Senior Communications Strategist, Reproductive Freedom

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks a full-time position of Senior Communications Strategist, Reproductive Freedom in the Communications & Marketing Department of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY or Washington, DC. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month. 

The ACLU Communications Department creates, maintains, and expands message 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, our written content, creative branding, and visual identity, we encourage support for the ACLU and help to build a more perfect union.

This position is part of a collective bargaining unit. It is represented by ACLU Staff United (ASU). 

WHAT YOU'LL DO 

Reporting to the Associate Director, Strategic Communications, the Senior Communications Strategist, Reproductive Freedom will play a critical role in developing and executing communications strategies that advance the ACLU’s work on reproductive freedom. The strategist will execute strategies through collaboration with communications colleagues, digital team members, organizers, lawyers, lobbyists, state advocates, vendors, and partner organizations. The strategist will engage target audiences about ACLU litigation and advocacy; secure news coverage about ACLU efforts; build messaging; create content for publications and the website; and, plan events such as mobilization activations, and issue teleconferences.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

• Create multi-faceted communications strategies on a wide array of civil liberties and civil rights issues, including, but not limited to advocacy and litigation around immigrants’ rights, voting rights, LGBTQ rights, criminal justice reform, reproductive rights, and digital privacy
• Develop and implement organizational communications strategies to further the ACLU’s brand recognition among target audiences
• Strategize to determine the most effective spokespeople for disseminating the ACLU messages and brand
• Develop multi-faceted communications plans, which include goals, audience definitions, messaging, media relations strategies, use of ACLU digital platforms, and nationwide advocacy, to change hearts, minds, and laws
• Participate and help lead cross-functional teams (legal, advocacy, digital content) to shape messaging for ACLU initiatives to maximize their communications value and effectiveness, as well as the visibility of the ACLU
• Increase coverage of ACLU issues and ACLU 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 digital team, program staff, and relevant working groups to have them produced in line with agreed strategies
• Identify and lead response to breaking news events, often making sensitive judgment calls in emerging civil liberty and civil rights crises
• Create and refine 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 copy for ACLU National and affiliate teams
• Be able to accurately and swiftly engage in rapid response moments across platforms
• Develop and pitch feature stories
• Prepare clients, organizers, litigators, state advocates, and other spokespeople for media appearances
• In coordination with multi-media staff, conceptualize, script, direct, and produce video content relating to civil liberties and civil rights issues
• Provide guidance to affiliates in the development of communications materials and strategy, when necessary

FUTURE ACLU'ERS WILL 

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• Significant experience in a combination of the following areas: media, strategic communications, journalism, content creation, digital communications, and public relations
• Experience working on issue-based advocacy and public awareness campaigns, and in communic