Organizing Director

Who We Are 

The ACLU of Northern California is an enduring guardian of justice, fairness, equality, and freedom, working to protect and advance civil rights and civil liberties for all Californians. 

We’re looking for an Organizing Director for our San Francisco, Sacramento, or Fresno office. 

The Organizing Director is responsible for developing and leading implementation of the vision and strategy of the organizing, mobilization, and civic engagement/political programs of the ACLU of Northern CA. The Organizing Director also partners with staff from other departments, other California ACLUs, and ACLU National on integrated advocacy strategies. 

This position is supervisory, full-time, exempt, and is not represented by our union bargaining unit.

What You Will Do 

Strategy and Evaluation

• Set strategy and goals for organizing and political programs aligned with the organizational mission.
• Develop systems to track and evaluate program effectiveness and impact.

Department Management and Leadership

• Manage the organizing department, including hiring, supervision, professional development, and budget oversight.
• Participate in senior leadership teams and board committees as assigned.
• Coordinate with ACLU affiliates and national partners on organizing, civic engagement, and legislative advocacy.

Program Development and Implementation

• Oversee leadership development programs for volunteer activists and community leaders.
• Support staff implementing chapter programs across Northern and Central California.
• Collaborate with legal, legislative, and communications teams on advocacy campaigns.
• Guide the organization’s in-district legislative advocacy program.
• Lead political power-building efforts, ballot initiative campaigns, and elected official accountability initiatives.

Other Responsibilities

• Manage consultants and contractors.
• Perform additional duties and special projects as assigned by the Executive Director.

What You Will Bring 

• 7- 10 years of experience in organizing, civic engagement, ballot initiative campaigns, volunteer leadership development, and/or grassroots advocacy; 
• 5+ years management experience, including supervising managers and professional organizers.
• Fluency in Spanish or other non-English language widely spoken in California preferred but not required.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel throughout the Northern & Central California region, with occasional travel to southern California and out of state. 

Managerial & Strategic Leadership

• Ability to build a culture of growth and learning among staff and motivate team members to continue to learn and grow in their roles;
• Ability to set clear goals for a department/team and hold team members accountable to achieving those goals;
• Facility with planning and implementing field and organizing strategies for successful legislative, policy advocacy, and/or ballot initiative campaigns at the local and/or state level;
• Knowledge of California political landscape and major organizational players and legislative and direct democracy processes.

Program Leadership, Training & External Engagement

• Highly skilled at creating and leading activist trainings and workshops and developing volunteer leaders;
• Strong public speaking skills and facilitation skills, including ability to convey complicated topics to diverse audiences with mixed levels of knowledge and motivate them to take action;
• Ability to proactively address issues of bias or other equity and inclusion issues in team supervision and programmatic work, and in community and constituent relations;

Operational Skills

• Excellent problem-solving skills and solution-oriented approach, and highly adaptable to a shifting landscape and the need to change course or shift approach quickly;
• Demonstrated initiative, responsibility, flexibility, and good and independent judgment, and ability to maintain confidentiality around strategy, personnel issues, and other intellectual property and legal issues;
• Proficiency with office technology and information systems;

Individual & Interpersonal Skills

• Excellent interpersonal written and oral communication skills;
• High emotional intelligence and ability to navigate and coach others in navigating conflict and difficult conversations.

What We Will Offer You 

• The base salary for this is $170,300 - $221,390 with the final amount depending on experience, skills, and qualifications. 

• Time away to focus on the things that matter with generous paid time-off policies, including 21 vacation days, 11 sick days, 15 holiday, and 5 personal use days.

• Focus on your well-being with comprehensive healthcare benefits, including fully paid medical, dental and vision coverage as well as parental leave and a family planning/fertility benefit. 

• Plan for your retirement with 401k plan and employer match 

• We support employee growth and development through annual professional development funds. 
• A mission-driven team that values equity, belonging, inclusion, collaboration, and growth. 

How to Apply 

• Applications must include (1) a resume, (2) a cover letter 

• Applications will be accepted until the position has been filled and evaluated on a rolling basis.  

• The ACLU NorCal 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 e-mail hr@aclunc.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.  
• If your application is a good match, our team will reach out to schedule an interview. If you're no longer under consideration, you'll receive an email update. We truly appreciate your interest, and due to the high application volume, we may not be able to personally communicate with everyone who applies. 

The ACLU of Northern California advances equity and inclusion in the workplace by providing equal employment opportunity to support a work environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (over 40), sexual orientation, military and veteran status, and any other basis prohibited by law. The organization also provides reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. This equal employment opportunity policy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, advancement, training, problem resolution, and separation from employment. Through this policy, the ACLU NorCal strives to establish and maintain an equitable and accessible work environment that is free from discrimination and supportive of a workforce that reflects the rich diversity of our communities and the people we serve. ACLU NorCal will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).