June 11, 2019
POLITICAL STRATEGIES ASSISTANT
Application Deadline: June 28, 2019
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU-WA) is seeking a full-time Political
Strategies Assistant to support the smooth functioning of a busy legislative advocacy team. The Political Strategies Department (PSD) works with a broad range of stakeholders across
Washington State to advance state and local legislative agendas that advance and defend civil liberties and civil rights. The Political Strategies Assistant reports to the Political Director and supports the Political Director, Legislative Director, Field Director, and Activism Manager.
OVERVIEW
The ACLU of Washington is a leader among state affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union, the country’s premier guardian of liberty. We work in courts, legislatures, and communities to protect and extend American rights to freedom, fairness and equality. The ACLU is both nonprofit and nonpartisan. The ACLU-WA’s staff of 40+ employees and numerous volunteers work in a fast-paced, friendly and professional office in downtown Seattle. We are supported by more than 135,000 members, activists, and donors.
The ACLU is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, socio-economic circumstance, or record of arrest or conviction.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Help staff manage their calendars to support effective prioritization
• Develop and maintain positive professional relationships with legislative aides and
executive support staff to promote good will toward ACLU-WA staff and facilitate access to
decision makers; return calls and emails promptly and courteously, follow up with kindness, respect others’ time, and express appreciation for their commitments
• Implement and manage internal meeting schedule
• Coordinate onsite meetings with external participants, including video- and/or telephonic
conferencing; take notes, prepare background materials, order meals and/or refreshments;
ensure clarity about ownership of follow-up actions
• Schedule offsite meetings for PSD team members with lawmakers and other elected
officials, legislative and agency staff, and other organizational and community leaders
• Make travel arrangements; handle conference registrations, hotel and ground
transportation reservations, and scheduling of side meetings with local contacts
• During legislative sessions, use online tools (Microsoft Teams, FiscalNote, Washington State Legislature bill tracking and other website tools, e.g.) and “managing up” skills to track a high volume of bills, assign analyses to various ACLU-WA staff, follow up to ensure timely completion, and ensure staff are immediately aware of scheduled hearings and votes
• Prepare weekly updates of progress on the ACLU-WA legislative agenda for internal and
external audiences
• Track ballot initiative campaign Public Disclosure Commission filings
• Own and help on other events and projects as needed
• Support PSD coordination with other departments
QUALIFICATIONS
• A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion; a personal approach that values the
individual and respects differences
• A “customer service” orientation that enjoys figuring out how to make others’ jobs easier
and reaching out through phone, email, and face-to-face contact to move work forward
• An unwavering focus on follow-through and no dropped balls—staying on top of tasks,
identifying follow-up needs, and checking progress against deadlines
• Attention to detail that ensures all materials and communications intended for external
audiences are polished—accurate and correct in content, spelling, and grammar; precise in
nuance; and appropriate in tone for the context
• Computer and Internet proficiency: MS Office suite, especially Outlook, Excel and Word;
online research
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a communication style that is confident, warm, and
welcoming to people with a wide range of backgrounds and lived experiences
This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential
responsibilities and qualifications required. It does not represent a contract of employment.
The ACLU reserves the right to change the description and/or posting at any time without
advance notice. This position is “non-exempt” under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Salary is based on experience and qualifications. Benefits include three weeks of vacation to start, medical and disability insurance, a retirement plan, and an ORCA card.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
To apply, email a letter of application and resume to [email protected] and include in the
subject line of the email: your last name and Political Strategies Assistant. In your letter, please indicate where you learned of the posting. Applications will be accepted until June 28, 2019, at which time the job announcement will be removed from our website at www.aclu-wa.org/careers
The ACLU of Washington comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, Inc. and the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington Foundation. The two corporations share the same overall mission, office space, and employees. This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name “ACLU of Washington.”
