Position:  Policy Director

Department: Policy

Terms of Employment: Regular Full-Time / Exempt (NYCLU staff is currently working in a hybrid model. A number of in-person days will be required)

Location: 55 Broadway, New York, NY 10006

Salary: $160,000 - $180,000

Application Deadline: Until Position is Filled.

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is one of the nation's leading advocates on behalf of constitutional rights and liberties.  Founded in 1951, as the New York affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, the NYCLU is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization with more than 90,000 members and supporters, and seven offices statewide. We work in the courts, in the legislatures and on the streets to advocate for racial and economic justice, free speech, freedom of religion, privacy and equality before the law for all New Yorkers. For more information, please visit our website: www.nyclu.org. 

DEI VISION STATEMENT

The NYCLU affirmatively values the humanity and contributions of those we work with, inside and outside of the organization; and will take action to build and sustain an equitable, anti-racist culture that centers the voices and experiences of marginalized and directly impacted people and communities, and an organizational environment where all people feel valued, trusted, and respected. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and having a workforce that reflects the population that we serve and actively recruit people of color, women, people with disabilities, formerly incarcerated people, and LGBTQ and gender non-conforming people.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION 

The Policy Director is a member of the NYCLU’s senior staff with primary responsibility for the organization’s statewide legislative program and supervision of the NYCLU’s Policy Department. The Policy Director reports to the Director of Strategy and Integrated Program and the Executive Director.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES 

Leadership of the Policy Department

• Developing and implementing a State legislative docket and advocacy strategy every year, including the drafting, assessing, and prioritizing of legislation for support or opposition; this docket and strategy defines NYCLU’s presence in Albany and our identity to lawmakers, which is a key constituency for our success.
• Aligning legislative advocacy and positions with current organizational resources and strategic priorities, and ensuring appropriate staffing and resources are devoted to issue areas and individual legislation. 
• Developing and implementing strategy for non-legislative policy actions, including policies, guidance, and regulations issued by executive agencies; current events that call for a policy-based response from the NYCLU, and collaboration with partner organizations.
• Managing and supervising deputy and assistant policy directors and other members of the Policy Department. Developing policy and guidance on allocation of staff dockets, supervisory responsibilities, professional development, and managerial feedback on substantive work.
• Managing and supervising lawyers, professional staff, and contract lobbyists engaged in legislative and policy advocacy in Albany, NYC, and other areas of NYS on all of the following:

1. Identifying State legislative and policy proposals that impact civil liberties and civil rights.
2. Reviewing legislative and policy proposals with a civil rights and liberties lens, identifying any problems, and determining whether there are viable solutions to address civil rights and liberties gaps.
3. Researching, analyzing, and directing advocacy (using both external and inside-game strategies) in support of or opposition to proposed legislation and policies.
4. Drafting and presenting testimony on legislative and executive policy proposals, executive orders, and other governmental policy actions before legislative and other government bodies. 
5. Drafting new legislation, policies, and amendments to existing laws and policies.
6. Preparing legislative and policy memoranda, reports, briefing papers and letters.
7. Overseeing and assessing the implementation of laws after passage. 
8. Reviewing and providing input on of policy positions ACLU National is taking or considering taking; and
9. Representing the NYCLU in key coalitions and coordinated advocacy campaigns at the state and local level.

• Consulting with and lobbying senior lawmakers and government officials, the governor’s staff, and agency officials regarding NYCLU’s top priority legislative and policy issues.
• Cultivating strategic relationships and influential partnerships to further the NYCLU’s mission and strategic objectives, including overseeing our membership and participation in coalition spaces and cultivating relationships with key advocates, validators and other advocacy groups.
• Managing the policy aspects of inter-departmental advocacy campaigns, including planning and managing NYCLU resources directed at legislative and policy-making audiences. 
• Collaborating closely with other members of the senior staff and the programmatic departments of the NYCLU, specifically with the:

1. Director of the Field Department on planning, managing, and implementing State and local advocacy campaigns that are mobilized through local and regional offices.
2. Director of the Legal Department regarding issues raised—or potentially could be raised— in litigation, including implementation of laws we advocated for, as well as coordinating our legislative advocacy with our legal docket as appropriate.
3. Director of the Education Policy Center regarding issues that impact their specialized docket;
4. Director of the Racial Justice Center regarding issues that impact their specialized docket, including environmental and economic justice, and housing. 
5. Director of the Communications Department in developing communications plans and strategies, drafting and editing documents (news releases, e-alerts, position statements), providing commentary on legislative issues for print, electronic, and broadcast media, and identifying newsworthy activities to promote.
6. Development Department regarding strategic funding opportunities, and public education and messaging.
7. Issue-specific projects and campaigns as they arise.

• Representing and guiding strategy for NYCLU with respect to policy discussions lead by ACLU National or with other affiliates in the region.
• Supporting the Executive Director and Director of Strategy and Integrated Program to develop and leverage opportunities and strategic relationships and in support of legislative and policy priorities.
• Speaking publicly and to the media about NYCLU campaigns and issue areas.

Organizational Leadership

• The Policy Director is a key member of the NYCLU’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT). Senior leadership duties include:

1. Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the hiring and management of staff, in interactions with colleagues, and in external relationships, in accordance with NYCLU commitments.
2. Assessing and advocating for new NYCLU positions in collaboration with the Director of Strategy and Integrated Program and the Executive Director; and for new areas of focus or resources in support of our strategic planning process. 
3. Advising and informing the NYCLU Board of Directors about our legislative priorities and any new focus areas for our policy work.
4. Overseeing and managing a budget for a department of approximately 11 people.
5. Developing and upholding inter-departmental protocols for shared campaign work; and
6. Ensuring professional development, appropriate management and feedback, and positive morale for a large department.

QUALIFICATIONS

• This is a complex and technically demanding role that requires precision, accuracy, expert knowledge of the field of civil rights and liberties, and excellent communication skills, often under intense time pressure.
• The ideal candidate for this position flourishes in a fast-paced environment and can effectively manage multiple projects simultaneously. Legislative work can be both cyclical (demanding a lot of on-call availability at certain times of the year, particularly March and May) and unpredictable (when opportunities arise in response to unexpected or newsworthy events). 
• This candidate is effective at building trusting relationships across difference and can effectively delegate work to their deputies and staff; they are skilled at collaboration and at giving feedback.
• This candidate has excellent oral advocacy skills and can analyze and advocate on a variety of topics both internally and externally, whether at planned and scripted events or off the cuff, and to a variety of audiences including lawyers, legislators, activists, and the press. The best candidates will be able to speak to civil rights and liberties topics in text-level depth (e.g. while analyzing or amending bills) or touch on many topics in agenda-setting meetings that represent the NYCLU’s full multi-issue docket.
• This candidate has excellent writing and editing skills, with a particular focus on legislative language and drafting; possesses a deep understanding of a broad range of civil liberties and civil rights issues, advocacy strategies, and has the competencies and commitment needed to create and support an equitable and high-performing work environment.
• The ideal candidate has experience with Albany and NYC politics. 

Candidates for the position must have at minimum:

• Law degree.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in legislative policy, advocacy, lobbying and legislative drafting.
• Oral and written communications skills.
• Experience in working with diverse audiences, including elected officials, community leaders, people directly impacted by public policy, coalition partners and the public.
• Demonstrated experience in successfully leading a team.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and the NYCLU’s mission and strategic priorities.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your resume and cover letter that includes your unique qualifications for this position, where or how you learned of this job posting, via  https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/2775364/New-York-Civil-Liberties-Union-Foundation/Policy-Director  

If feasible, please submit these materials as a single PDF.

The NYCLU is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all qualified individuals regardless of race, sex, gender identity or expression, age, disability, religion, national origin, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and having a workforce that reflects the communities that we serve.

The NYCLU 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 e-mail ldecicco@nyclu.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.