Field Director

POSITION OVERVIEW
Over the last three years, the ACLU of Kansas has built a strong organizing team with a statewide presence that has successfully advanced proactive organizing campaigns at the local level.  The ACLU of Kansas now seeks a dynamic, innovative, and seasoned professional to build on the organization’s field organizing infrastructure and enhance the ACLU’s ability to achieve public policy objectives by mobilizing grassroots supporters.
 
The Field Director will be tasked with sustaining and enhancing a robust, impactful, non-partisan organizing infrastructure to defend and strengthen civil liberties and civil rights. The Field Director reports directly to the Executive Director and plays a key leadership role within the affiliate; the position is not eligible for membership in the affiliate’s collective bargaining unit.  The Field Director will also assume responsibility for hiring and supervising the organizing staff, currently comprised of four (4) full-time positions spread across the Kansas City and Wichita metropolitan areas.  This position can be located either in Overland Park or in Wichita, though Wichita is preferred.
 
ORGANIZING APPROACH
The ACLU of Kansas has adopted a “campaign” approach for its work. Work is focused on pursuing specific integrated advocacy campaigns to achieve measurable goals that will expand civil liberties and civil rights, while building the long-term power of the ACLU and the civil liberties movement.
 
This is a full-time position that is responsible for overseeing field organizing that builds the power of the ACLU and the civil liberties movement. This includes organizing that aligns with legislative strategy, organizing by and of ACLU activists and supporters, and strategic work with grassroots activists in order to achieve ACLU public policy priorities. This is an ideal opportunity for a talented, experienced organizing professional to have a significant impact on civil liberties and civil rights in Kansas and nationwide. The professional who holds this position will have the opportunity to significantly influence the shape of a well- respected and effective organization’s advocacy efforts.
 
For the foreseeable future, the ACLU of Kansas will focus on two campaigns: voting rights and criminal justice reform. The Field Director will be responsible for creating and overseeing the implementation of comprehensive, multi-faceted organizing plans that are contained within these two issue campaigns.  The campaigns in which the organization engages are about integrated advocacy, and include lobbying, communications, and litigation in addition to grassroots organizing.
 
As a result of this campaign approach, the ACLU of Kansas’s organizing model focuses on developing volunteer leaders for the civil liberties movement, mobilizing grassroots support for campaign objectives, and educating Kansas residents about campaign objectives through person-to-person field contact.  Our signature field program, “the Beehive,” focuses on recruiting Kansans who are willing to make direct contact with 25 voters every month with a defined call to action on our campaign priorities.
 
ACLU of Kansas organizing is intended to engage both existing ACLU members and supporters in the movement, as well as to reach new constituencies. Organizing at the ACLU of Kansas centers the experiences and leadership of directly impacted people and engages directly impacted people in the work, while also ensuring that non-impacted allies engage in effective and substantive action.
 
The Field team works with Kansas residents to influence decision-makers, via direct contact of decision-makers by residents and by holding events/actions. The Field Department focuses on identifying and supporting volunteer leaders willing to do relational organizing, or work to mobilize contacts with their own networks, and move existing supporters up the ladder of engagement. This constant base building effort expands the size, reach, and power of the movement.
 
Organizing at the ACLU of Kansas is intended to complement the approaches used by some other groups — especially those that connect individuals to resources, build community/social capital, primarily react to unanticipated or emerging community concerns, or educate the public about important issues—but not to replicate those approaches. Organizing at the ACLU of Kansas is instead oriented towards systemic change and policy action—moving people to take strategic actions that lead to decision-makers making different decisions, ones that result in the advancement of specific campaign objectives. These strategic actions can take place in the electoral, legislative, legal, and community education contexts. Organizing at the ACLU of Kansas is also designed to build long-term political and community power for the civil liberties movement, so that civil liberties and civil rights are better protected and strengthened.
 
 
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
Campaign planning and execution

• Develop and implement strategies for grassroots supporters to engage policy-makers, stakeholders, and opinion leaders from all ends of the political and ideological spectrum, in ways that achieve the organization’s policy campaign objectives.
• Develop and implement strategies to organize Kansans across the state to work toward achieving the ACLU of Kansas’s campaign objectives and building power for the civil liberties movement, including developing field plans, and turning goals and strategies into tactics, timelines and metrics.
• Work alongside the organizers and grassroots supporters to implement tactics that move the campaigns forward, develop the skills of the team, and grow the base of supporters.
• Working collaboratively with the Policy Department to engage members and volunteers on legislative and policy work, especially in critical geographies.
• Ensure successful implementation of advocacy technology tools, including the best use of volunteer management software, the voter file, social media, text messaging, e-mail, relational organizing tools, and phone calls to increase engagement by the organizing staff and volunteers.
• Organize action-oriented events to influence decision-makers on ACLU of Kansas campaign objectives.
• In collaboration with the Communications Department, develop persuasive and informative outreach materials to be used for organizing purposes.
• Mobilize and expand support for state-based civil liberties issues among ACLU of Kansas members and non-member supporters.

Building, supporting, and developing the organizing team

• Manage the ACLU of Kansas’s organizing infrastructure, including directly supervising field staff.
• Recruit, hire, and onboard field organizers as needed.  The organizing team is comprised of both organizers and volunteers. A significant amount of the position’s time will be spent shadowing, coaching, and developing organizers and volunteers.
• Foster individual and team resilience to promote a culture of continuous growth.
• Develop and implement strategies to expand the ACLU of Kansas’s volunteer corps through recruitment, training, recognition and thanks, and ongoing engagement.
• Develop and implement training that builds the capacity of ACLU members, supporters, and activists to be strong leaders, advocates, and messengers for the civil liberties and civil rights movement.
• Serve as the primary liaison with ACLU National’s field team and other relevant departments that enable organizing and direct contact with ACLU supporters.
• Identify and facilitate the professional development needs of Field Department staff.
• Develop, implement, and monitor the departmental budget.

Designing and implementing a metrics-based reporting system.

• Track program progress to goals, produce reports and highlights, and adjust plans as necessary.
• Proactively identify and act upon opportunities to create new, engaging voter education and mobilization content in response to news events and current and potential voter questions.

Other

• As needed, serve as a spokesperson for the organization.
• Other leadership and management duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least five (5) years of high-level experience in organizing, political, ballot initiative, and/or legislative campaigns, with an emphasis on planning and implementing effective field organizing strategies.
• At least two (2) years of experience supervising staff and volunteers in a political or field organizing context; demonstrated and proven leadership experience working in an organization that utilizes both professional staff and volunteers.
• Bachelor’s degree. This requirement can be substituted for an additional two (2) years of experience.
• Significant experience with and expertise in organizing/advocacy software and tools, especially EveryAction and VAN. Experience with GetThru, or other texting and calling platforms, and Empower, or other relational organizing platforms, are a plus but not required.
• A sophisticated understanding of how to be effective in the policy arena, and experience in political organizing and formulating strategies that tie together research, legal analysis and litigation, lobbying, new forms of communications, and grassroots and grasstops strategies.
• Knowledge of current political alignments and opportunities for collaboration in Kansas with a broad range of groups.
• Experience working closely and effectively with media platforms and familiarity with social media as an organizing tactic.
• A history of working collaboratively and successfully with people and organizations from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and a broad range of ideological positions and religious views.
• Spanish language skills are a plus, but not required.
• Strong written and oral communications skills.

 
COMPENSATION
The starting salary for the Field Director is $82,000; starting salary is negotiable commensurate with experience.
 
BENEFITS
A career with the ACLU of Kansas provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. Staff members have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make a career with the ACLU of Kansas very rewarding, including but not limited to:

• Competitive health benefits: The ACLU of Kansas pays the full premium for the health care coverage for the employee and approximately 70% for dependents.
• Comprehensive Retirement Package: including automatic enrollment in the organization’s Contribution Plan.
• Longevity Payments paid yearly and gradually increasing based upon the anniversary date of hire.
• Generous Paid Time Off includes 17 paid holidays, vacation, personal, and sick paid time-off.
• Employee Assistance Plan offers support and referrals to help employees and members of the employee’s household to manage everyday life issues.
• Flexibility: ACLU of Kansas follows a hybrid schedule model allowing staff to work remotely for up to three days per week. Our in-office time is primarily used for team meetings and formal and informal collaboration.

 
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Submit a letter of interest, resume, and a professional writing sample of no more than 3 pages to Vanessa Phipps, Senior HR Consultant, vphipps@aclukansas.org. No calls please. Please put “Field Director – YOUR NAME” in the subject line of your email.
 
In your letter of interest, please indicate where you learned of the opportunity if possible.  Applicants who proceed beyond first round interviews will be asked to complete a short work-related assignment.
 
The job announcement will remain on our website for 30 days or until the position is filled, whichever is longer. No phone calls or in-person applications, please. The ACLU of Kansas strongly encourages formerly incarcerated individuals to apply.

ABOUT THE ACLU OF KANSAS
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kansas is a non-profit and non-partisan organization dedicated to preserving and advancing the civil rights and legal freedoms guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the Kansas Constitution. The ACLU of Kansas works in the state legislature, the courts, and local communities to protect the rights of all people living in Kansas. The organization’s work includes efforts to strengthen and defend First Amendment rights, voting rights, reproductive rights, racial justice, LGBT rights, immigrants’ rights, stopping government surveillance, and reforming the criminal legal system.
 
Currently, under our 80/20 model 80% of our efforts and resources are dedicated to our two campaigns: Reimagine Justice and Represent!. The remaining 20% of our efforts are devoted to other civil liberties matters as they arise. The ACLU of Kansas often works in broad-based coalitions made up of individuals and organizations from across the political, partisan, and ideological spectrum. The ACLU of Kansas is an affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union, has an annual budget of approximately $3.1 million, and has more than 30,000 supporters across the state.
 
The ACLU of Kansas comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and the ACLU Foundation of Kansas. Both entities have the same overall mission and share some resources but are separate entities that engage in different types of work to protect civil liberties. The ACLU Foundation of Kansas is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that primarily engages in litigation and public education. The ACLU of Kansas is a 501(c)(4) non-profit corporation that primarily engages in lobbying and advocacy.