Policy Counsel

Policy Counsel

The Policy Counsel works collaboratively across teams to advance the ACLU of Virginia's public policy objectives by contributing to multi-strategy advocacy campaigns. Their work includes developing and analyzing state and local policy proposals, direct lobbying, coalition building, strategic communications, and voter education. This position will be responsible for leading policy and legislative initiatives related to one or more of the organization's civil rights and civil liberties priority areas. The Policy Counsel position is part of the Policy Team and reports to the Policy Director. This individual is strategic, collaborative, innovative, and has demonstrated success developing and advocating for sustainable and systemic policy change, while applying a racial justice lens.

The Policy Counsel helps to develop and implement the ACLU of Virginia's legislative and policy priorities by:

• Analyzing current and prospective local, state, and national civil rights and liberties issues.
• Conducting, analyzing, and presenting rigorous research which:
• Identifies and evaluates best practices around policy and programs (e.g., legislation, ordinances, directives, practices) and implementation strategies.
• Includes a review of both quantitative and qualitative data as it relates to policy goals.
• Producing rigorous policy and legal research to support the ACLU of Virginia's policy priorities.
• Building and maintaining trusted, respectful relationships with people directly impacted by relevant policies, community members and leaders, coalitions, allied organizations, issue experts, government officials, and legislative staff.
• Developing policy positions and strategies which:
• Increase awareness of, and opportunities to engage with, civil liberties and civil rights issues among impacted communities and the general public.
• Will result in meaningful change and mitigate the potential for unintended harm to affected communities.
• Include a plan for successful implementation and a process for monitoring impact.
• Developing, coordinating, and executing strategy by:
• Developing partnerships that facilitate successful policy, legislative, and non-litigation advocacy implementation.
• Tracking and analyzing changes to legislation during the General Assembly's legislative session to assist the Policy, Communications, Organizing, and Legal teams understand the position, progress, and impact of our legislative advocacy.
• Engaging in public education activities that reach a wide variety of audiences and promote public participation in support of the organization's civil rights and civil liberties priorities.
• Coordinating and participating in legislative and advocacy meetings.
• Communicating our positions to policymakers and other interested parties, including through lobbying, stakeholder meetings, and writing and delivering compelling testimony before governmental bodies.
• Use legal expertise to:
• Work collaboratively with the Policy Director, colleagues in the Legal and Organizing Departments, and the National ACLU to integrate organizing, legislative, and legal strategies while coordinating across departments to ensure progress towards shared goals.
• Execute bill analyses and draft legislation to advance our policy priorities.
• Lead lobbying and community advocacy initiatives on policy priorities, as assigned.
• At each stage of the work, the Policy Counsel is expected to:
• Draft clear, concise internal and external materials and develop advocacy tools in conjunction with the Communications team – including fact sheets, talking points, public education materials, position letters, and policy briefs – in multiple formats for a range of audiences.
• Work with the Policy Team, Communications Team, Organizing Team, and community members to include the voices, perspectives, and experiences of those directly impacted by the issues.
• Work collaboratively with our Communications, Organizing, Legal, and Development teams to ensure internal transparency and coordination on policy initiatives.

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• Significant hands-on experience successfully advocating for legislative or policy changes on civil rights, civil liberties, or other social justice issues.
• Accredited JD degree.
• Proven ability to think critically and strategically about solving problems in a variety of subject-matter areas and governmental settings.
• Adeptness in communicating clearly and promptly with colleagues in an hybrid work environment, including through written and video-conference platforms.
• A commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
• A commitment to the mission and values of the ACLU of Virginia, including racial justice and anti-racism.
• Continuous presence in Richmond for the entirety of Virginia's annual legislative session and special sessions, as applicable.
• Willingness and availability to work beyond the normal workday and on weekends on occasion.

Essential Skills & Abilities

• The Policy Counsel must have policy development and implementation experience, a curious and strategic mindset, and experience with one or more of the ACLU of Virginia's priority policy issues.
• The ability to produce exceptionally clear and persuasive written legal and non-legal documents.
• The ability to integrate an understanding of racial equity concepts into projects by addressing structural implications and disproportionate impacts of policies, activities, and decisions on race, class, and other group identities.
• Experience reading and interpreting the impact of complex state statutes, federal law, and government agency rules and regulations.
• Experience lobbying or advocating for legislative measures in Virginia or another state or local government.
• Knowledge of, or willingness to learn, Virginia legislative processes.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and clearly convey advocacy strategies and tactics that have a clear connection to short- and long-term policy goals.
• Demonstrated experience working with individuals and communities directly impacted by racial injustice.
• Experience tracking legislation through the legislative process either at a state or federal level and communicating progress to others.
• Experience working in a diverse coalitions to achieve policy change, including by incorporating and complementing grassroots leadership as part of the ACLU of Virginia's advocacy.
• Once employed by the ACLU of Virginia, the applicant must reside within daily commuting distance of our Richmond office and have the ability to be on-site at the General Assembly each day of legislative sessions.

Desirable Experience, Skills & Abilities

• Proven ability to work independently and manage multiple projects with competing deadlines on a tight timeline, while maintaining strong attention to detail.
• Resilience and understanding that working towards systemic change is a marathon and not a sprint.
• Experience with issue-advocacy campaigns, electoral campaigns, or other complex project management experience in which multiple functional-area teams contribute to shared goals.
• Ability to communicate in Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Arabic, ASL or other language used by traditionally marginalized communities across Virginia.
• Experience working at an organization with an integrated advocacy model where legal, legislative, organizing, education, and communications tactics are used collaboratively and cohesively to achieve results.

Salary Range: The salary range for this position is $82,600 to $126,000, with a midpoint of $104,300. Compensation offers will generally be somewhere between the starting point and the midpoint of the range and are based on a candidate's specific experience and current market factors at the time of the offer. To preserve the opportunity for advancement, we do not typically hire above the midpoint of the range. The ACLU of Virginia is a unionized workplace, and this position is part of the bargaining unit.

In addition, we offer excellent benefits including paid time off, generous paid holidays, a 401k plan with employer contribution, flexible spending account, paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, 50% employer-paid dependent medical coverage, life insurance, wi-fi stipend, wellness stipend, student loan assistance, annual sick leave, short-term and long-term disability insurance, and professional development allowances.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this job description restricts the Executive Director's right to assign other duties or responsibilities to this job at any time.

The ACLU of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, bi- or multi-lingual (including Indigenous languages) speakers, multi-cultural individuals, members of the LGBTQ community, those who have been formerly incarcerated or are currently under supervision, and other people from underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. We seek to build a diverse team and an inclusive organizational culture. All qualified applicants who share our vision and who have a desire to contribute to our mission are encouraged to apply.