Confidential Assistant, Program, Strategy and Culture

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Confidential Assistant, Program, Strategy and Culture in the Executive 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. 

The ACLU’s mission is to create a more perfect union – beyond one person, party, or side – to realize the promise of the U.S. Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees. The ACLU’s advances liberty and justice in the courts, in the legislatures, in the streets, and at the ballot box. Defending and advancing these fundamental rights and core values, as well as promoting a cohesive vision across departments and affiliates, requires an exceptional executive function, led by the Executive Director. The Executive Department is the critical nerve-center of the ACLU and is comprised of the Strategy Office and Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) team and is also responsible for the ACLU’s national board.

WHAT YOU'LL DO 

Reporting to the Deputy Executive Director (DED), Program, Strategy and Culture, the Confidential Assistant will be responsible for providing administrative and logistical support to the DED and supporting the DED’s engagement with key external stakeholders, internal leaders, and the organization as a whole. The Confidential Assistant will be a critical thought partner to the DED to help the DED stay organized, focused on high impact decisions, and aligned with key internal and external stakeholders.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

Administrative and Logistical Support 

• Provide sophisticated calendar assistance for the DED, including prioritizing inquiries and requests while troubleshooting conflicts and making judgements and recommendations to ensure smooth day-to-day engagements 
• Provide task management support to help keep the DED organized and informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities, and taking action where appropriate  
• Complete a broad variety of administrative and logistical tasks to support the DED including but not limited to arranging travel and completing expense reports 
• Support the preparation and submission of the Executive department budget, including annual, mid-year, and monthly budget preparations/submissions  
• Main point of contact for external vendors and consultants for Executive department, including processing invoices, reviewing contracts, and managing vendors with accuracy and timeliness 
• Project manage special projects and initiatives specific to the DED’s portfolio, across program, strategy and culture 

 Stakeholder & Organization Engagement  

• Serve as "gatekeeper" and "gateway" for internal and external stakeholders, advising the DED on the appropriate course of action, exercising judgement to reflect the DEDs style and organization policy 
• Be the “eyes and ears” of the organization and major programmatic developments, keeping the DED updated and informed to support the DED’s ability to lead and serve as the connective tissue to other leaders and departments 
• Develop communications for the DED, including documents, talking points, memos, reports, presentations and emails, that reflect the DEDs voice and style 
• Coordinate and support the DED’s engagement with internal stakeholders, including calendaring, informing agenda setting, and advising on sequencing  
• Coordinate and support the DED’s engagement with external constituencies, including donors, the media, and community, governmental, philanthropy and private organizations, working closely with Development  
• Coordinate and provide support for the DED’s management of the National Board, working closely with the National Board team 
• Coordinate and manage organization-wide and leadership-specific meetings and retreats, such as quarterly All-Staff meetings, quarterly Office Hour forums, regular Senior Leadership meetings, and annual Senior Leadership retreat, in coordination with relevant departments (e.g., HR, internal comms, Strategy Office) 

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

• Highly organized with strong attention to detail  
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and effectively prioritize, triage, and take action  
• Willingness to conquer the “small tasks” with an understanding of their vital importance to the success of the broader mission 
• Strong analytical and reasoning skills with a comfort with data and numerical reasoning a plus 
• Strong verbal and written communication skills 
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to connect with and engage stakeholders at all levels 
• Highly motivated and proactive, with a resourceful, solutions-oriented mindset   
• Remain flexible and adaptable to shifting priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced, high-stakes environment, which may require being available outside traditional hours  
• Ability to exercise a high level of discretion, confidentiality, and professional integrity especially regarding confidential and highly sensitive matters 
• Fluency with meeting platforms, including Zoom and Microsoft Teams, and other Microsoft products (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel)  

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 email benefits.hrdept@aclu.org. 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.