Director of Strategy & Innovation

About this role

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Director of Strategy & Innovation in the Strategy Office 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 works on some of the most pressing civil rights and civil liberties issues facing American society today. The Strategy Office supports the ACLU to advance civil rights and liberties for all through the development and delivery of a bold strategy with shared goals that maximizes our impact today and in the long-term. The office resides within the Executive Department, which drives strategic direction, governance partnership, and a values-driven and inclusive culture.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

The Director of Strategy & Innovation will report to the Chief Strategy Officer and work collaboratively with other members of the Strategy Office and stakeholders across the organization.

The Strategy Office sets strategy at multiple levels within the organization, that sync with and reinforce the others. The ACLU's 2030 Strategy is the result of a national strategic planning process that aligns the organization around a set of strategic priorities – some are related to how we advance fundamental civil rights and liberties issues while others are focused on more internal aspects of our theory of change. The Strategy Office facilitates this strategy setting process every four years in close partnership with organizational leadership and then serves as the central engine to drive implementation. Each year, departments create annual plans that define their priorities and translate them into coherent, executable strategies to advance the 2030 Strategy, utilizing the frameworks, tools, and guidance provided by the Strategy Office. These plans form the foundation for resource allocation decisions. The Strategy Office also works with cross-functional experts (Legal, Communications, and Advocacy) to create clear actionable strategies for the ACLU’s leading 5-7 issues (e.g., immigration, voting rights, LGBTQ rights). The Strategy Office works deeply with cross-departmental issue teams to develop issue-based strategic plans that align shared goals and tactics.

The Director will work with organizational leadership and subject matter experts to set strategy across these levels and will identify, incubate, promote and advance bold innovative shifts that will take the ACLU to the next level. The Director will support the organization in successful strategy delivery, driving priority initiatives and monitoring progress and capturing learnings along the way. The Director of Strategy & Innovation serves as an internal convener, steward, and integrator of the ACLU’s work – creating strategic alignment and coordinated execution across many departments within the organization.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

• Architect and author cohesive and impactful strategies that draw on the ACLU’s extensive internal expertise, your own experience and relationships, research, consultation, data, and landscape analysis.

• Facilitate strategic planning sessions with Senior Leadership and subject matter experts, asking probing questions, working through misalignment, recommending shared goals and tactics, and driving key decision points.

• Understand progress towards our strategies by driving an evidence-driven approach that includes identifying what success looks like, facilitating moments for evaluation and learning, and using those insights to inform decision making.

• Facilitate difficult conversations and drive strategic decisions with senior leaders, and present recommendations to senior audiences, including the executive team and board of directors.

• Identify, incubate, and advance new, bold ideas that progress civil rights and civil liberties and/or take the ACLU to the next level. This may include bringing in outside experts, conducting landscape analysis, leading conversations on where the ACLU can play a distinctive and impactful role in addressing the most pressing challenges ahead, creating scalable pilots and evaluating success, and making recommendations for future investments.

• Lead large, complex cross functional initiatives that unlock opportunities, drive efficiencies, or address challenges in service of our strategies.

• Develop and drive adoption of standardized strategic frameworks, tools, and processes while regularly identifying improvements based on collected learnings.

• Create regular internal communications and champion change management to promote awareness and understanding of our strategies, developments, and important decisions.

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

• Demonstrated strategic planning expertise for an organization of similar complexity and scope, and experience aligning policy, political, and communications strategies.

• A facilitation practice, centered on asking difficult questions, synthesizing diverse perspectives, and framing choices and decisions in a way that builds consensus and makes colleagues feel heard

• Exceptional organizational, planning and project management skills with demonstrated ability to manage large, complex projects and prioritize effectively against simultaneous demands

• Familiarity and understanding of issue areas relating to civil rights and civil liberties and/or related legal and advocacy fields

• Experience driving an evidence driven approach to meaningfully track progress against strategic goals and using quantitative and qualitative data to inform strategic decisions

• Strong analytical, critical thinking and…