Position Description
The ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties (ACLUF-SDIC) seeks a Managing Legal Director.
The ACLUF-SDIC is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) civil liberties and civil rights organization working to advance equality, freedom and justice through public education and litigation. Together with the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties, the 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that does our legislative lobbying work, we are a prominent force for the protection and expansion of fundamental rights in California’s second-most populous county (San Diego) and the county with the highest per capita Latina/o population (Imperial).
While there are more than 50 ACLU affiliates nationwide, our work covers the length of California’s border with Mexico. We work collaboratively with the National ACLU and with ACLU affiliates in California, on the U.S-Mexico border and throughout the United States. In addition, we value partnerships and collaboration with community organizations and groups across the state and throughout the binational border region.
The ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties and ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties (known collectively as ACLU-SDIC) have a proven track record of success combining impact litigation, policy advocacy, legislation, research and analysis, public education, strategic communications and community organizing to achieve meaningful social change. We are dedicated to confronting issues that threaten our most cherished civil rights and freedoms and defending the progress the ACLU has made over its 100-year history.
Deciding to apply for any position is an investment of your time and energy. We are providing the detail below to help you decide if exploring this opportunity feels right to you. To learn more about us and have a small peek into our organizational work, please watch the videos linked below.
Videos: Why we do this work | Hope for the Future
Position Summary
The Managing Legal Director will provide vision, direction, and support for the ACLUF-SDIC’s litigation program. Reporting to the Advocacy and Legal Director, the Managing Legal Director will lead and expand the ACLU-SDIC’s litigation program, including developing and litigating high-impact cases and managing the department. The Managing Legal Director will be responsible for executing the overall legal strategy as part of a robust integrated advocacy approach to advance the ACLU-SDIC’s mission, and oversee the management and coordination of our docket, litigation staff, and network of cooperating attorneys. Our integrated advocacy approach centers issues teams supporting our organization’s priorities. Our current teams are Advancing Justice, Advancing Racial and Economic Justice, and Advancing Immigrants’ Rights.
As a critical member of the organization’s Senior Leadership Team consisting of the executive team and department directors, the Managing Legal Director will provide strategic leadership aligning with our organization priorities on both litigation and non-litigation legal advocacy strategies in our priority areas of criminal justice, immigrants’ rights, racial and economic justice, as well as other civil rights and liberties issues. In addition, the Managing Legal Director will work in close coordination with our policy, organizing, Imperial Valley regional office and communications teams, with national and California ACLU staff, and other local and national partners engaging in an integrated advocacy model to advance our organizational goals. Working with the senior leadership team, the Managing Legal Director will also help guide the affiliate toward becoming a more seamless internally integrated advocacy organization that effectively advances a transformational social change advocacy agenda.
