Executive Director

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Job location
Anchorage, AK
United States
Organization information
Organization name: 
ACLU of Alaska
Job type: 
Other
Position Description: 

About ACLU of Alaska
Since its founding in 1971, the ACLU of Alaska (ACLU-AK) has been the premier civil rights organization in the 49th state. The ACLU is the nation’s guardian of liberty: through its litigation, legislative expertise, grassroots advocacy, and public education efforts, it works to protect the civil rights and individual liberties enshrined in the U.S. and Alaska Constitutions. The ACLU-AK strives to ensure that those who have historically been denied their rights are afforded the same protections as everyone else, including people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, prisoners, and Alaska Native people.

For more information on ACLU of Alaska, please visit https://www.acluak.org.

The Opportunity
The ACLU of Alaska (ACLU-AK) seeks an Executive Director (ED) with experience managing and leading a high-performing team exemplifying the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion as the hallmarks of their approach to leadership. The primary responsibility of the ED will be to actualize the strategic plan of the ACLU-AK by creating a unified agenda to achieve the organization’s established priorities. The ED will oversee the day-to-day operations of the organization ensuring it is functioning effectively, lead the organization’s development efforts, strategically guide the work of the Staff, and act as the primary spokesperson for the organization.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the ED will ensure that the organization is fiscally sound and that its litigation, advocacy, fundraising, and communications programs are meeting the current and emerging needs of the ACLU-AK and the diverse communities in Alaska. The ED will have a comprehensive knowledge of civil liberties and civil rights issues, and will be a leader who is experienced in internal management, and adept at optimizing external influence and visibility, such as building coalitions and relationships with partners aligned to the mission of the ACLU-AK.

The Executive Director’s essential duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

Leadership and Vision

At the direction of and in partnership with the Board, work with Staff to implement policies, programs, goals, and objectives as approved by the Board of Directors and developed in conjunction with the ED and Staff;
Serve as a forceful and courageous spokesperson for the ACLU-AK articulating the organization’s legal positions, programs, and mission; working with the Communications Director to increase public awareness and to broaden the organization’s reputation to its supporters and the public at large;
Establish a coherent trajectory for the continued growth and expansion of the ACLU-AK;
Provide direction to achieve the organization’s goals using sound and informed judgement to prioritize the litigation caseload, legislative, and public policy work of the ACLU-AK;
Lead the organization’s fund development efforts utilizing a Staff-driven program model that focuses on increasing the number and capacity of major donors;
Initiate and strengthen relationships and collaborations with organizations and leaders who are allied to the ACLU’s mission and purpose.

General Management, Finance and Administration and Program

Ensure that the day-to-day management and operations of the organization are collaborative, professional, efficient and organized;
Direct and supervise the legal, legislative, and communications programs;
Oversee the organization’s financial operations; prepare and execute the annual budget, and ensure that sound financial controls are in place;
Motivate and maintain an engaged, cohesive Staff, ensuring that there are robust channels for internal communication and coordination;
Perform annual Staff evaluations and recruit new Staff as needed;
Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal laws, as well as applicable National ACLU policies;
Utilize, enhance, and promote the use of technology to facilitate organizational management, fundraising, public education, lobbying, and outreach.

Board Relations

Regularly brief the Board on the status of the organization and engage the Board in meaningful participation to further the organization’s goals;
Work with the Board to identify and help recruit new Board members who will add diversity to the Board and whose talents, interests, and commitment will help to further the mission of the ACLU-AK;
Establish policy/practice for effective two-way communication with Board members with regard to salient issues;
When appropriate facilitate collaboration and strengthen the relationship between the Board of Directors and the Staff.

Requirements: 

The Executive Director of the ACLU-AK will possess the following competencies and qualifications:

Passion for, and a well-articulated knowledge of, civil liberties and social justice, and a familiarity with the work and the mission of the ACLU; experience working alongside lawyers or within an integrated advocacy model that includes litigation as a lever for change is preferred;
Robust understanding of and commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and experience successfully leading and integrating diversity into organizational policies, practices, management, and culture;
Five or more years of managerial, problem-solving, strategic planning, fund development, and financial experience in the private, not-for-profit, or public sector;
Empathetic and compassionate leadership style with a genuine openness to constructive input from Board members, Staff, members, donors, coalition partners, and the public;
Demonstrated ability to think strategically, creatively problem-solve, exercise good judgement, and lead change;
Proven success at working effectively and collaboratively with diverse Staff as well as coalitions and community groups; ability to work across the political spectrum and value differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstance;
Experience in creating and implementing programs in collaboration with other organizations;
Ability to connect the ACLU-AK to resources and opportunities outside the organization;
A successful track record in fundraising, or some experience and a real commitment to further develop fundraising skills and abilities;
Keen attention to detail; ability to work simultaneously with initiative on multiple projects at various stages of completion; good problem-solving and collaboration skills; a positive, professional attitude with sound judgement, flexibility, determination, and good humor in a fast-paced, sometimes high-pressure office.

To apply: 

Compensation and Benefits
Compensation for this position will be between $130,000 and $160,000, depending on the candidate’s experience. Benefits include health, dental, disability and life insurance, retirement plan, paid vacation, holidays, sabbatical, and sick leave.

Contact
Trisha Sutrisno and Amber Gomes of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express your interest in this role please submit your materials here (https://talent-profile.diversifiedsearchgroup.com/search/v2/4769) or email [email protected] and [email protected] directly. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

Notes: 
The ACLU of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer and values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU-AK encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, and record of arrest or conviction.
Salary range: 
$130,000 - $160,000