Staff Writer

Position: Staff Writer

Department: Communications

Terms of Employment: Full-Time/Non-Exempt/Union 2320 (NYCLU staff is currently working in a Hybrid model. A number of in-person days will be required.)

Location: 125 Broad Street, NY, NY 10004

Salary: $65,000 – $79,000

Application Deadline: Until the position is filled.

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is one of the nation's leading advocates on behalf of constitutional rights and liberties. Founded in 1951, as the New York affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, the NYCLU is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization with more than 90,000 members and supporters, and eight offices statewide. We work in the courts, in the legislatures and on the streets to advocate for racial and economic justice, free speech, freedom of religion, privacy and equality before the law for all New Yorkers. For more information, please visit our website: www.nyclu.org.

DEI VISION STATEMENT

The NYCLU affirmatively values the humanity and contributions of those we work with, inside and outside of the organization; and will take action to build and sustain an equitable, anti-racist culture that centers the voices and experiences of marginalized and directly impacted people and communities, and an organizational environment where all people feel valued, trusted, and respected. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and having a workforce that reflects the population that we serve and actively recruit people of color, women, people with disabilities, formerly incarcerated people, and LGBTQ and gender non-conforming people.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

NYCLU is seeking a Staff Writer, an engaging, thoughtful, and deadline-oriented storyteller to join our communications team. The ideal candidate will be a team player with experience writing a broad range of communications materials. Under the supervision of the editorial manager, the communications writer will draft, edit, and identify opportunities for editorial content.

We are seeking a candidate who can distill complex legal briefs and concepts into easy-to-understand writing that goes beyond legal or policy arguments and gets to the heart of a given issue. Candidates should be able to explain why a given topic is important, timely, and relevant to our audience and to frame our issues in ways that make clear why they matter to New Yorkers.

The job requires the ability to work quickly while juggling multiple priorities. The work of the communications team is highly collaborative both within the communications team and across other NYCLU departments.

The Communications Department is responsible for the NYCLU's external communications strategy to advance NYCLU's civil liberties and civil rights priorities. This includes criminal legal and policing issues, immigrants' rights, racial justice, education, voting rights, privacy and technology, LGBTQ rights, reproductive rights, and economic justice. We accomplish this by working with high-impact media, launching multimedia advocacy campaigns, releasing reports and research, and running the organization's website and digital channels.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Blog

• Determine how the NYCLU's blog can be a strategic tool for our work, identify opportunities and news hooks for blog posts.
• Conceptualize, edit, draft, and finalize blog posts, work with co-authors across departments.

Editorial Content

• Identify opportunities for reports, respond to report suggestions for colleagues, identify strategic need and value for reports.
• Conceptualize, draft, edit, finalize, and pitch op-eds.
• Draft, edit, and finalize one-pagers and other advocacy materials.
• Draft, edit, and finalize web and social copy as needed.
• Draft speeches, remarks, and talking points as needed.

Digital Actions and Emails

• Identify opportunities for our e-activists.
• Conceptualize, edit, draft, and finalize email content and digital actions.
• Coordinate with digital colleagues to schedule emails and finalize email production.
• A/B test subject lines and other email content and apply what we learn.
• Review email analytics and help identify trends, and conduct performance analysis to determine potential shifts in strategy and content.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• 1-2 years of experience doing written communications work or writing in a related field like journalism.
• Strong, clear writer who knows how to tell a compelling story while paying attention to detail and getting facts straight.
• Ability to work quickly and on deadline.
• Strong multitasker who can triage and rapidly move from one project to the next.
• Responds well to constructive feedback.
• Collaborative team player who can work with communications team members and staff in other departments.

Preferred:

• Experience working for a non-profit, especially one focused on civil rights and/or social justice.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your resume, writing sample, and cover letter that includes your unique qualifications for this position, and where or how you learned of this job posting via https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/3177228/New-York-Civil-Liberties-Union-Foundation/Staff-Writer

If feasible, please submit these materials as a single PDF.

The NYCLU is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all qualified individuals regardless of race, sex, gender identity or expression, age, disability, religion, national origin, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and having a workforce that reflects the communities that we serve.

The NYCLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please e-mail ldecicco@nyclu.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request accommodation for the interview process. This position may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.

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