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Special Assistant to the Deputy Legal Director / Director of the Center for Democracy

New York, New York, United States

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Special Assistant to the Deputy Legal Director / Director of the Center for Democracy in the Legal 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 National Legal Department is comprised of fifteen subject matter projects and two initiatives, clustered in three Centers.

The Center for Democracy (“the Center”) encompasses the ACLU’s work on voting rights, immigrants’ rights, national security, human rights, and speech, privacy, and technology. 

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

WHAT YOU'LL DO 

The Special Assistant will report to the Deputy Legal Director/ Director of the Center for Democracy and work as well with the Center project directors and Associate Director of Legal Operations. The Special Assistant will be responsible for managing a wide range of administrative, research, legal, and operational duties for the Center.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

  • Provide broad logistical support and assist in managing the day-to-day operations for the Center
  • Maintain an organized system of tracking, monitoring, and prioritizing tasks and projects related to the Center Director's portfolio to ensure smooth operations
  • Provide litigation support for Center for Democracy attorneys, including assisting with court filings and cite-checking briefs
  • Provide litigation support for the Legal Director, including assisting with Supreme Court filings
  • Provide strategic and logistical support to the Legal Operations team with department-wide and paralegal trainings, implementation of new software and systems, quarterly all-staff meetings, and other initiatives as needed, and with a paralegal lens where needed.
  • Support the Center Director’s cross-functional work by coordinating within the Legal Department as well as with other organizational departments
  • Manage Center Director’s schedule, travel arrangements, and expense reports
  • Assist in researching, preparing, formatting, and proofreading reports, memos, presentations, and other documents for the Center Director and other Center staff
  • Facilitate information gathering and tracking of deadlines, deliverables, and programs within the Center
  • Provide organizational support for the strategic planning and budget processes
  • Schedule, plan, and facilitate both on-site and off-site meetings, conferences, internal and external facing events, and presentations
  • Act as a resource for ACLU paralegals by coordinating and leading trainings on topics such as Bluebooking, cite-checking, and TOCs

In addition to:

  • Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned
  • Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding the values in program development, policy application, and organizational practices and processes
  • Commitment to the mission of the ACLU
  • Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance
  • Commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts

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

  • Strong administrative, organizational, and time management skills
  • Self-starter and ability to take initiative
  • Detail-oriented and adept at handling multiple tasks simultaneously
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
  • Paralegal experience preferred.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
  • Strong research skills
  • Excellent project management skills
  • Strong analytical skills and comfort with numerical reasoning
  • Willing to conquer the “small tasks” with an understanding of their vital importance in the success of the Center
  • Excellent writing and proofreading skills
  • Ability to work independently, as well as within a team
  • Demonstrated passion for advancing racial, gender, disability and social justice

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

COMPENSATION

FOR NON-LITIGATOR POSITIONS:

The ACLU is committed to equity, transparency, and clarity in pay. Consistent with our compensation philosophy, there is a set salary for each role based on geographic work location. The annual salary for this position is $85,596 (Level - J), reflecting the salary of a position based in New York, NY.  Salaries are subject to a regional pay adjustment if authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting.  
 
For details on our pay structure, please visit: https://www.aclu.org/careers/ACLU_Geographic_Pay_Structure-July_2024.pdf

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.

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