What are the responsibilities and job description for the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Program Officer position at National Legal Aid & Defender Association?
Position Description
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.
The organization currently uses a campaign model where 80% of our efforts and resources are dedicated to two campaigns: voting rights and immigrants’ rights. 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 $4.7 million, and has nearly 40,000 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. On a contracted basis, the ACLU of Kansas also provides operational support to Kansans United for Civil Liberties, an IRS Section 527 organization that provides non-partisan, non-endorsing voter education about civil liberties issues in elections for public office.
Position Overview
The ACLU of Kansas seeks a dynamic, innovative, and seasoned professional to serve as its inaugural Deputy Executive Director and Chief Program Officer (CPO). The CPO reports directly to the Executive Director and is a member of a senior management team that also includes the Chief Operating Officer and the Chief Development Officer. The CPO will lead the strategic direction, planning, and day-to-day management of the ACLU of Kansas’s programmatic work. The CPO works closely with the Executive Director, other staff, partners, volunteers, and the board to achieve the ambitious goals for civil liberties and civil rights impact that the organization has adopted. The CPO designs and implements monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes to enhance programmatic results and impact. In addition, the CPO will collaborate with other staff in designing and maintaining an organizational culture that centers people impacted by ACLU work and that fosters equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
The CPO will serve as one of the organization’s external representatives, especially for partner relationships, but the role is primarily an internal facing one. The CPO will directly supervise five senior organizational leaders from the ACLU of Kansas’s programmatic departments: the Communications Director, Field Director, Legal Director, Policy & Research Director, and Political Director. These five programmatic departments have a combined staff of 18 FTEs. The CPO will provide leadership of the integrated advocacy campaigns that form the basis of the ACLU of Kansas’s programmatic work.
This position may be based out of the organization’s Overland Park or Wichita office and will require frequent travel throughout Kansas.
Primary Responsibilities
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.
The organization currently uses a campaign model where 80% of our efforts and resources are dedicated to two campaigns: voting rights and immigrants’ rights. 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 $4.7 million, and has nearly 40,000 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. On a contracted basis, the ACLU of Kansas also provides operational support to Kansans United for Civil Liberties, an IRS Section 527 organization that provides non-partisan, non-endorsing voter education about civil liberties issues in elections for public office.
Position Overview
The ACLU of Kansas seeks a dynamic, innovative, and seasoned professional to serve as its inaugural Deputy Executive Director and Chief Program Officer (CPO). The CPO reports directly to the Executive Director and is a member of a senior management team that also includes the Chief Operating Officer and the Chief Development Officer. The CPO will lead the strategic direction, planning, and day-to-day management of the ACLU of Kansas’s programmatic work. The CPO works closely with the Executive Director, other staff, partners, volunteers, and the board to achieve the ambitious goals for civil liberties and civil rights impact that the organization has adopted. The CPO designs and implements monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes to enhance programmatic results and impact. In addition, the CPO will collaborate with other staff in designing and maintaining an organizational culture that centers people impacted by ACLU work and that fosters equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
The CPO will serve as one of the organization’s external representatives, especially for partner relationships, but the role is primarily an internal facing one. The CPO will directly supervise five senior organizational leaders from the ACLU of Kansas’s programmatic departments: the Communications Director, Field Director, Legal Director, Policy & Research Director, and Political Director. These five programmatic departments have a combined staff of 18 FTEs. The CPO will provide leadership of the integrated advocacy campaigns that form the basis of the ACLU of Kansas’s programmatic work.
This position may be based out of the organization’s Overland Park or Wichita office and will require frequent travel throughout Kansas.
Primary Responsibilities
- Serve as a member of the ACLU of Kansas executive team, adopting enterprise leadership principles to help shape organizational strategy, support the growth and culture of the organization, set a bold vision for programmatic work, and execute successful integrated advocacy campaigns.
- Serve as the acting Executive Director and senior-most organizational leader in the Executive Director’s absence.
- Provide strategic direction, leadership, and management of the ACLU of Kansas’s five programmatic departments (Communications, Field, Legal, Policy & Research, and Political) to achieve mission impact, especially the attainment of goals in the organization’s two integrated advocacy campaigns and strategic plan.
- Directly supervise the Communications Director, Field Director, Legal Director, Policy & Research Director, and Political Director.
- Provide support, guidance, mentorship, and coaching to programmatic staff.
- Work collaboratively with the Chief Development Officer and programmatic staff to maintain working relationships with funders, pursue funding opportunities, and report on programmatic impact.
- Provide structure and support for internal collaboration, project management, progress, and outcome tracking in the programmatic departments, especially for the organization’s three priority integrated advocacy campaigns.
- Provide oversight to programmatic department directors in developing and monitoring annual budgets.
- Manage compliance by programmatic departments with legal, regulatory, and internal policy requirements as well as consistency with ACLU values.
- Develop and steward strong, effective strategic relationships and partnerships to achieve programmatic impact.
- Provide programmatic expertise in both substantive civil liberties/civil rights issues and strategic/tactical approaches to achieving meaningful victories in these issues.
- Identify priorities, gaps, and trends in program areas and make recommendations accordingly.
- In collaboration with the Chief Operating Officer, lead learning and evaluation processes to enhance programmatic impact and ensure continuous improvement in organizational effectiveness.
- Create and support a high-performing work culture that centers people directly impacted by ACLU work and that is characterized by equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
- Although serving primarily in an internal facing role, act as a spokesperson and public face for the ACLU of Kansas, as appropriate.