Associate Director, Web Strategy

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Associate Director, Web Strategy in the Communications & Marketing Department of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month. This is a 1-year term-limited position.

The ACLU Marketing & 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 illustrate the value and impact of the ACLU’s work. Through our messaging, engagement with newsmakers, our written and social content, branding, and visual identity, we encourage support for the ACLU and help to create a more perfect union.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Reporting to the Director of Web Strategy, the Associate Director, Web Strategy will be responsible for representing the Web channel in the Communications & Marketing Department’s planning and execution of omni-channel communications and marketing campaigns. Campaigns may be focused on delivering talking points on cases and legal actions, prompting digital advocacy actions, cultivating awareness of the ACLU, providing critical resources to organizers and vulnerable communities, mobilizing event attendance or in-person engagement, driving fundraising performance, or responding to rapid response contexts.

Working in close collaboration with the Strategic Communications team within the Communications & Marketing Department, the Associate Director, Web Strategy will lead collaborative UX discovery processes to clearly identify campaigns’ target audiences and goals, then align on the most optimal UX and content strategies to meet those goals within time and scope constraints.

The Associate Director, Web Strategy will oversee a Digital Producer, interface with internal creatives, and engage vendors to produce content for campaigns, and ultimately execute the tactics and strategies that ladder up to and advance department goals.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

DIGITAL CONTENT STRATEGY & PRODUCTION

• Provide strategic recommendations, guidance, and insights within the Communications & Marketing and National Policy & Advocacy departments that inform decision-making and drive digital success.
• Partner with Communications Strategists and National Policy & Advocacy team members to craft UX and content strategies that will advance programmatic goals and drive performance metrics (e.g., digital advocacy actions, email/volunteer signups, donations, event registrations, toolkit downloads).
• Leverage IA and UX expertise to adapt campaign talking points and communications plans into content plans for web properties, to drive performance and advance programmatic Communications priorities.
• Collaborate with Social, Paid, and Digital Campaigns (email/SMS) teams to align on optimal cross-channel strategies in integrated campaigns, inclusive of: mapping cross-channel user journeys; coordinating tracking/attribution and reporting needs; producing landing pages to support other channel teams’ tactics; providing suggestions for leveraging web properties or content; and coordinating efficient creative production processes.
• Build and scale Web communications plans and operational procedures, to increase the volume and effectiveness of Web communications, from both SEO/AEO and on-site engagement perspectives.
• Partner with the Director of Web Strategy and Technology Department teams to identify use cases and draft requirements for new web features, UX/IA improvements, and bespoke digital engagement set pieces.
• Review/produce/administer Web content within the website’s content management system (CMS).
• Engage in special projects as assigned.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Create and oversee feasible schedules for the planning, production, and execution of Web channel campaigns.
• Lead collaborative workshops and processes to surface the most effective UX and content strategies for a campaign, and to increase knowledge-share, garner buy-in, and leverage support from other involved teams.
• Communicate proactively to maintain appropriate expectations with stakeholders and reliant or involved teams, amid constantly changing project contexts.
• Collaborate with the Web Strategy team and Analytics team (within the Technology Department) to track, analyze, and report on metrics related to new projects, initiatives, and digital tools. 
• Collaborate with stakeholders at all levels to improve Web channel processes and operations.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with external agencies, vendors, and contractors to augment internal capabilities and manage specialized projects, ensuring delivery of high-quality work that meets the organization’s standards and requirements.
• Join and help to maintain coverage calendars, offering off-hours and weekend coverage on a rotating schedule as needed.

LEADERSHIP & GROWTH

• Manage and mentor a Digital Producer to deliver quality web content on efficient schedules while increasing the Web Strategy team’s UX and strategic capabilities
• Lead and champion colleagues, supporting professional development and growth, giving routine feedback, and ensuring work is of high-quality and high-impact.
• Support efforts to recruit staff and further strengthen the team and department.
• Demonstrate an ability to be flexible and adjust priorities as necessary to adapt to changing external environments.

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 experience in content strategy and digital project/product management.
• Strong familiarity with Information Architecture and User Experience principles and best practices.
• Demonstrated experience managing large projects, vendors or staff with the ability to establish priorities that will effectively utilize the staff’s time and the department’s resources.
• Strong project management skills including the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously, clearly communicate progress and address issues while still meeting required deadlines.
• Strong ability to collaborate with internal groups and outside vendors, supervise processes, and maintain integrity of organizational standards.
• Critical thinker with demonstrated problem-solving skills and the ability to make independent decisions.
• Comfort working in a complex environment with multiple and at times competing priorities and goals.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to adapt and quickly adjust in response to changing priorities.
• Familiarity with a range of online publishing tools, tactics, and strategies.
• Excellent verbal, writing and interpersonal communication skills.
• Excellent relationship-building skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree is preferred. 
• A minimum of 6-8 years of professional marketing communications and/or UX, product management, or digital project management experience, as outlined above, is strongly preferred.

COMPENSATION

WHY THE ACLU

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.

We know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and know that what we offer is essential not just their work, but to their overall well-being.

At the ACLU, we offer a broad range of benefits, which include:

• Time away to focus on the things that matter with a generous paid time-off policy
• Focus on your well-being with comprehensive healthcare benefits (including medical, dental and vision coverage, parental leave, gender affirming care & fertility treatment)
• Plan for your retirement with 401k plan and employer match
• We support employee growth and development through annual professional development funds, internal professional development programs and workshops

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Accessibility, equity, diversity and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change.  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, anti-ableism, 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.

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage 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.

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 complete the Accommodation Request Form

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

The Department of Education has determined that employment in this position at the ACLU does not qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.