Communications Director

Aclu Ky; Kentucky; On-site; USD 87,000 - 107,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Office holidays

All-Staff Day of Rest

Floating holidays

Sick leave

Medical insurance

401(k) plan

Job summary

ACLU-KY in Kentucky seeks a Communications Director to lead planning, supervising, and executing the organization's communications strategies. You will advocate for civil rights, manage the Communications Department, and supervise staff and contractors.

You will work with the management team to coordinate messaging, journalism relationships, and public education campaigns, plus oversee publications, media relations, and digital content across statewide initiatives.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a communications function in a nonprofit or advocacy organization.
• Demonstrated ability to manage professional staff and coordinate across teams.
• Fluency in second language is a plus, especially Spanish.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic planning for communications programs across legal, advocacy, and public education work.
• Oversee media relations, press materials, and public messaging.
• Direct publications, graphics coordination, and editorial oversight.

Skills

Leadership experience

Management experience

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Job description

Department: Communications
Supervisor: Executive Director
Classification: Full-Time Exempt
Supervisory Position: Yes
This position supervises employees in a collective bargaining unit.

Position Overview
The Communications Director is responsible for planning, supervising, and executing the ACLU of Kentucky’s communications strategies.
Through their work, and collaboration with staff, the Communications Director advocates for positive changes in the civil rights and civil liberties landscape in the Commonwealth and grows the ACLU of Kentucky’s political power to energize the fight for civil liberties and protect our hard-won victories.
The Communications Director manages the work of the Communications Department and supervises the work of all other employees and contractors in the department, including communications interns and volunteers.
The Communications Director is a member of the management team, which includes all other department heads.

Primary Responsibilities / Essential Duties

Communications Program Strategies

• Lead communications strategic planning and development by collaborating with other staff, across teams, to develop messaging about specific legal cases, policy issues, and programs that aid the organization’s legal, advocacy, and public education work.
• Implement strategies that engage members, policymakers, elected officials, public figures, and the public in our work, encouraging them to support our mission to protect and expand civil rights and liberties.
• Spearhead multimedia public education campaigns that engage members and the broader public in the organization’s advocacy work.
• Enhance the visibility of the organization in communities statewide.
• Respond rapidly to emerging civil liberties issues with appropriate and influential messaging.
• Work with ACLU-KY staff, national colleagues, and allies to maintain consistent framing of current issues.

Integrated Advocacy

• Collaborate with colleagues in the Legal and Advocacy Departments, as well as with national communications staff, to ensure communications, public education, and content support and serve ACLU-KY’s goals and mission.
• Work in partnership with relevant staff to co-produce external communications on legal and policy issues, including legislative action alerts, fact sheets, talking points, letters to the editor, press statements, and op-eds.
• Work in partnership with staff and coalition partners to coordinate speaking requests and community education events.
• Directly supervise the work of, and delegate tasks to, department staff, contractors, interns, and volunteers.

Media Relations

• Manage overall media relations strategy for the organization.
• Draft and distribute press releases and advisories, pitch stories to targeted reporters, field media requests, manage a media database, draft talking points and messaging grids, produce media statements, and arrange interviews with appropriate topic experts.
• Prepare ACLU-KY staff for interviews, including practicing potential questions, how to appear on camera, and messaging.
• Monitor media for opportunities to engage and to evaluate the success of media outreach.

Publications

• Manage written content for all ACLU-KY publications, including our newsletter, The Torch, the Annual Report, pamphlets, flyers, policy reports, event invitations, and other informational materials.
• Coordinate graphic design of print material.
• Serve as the organization’s Editor-in-Chief.

Digital Media

• Support the Digital Communications Strategist in developing strategies for online advocacy and social media.
• Ensure that online content is accurate, compelling, and strategically placed.

Public Relations and Internal Communication

• Manage organizational promotion, coordinating communications for engagement events and public speakers, developing promotional materials, and advertising.
• Keep the Board of Directors informed on organizational activities and current messaging on emerging issues.

Other Responsibilities

Community Leadership

Provide support to ACLU-KY allies, including, but not limited to:

• Cross-promoting events and activities.
• Attending ally events as an ACLU-KY representative.
• Providing general communications guidance, support, and consultation as time allows.
• Critical Thinking: Ability to represent the communications program in any matter of complex planning and coordination, including organizational strategic planning and formation of cross-departmental project teams.
• Decision Making: A member of the Management Team who assumes significant leadership responsibility to develop and execute organizational strategy, mission, and vision with organization-wide impact.
• Leadership: Management experience, ideally in positions of increased responsibility.
• Performance Feedback: Able to provide critical and effective feedback to both staff and the executive team.
• Training: Organizational and staff development expertise, including demonstrated success building strong teams and cultures defined by excellence, professionalism, trust, and respect.
• Communication Skills: Exceptional analytical, research, writing, and oral advocacy skills, as well as the ability to articulate complex issues and communicate them tactfully and effectively to a variety of audiences.
• Organization: Excellent organization and administrative skills, including strong and consistent attention to detail, an organized work style, and the ability to follow through on work assignments with a minimum of direct supervision.
• Demonstrated ability to write clearly and precisely, with strength in editing and proofreading.
• Ability to work long hours, especially during the legislative session, and commute to meetings and events throughout the state as needed.
• Ability to interact confidently and successfully with the media, donors, politicians, and community leaders.

Experience and Qualifications

The Communications Director must have extraordinary leadership skills and demonstrate a commitment to civil rights and civil liberties consistent with the mission and goals of the ACLU, with the following qualifications:

• Management experience and demonstrated ability to effectively handle multiple priorities and projects.
• Five years’ demonstrated ability to manage and work with professional staff and to motivate and interact with multiracial, multigenerational activists and ACLU of Kentucky leaders.
• Experience in nonprofit, advocacy, political campaigns, or community-based organizations is valuable.
• Graphic design experience is valuable.
• Fluency in a second language, especially Spanish, is valuable.

Compensation

The annual salary for this position is $97,200.
We understand how vital our work is and, at the same time, understand the toll engaged activism can take. Our goal is to retain staff, and we believe that having a robust benefit offering is vital in meeting that goal.
Our benefits include:

• Paid vacation.
• 20 office holidays.
• A monthly All-Staff Day of Rest.
• Four floating holidays scheduled at the employee’s discretion.
• Paid sick leave.
• Fully employer-paid medical, vision, and dental insurance for staff members.
• Life and long-term disability insurance.
• 401(k) plan with employer match.
• FSA healthcare savings plan options.

The priority deadline for applications is October 7, 2026.
Applications will be accepted after this date, but applicants may not be contacted if a successful candidate is identified.

Accommodations

The ACLU of Kentucky is an equal-opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture.
ACLU-KY encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, and record of arrest or conviction.
We encourage applicants with disabilities who may need accommodations in the application process to contact:
Andrew Hillard
Executive Administrator
[e-mail]