The ACLU of Southern California (ACLU SoCal) seeks a Community Engagement and Policy Advocate to join its LGBTQ, Gender & Reproductive Justice Project team in Los Angeles.

ABOUT THE ACLU SoCaL’S LGBTQ, GENDER & REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE PROJECT

The ACLU SoCal’s LGBTQ, Gender & Reproductive Justice Project protects and expands the rights of women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and gender nonconforming people, pregnant and parenting workers, and people living with HIV; and we ensure people can make informed, confidential and attainable decisions about childbearing and reproductive and sexual health care. We tackle problems through creative campaigns that involve policy advocacy, community education and organizing, and legal advocacy and litigation. Our advocacy is both statewide and local to Southern California. We work closely with a statewide ACLU of California LGBTQ and Reproductive Justice and Gender Equity teams, as well as ACLU colleagues working for economic justice, criminal justice reform, education reform, racial justice, and immigration reform.

Our reproductive justice and gender equity priorities are:

Enforcing and educating adults and teens about confidential health care rights.
Reducing incarceration and improving reproductive and sexual health care for incarcerated people.
Expanding access to comprehensive and LGBTQ-inclusive sex education.
Protecting and expanding the rights of pregnant and parenting workers, and fighting for economic justice for workers.
Expanding abortion access and curbing the use of religion to restrict access to health care.
Enforcing girls’ rights to an education free from discrimination, harassment, and violence.
Ending gender discrimination in sectors traditionally dominated by men.

ABOUT THE POSITION

We are looking to add to our team a dynamic, experienced, creative, and thoughtful advocate and community educator/organizer who will focus on reproductive justice and gender equity issues. This person will devise, implement, and support policy implementation and educational campaigns to improve sex education; access to quality and confidential health care for teens and adults; paid family leave, paid sick days and a living wage for working parents; and reproductive health care and family connections for incarcerated people. The Community Engagement and Policy Advocate will report to the Director of the LGBTQ, Gender & Reproductive Justice Project and will work closely with organizers, legal, policy, legislative and communications staff at ACLU SoCal and other ACLU of California offices, as well as a variety of coalitions and community-based and advocacy organizations. This is a two-year position with the possibility of renewal after that term.

Grassroots Policy Advocacy

Build effective grassroots and policy advocacy campaigns, alone and in a team, to effect change at the local and state level through policy advocacy and policy implementation around state legislation, school board policies, and city/county ordinances.
Draft advocacy letters and recruit diverse and powerful allies to sign on to letters.
Create materials such as fact sheets, toolkits, action alerts, blog posts, and social media content that meaningfully engage advocates in grassroots advocacy.
Organize and attend effective in-district lobby visits, testimony to administrative agencies and school boards.
Occasionally research and write policy briefs.

Community Engagement

Grow and deepen relationships with community partners, coalitions, and stakeholders that can support and engage in the Project’s reproductive justice and gender equity work, as well as support other ACLU priority campaigns.
Create training programs and materials, and build educational and know-your-rights campaigns, to teach people about their rights and legal obligations.
Provide strategic guidance, training, and support for community members and coalition partners for conducting local policy advocacy that aligns with the Project’s priorities.
Build, maintain, and grow lists of partners and people who can benefit from our educational resources and work with us to achieve policy reforms.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

2-5 years of organizing, campaign, and/or advocacy experience.
Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills.
Experience implementing a successful advocacy campaign at the school district, city, and/or county level.
Experience implementing a successful grassroots legislative advocacy campaign at the state level.
Experience in creating training or informational programs and materials.
Experience planning and facilitating engaging and effective workshops, trainings, meetings, and other community events.
Experience working effectively with coalitions and building coalitions.
Excellent writing and public speaking skills
Experience developing non-electoral campaign strategy, including the ability to understand, articulate and maneuver government and power structures in order to successfully change policy.
Cultural competency, including the ability to create and sustain inclusive and engaging spaces for people of all races/ethnicities, genders, ages, classes, and geographies.
Patience and emotional intelligence.
Personal organization, including time-management, communication, and tracking data skills.
Ability to understand and synthesize complex information for a variety of audiences.
Flexible team player but also comfortable working independently and taking initiative.
Must be available for occasional evenings and weekends.
Valid driver’s license and the ability to travel throughout southern California, with occasional travel to northern California or San Diego.

Preferred

Spanish language fluency (both speaking and writing), preferred.

How to apply

Please submit resume, cover letter, and writing sample (NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE) to jobs@aclu-sc.org or mail to:

Melissa Goodman

ACLU of Southern California

1313 W. 8th Street

Los Angeles, CA 90017