CAREER OPPORTUNITY
Program Strategist [LGBT-15/WACLU]
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & AIDS Project

The New York national headquarters of the American Civil Liberties Union, a nationwide public interest organization, devoted to the defense of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, seeks a committed Program Strategist to work in the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and AIDS Project. The ACLU, with national headquarters in New York and Washington and 53 affiliates across the country, was founded in 1920. We are now one of the fastest growing advocacy non-profits in America.

POSITION OVERVIEW:
The Program Strategist reports to the Project’s Public Education Director and works closely with other staff on key areas of the Project’s litigation, other advocacy, communication and education. The Program Strategist will be responsible for identifying people who have experienced discrimination due to their sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV status to aid advocacy efforts. Ideally the candidate will work out of our national headquarters in New York, but we will consider locating the position in our affiliate offices in Chicago or San Francisco.

Specific Responsibilities Include:

• Develop and execute strategies for finding and identifying people who have compelling personal stories about discrimination they have faced because of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status and who are willing to be witnesses, participants in litigation, or otherwise to speak publicly;
• Interview and identify potential litigants and public education spokespersons, vetting their stories and ability to speak compellingly about the issues;
• Prepare summaries and reports on strategies and stories as needed; Use clear and engaging writing to create profiles and call-to-action letters to raise public awareness about efforts to find stories and to educate the public about the stories identified.
• Maintain an electronic database (and, if directed, a parallel paper record) of all those identified and all stories collected;
• With other Project staff, prepare people with stories to be spokespeople, to testify at legislative hearings, etc;
• Provide instruction to ACLU staff and staff from allied organizations on ways to devise and execute similar strategies;
• Assist in developing strategies for mobilizing targeted groups and individuals to take direct action to further specific program goals;
• Assist in organizing targeted groups to take action;

QUALIFICATIONS:

• A Bachelor’s degree is preferred. A minimum of three years of experience in journalism, public education or related field is required. Experience in daily deadline journalism reporting and long-form writing a plus.
• Proven commitment to and in-depth understanding of LGBT issues are essential.
• Strong investigative and outreach skills are required.
• A sound understanding of and the ability to discern the types of stories that are capable of generating media attention and moving public opinion.
• The ability to present stories of discrimination and the case for equality persuasively in writing (and in other media, if possible) is essential.
• Experience in any of the following areas is preferred, but not required: managing media, including drafting press materials and pitching stories to the press; producing short videos that can be streamed online or other multimedia content; managing and maintaining web content.
• Must be detail oriented, self-motivated and possess the ability to work well independently under pressure yet think creatively and strategically.
• Experience with Internet research and Microsoft applications, such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are required.
• Must have proven ability and experience with strong writing, interviewing and analytical skills.

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:
If you are a proactive and resourceful team player with a passion for public interest issues, please send a cover letter (with salary requirements), resume, writing sample and references by email to hrjobs@aclu.org. Reference [LGBT-15/WACLU] in subject line – or by mail to:

Human Resources
RE: [LGBT-15/WACLU]
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18^th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, which will not be before May 5, 2008. Please indicate where you learned of this job posting.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.