactive web features, and social media content
• Accurately and swiftly engage in rapid response moments across platforms
• Develop and pitch feature stories 
• Prepare clients, organizers, litigators, advocates, and other spokespeople for media appearances  
• Identify needs and work in coordination with multi-media staff to conceptualize, script, direct, and produce video content relating to immigrant rights issues
• Work in collaboration with the litigation and advocacy teams to develop communications strategies and tactics for federal and state legislative and advocacy initiatives     
• Provide guidance to ACLU affiliates in the development of communications materials and strategy, when necessary
  

In Addition To

• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned
• Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding the values in program development, policy application, and organizational practices and processes
• Commitment to the mission of the ACLU
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance
• Commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts
  

Experience & Qualifications

• Professional experience in a combination of the following areas: media, strategic communications, journalism, content creation, digital communications, and public relations 
• Ability to communicate persuasively and professionally, in writing through op-eds and blog posts, and to communicate verbally to a wide variety of media, political, stakeholder, and influencer audiences. Proven experience in exercising judgment in breaking news and rapid response environments  
• Experience working on issue-based advocacy and public awareness campaigns, and in communicating complex issues to a variety of targeted audiences  
• Experience working with the media and cultivating relationships with print, radio, television and online journalists 
• Strong writing/editing skills; proven record of published content; strong command of AP style
• Experience working with digital content, including multimedia  
• Demonstrated ability to influence colleagues across the board, and an ability to work collaboratively with others including cross departmentally as part of a team. Thinks big picture and can bring together different work streams.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the areas stated above and/or a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications or a related field is preferred
• Familiarity with Prezly, Critical Mention, Cision, Meltwater, or other media relations software a plus 
• Understanding of trends and best practices for online campaigning, and best practices for communicating via email, Facebook and Twitter, preferred 
  

Compensation

The ACLU values equity, transparency, and clarity in pay. Consistent with the ACLU’s compensation philosophy, there is a set salary for this role. The annual salary for this position is $96,711 (Level H), reflective of a position based in New York, NY, where our National offices are headquartered. This salary will be subject to a locality adjustment (according to a specific city and state), if an authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting.

About The Aclu

The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union – beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.

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 from government abuse and overreach.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. 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 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.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU encourages 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. Black people, Indigenous people, people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people; women; people with disabilities, protected veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals are all strongly encouraged to apply.

The ACLU makes every effort to assure that its recruitment and employment provide all qualified persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions.

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