Senior Managing Policy Director

The ACLU of Washington; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 154,000 - 189,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid workstyle

Professional development

Fully paid medical, dental, vision

Retirement plan

Paid holidays and vacation

Job summary

The ACLU of Washington (ACLU-WA) seeks a Senior Managing Policy Director to provide executive leadership for Policy Advocacy and Integrated Advocacy Departments in Seattle. You will supervise staff, shape short- and long-term work plans, and drive cross-department collaboration to advance civil liberties priorities.

Based in Seattle, you will outline policy strategies, oversee campaign execution, and ensure robust research, written work, and timely deliverables.

Qualifications

• BA required; JD or other advanced degree in the issue area a plus.
• Minimum two (2) years of experience managing staff or teams, including supervising direct reports, coordinating work plans, and supporting staff development.
• Minimum five (5) years of experience with policy advocacy work. A track record of successfully developing and implementing policy advocacy campaigns.
• Experience working in a senior policy position that required significant political acumen.
• Experience collaborating with organizers and working within integrated advocacy campaigns.
• Experience or familiarity with immigration law, economic justice policy or policing policy a plus.
• Awareness of equity and belonging, and ability to engage in transformative work across systems of oppression.
• Strong judgement, emotional intelligence, analytics, and problem-solving skills.
• Diplomatic advocacy with active listening and relationship-building across differences.
• Effective leadership, delegation, and accountability for outcomes.
• Public speaking with strong writing and editing skills.
• Ability to communicate complex issues clearly to diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead and supervise Policy Directors and staff, guiding work plans and outcomes.
• Coordinate cross-department collaboration across policy advocacy, organizing, legislative advocacy, litigation, and communications.
• Oversee the development and implementation of long-term priorities and campaign strategies.
• Ensure research supports policy needs and that outputs are well written and timely.
• Lobby elected officials and participate in government task forces as assigned.
• Draft and review policy letters and regulatory comments; provide policy and legal feedback to stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Communications to advance policy proposals to the public and supporters.

Skills

Staff management

Policy advocacy

Project leadership

Legislation analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Written communication

Public speaking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Juris Doctor or advanced degree

Job description

Position Open Until Filled

First Review of Applicants Scheduled for August 31, 2026

The ACLU of Washington (ACLU-WA) advances liberty and justice in the courts, in the legislatures, in the streets, and at the ballot box. Our work is rooted in the belief of a future where everyone in Washington, particularly those who have been historically and systematically denied full enjoyment of their promised civil rights and liberties, are free to do so without barriers. Defending and advancing these fundamental rights and core values requires exceptional staff. Learn more about the ACLU-WA.

The Senior Managing Policy Director, reporting to the Policy Advocacy Department Director, provides operational leadership and oversight for the Policy Advocacy and Integrated Advocacy Departments to advance the organization's policy and organizing priorities. The role leads and supervises staff, supports the development and implementation of short- and long-term work plans aligned with organizational priorities, and fosters cross-department collaboration and internal alignment. The Senior Managing Policy Director also ensures policy initiatives advance ACLU-WA's programmatic goals and monitors progress toward defined objectives.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Work with Policy Program Directors, organizing staff, and other departments to advance integrated advocacy campaigns, ensuring coordination across policy advocacy, organizing, legislative advocacy, litigation, and communications strategies
• Supervise multiple Policy Directors and other staff, providing guidance and performance feedback
• Hold staff accountable for work plans and work products and assist in overseeing the success of cross-departmental campaigns and projects.
• Support and assist Policy Directors in the development and implementation of long-term priorities.
• Manage the execution of campaign strategy and appropriate attendance to urgent and emergent policy needs
• Ensure Policy Analyst research supports PAD Directors’ needs, and that work products are comprehensive, researched, accurate, well written and delivered in a timely manner
• Work with Policy Program Directors and Organizing staff to promote cohesion among the various ACLU-WA issue areas, while mitigating potential conflicts and resolving issues in the work
• Lead and support staff in developing innovative policy solutions that are responsive to impacted community needs and priorities, sound policy, consistent with the ACLU-WA’s mission, vision, values and programmatic plan, and politically feasible.
• Identify team needs to support increased cohesion, collaboration, and internal and external coordination.
• Support refinement and successful implementation of the Community Centered Policy Development process.
• Provides input to the PAD Director on department issues, emerging operational challenges and potential resolutions
• Analyze proposed and prospective legislation and regulations; providing policy and legal feedback to internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide guidance and development on emerging policy issues in areas without an identified policy lead (potential areas of focus could include immigration policy, policing, education, and economic justice/reparations)
• Develop and maintain familiarity with the ACLU-WA’s organizing theory of change and philosophy.
• Support organizing and policy program staff in defining roles and responsibilities for engagement with impacted communities, allies, ACLU-WA supporters, and other community partners, and in developing workplans that effectively use team resources to develop and advance policy priorities
• In collaboration with the Legislative Affairs Department, lobbies elected officials and other public officials. Sits on government task forces as assigned
• Prepares and delivers testimony; draft and review legal and policy advocacy letters and regulatory comments.
• Analyzes proposed and prospective legislation and regulations; provide policy and legal feedback to internal and external stakeholders.
• Collaborate with the Communications Department to identify and advance opportunities to increase support for ACLU-WA policy proposals through public education
• Provides legal and policy expertise to support effective message development and ensures ACLU-WA communications about policy are accurate, comprehensive, and consistent with ACLU-WA goals
• Collaborate as appropriate with the ACLU national and other affiliates on nationwide and state-specific issues

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• BA required; JD or other advanced degree in the issue area a plus
• Minimum two (2) years of experience managing staff or teams, including supervising direct reports, coordinating work plans, and supporting staff development
• Minimum five (5) years of experience with policy advocacy work. A track record of successfully developing and implementing policy advocacy campaigns
• Experience working successfully in a senior policy position that required significant political acumen.
• Experience collaborating with organizers and working within integrated advocacy campaigns that incorporate policy advocacy, organizing, communications, and/or litigation strategies.
• Experience or familiarity with immigration law, economic justice policy or policing policy a plus
• Awareness of, and willingness to engage in, the difficult and transformative work of challenging systems of oppression, institutional and structural racism, and implicit bias, with attention to this work as it pertains to both internal and external personal, organizational, and systemic work
• Demonstrated experience planning and implementing effective strategies based on realistic objectives, maintaining momentum, and evaluating progress
• Strong judgement, emotional intelligence, analytics, and problem-solving skills
• A diplomatic advocate with active listening skills who can connect with people from different backgrounds, build relationships across differences, and navigate and resolve conflict
• Accessible, flexible, decisive, and collaborative management style that inspires trust and confidence, inspires staff to work together in pursuit of a common mission, and holds them accountable for accomplishment of objectives.
• Effectively provides clear direction, delegates responsibilities, and assumes responsibility for outcomes
• A compelling public speaker with strong writing and editing skills
• Ability to communicate complex and information to a wide variety of audiences and communicate strategically on controversial issues
• Excellent organization and time management skills to manage one’s own work as well as the work of others, ensuring timely completion of assignments and projects
• Competence with the use of office computer applications, electronic databases, and electronic legal research platforms

FUTURE WA ACLU'ers WILL

• Be committed to advancing the mission, vision, and values of the ACLU-WA
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

LOCATION:

Seattle, Washington

CLASSIFICATION:

This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. The ACLU-WA reserves the right to change the content of this posting at any time without advance notice. This position is “exempt” under the Fair Labor Standards Act and approved at (1) fulltime equivalent (FTE).

MENTAL DEMAND:

Decision-making, high emotional intelligence, giving and receiving feedback and building trusting relationships. The nature of this work can be emotionally demanding and requires thoughtful and clear communication and resilience.

WORK ENVIRONMENT & CONDITIONS:

The ACLU-WA observes a hybrid workstyle, with some staff working primarily remotely while others work in the office several days a week. This position is required to work in the office a minimum of two (2) days per week.

Our office is generally open between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and is located in downtown Seattle. The physical demands and work environment described below represent those required and encountered by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Input information into a computer for long periods of time
• Access information communicated through a computer
• Work some evenings, weekends, and holidays
• Periodically work long and extended hours
• Travel locally or regionally, for work-related meetings and events

TOTAL COMPENSATION:

The ACLU-WA seeks to provide equitable and competitive compensation for attracting and retaining staff with the skill, judgment, and perseverance to confront challenges to civil rights and civil liberties. As such, the ACLU-WA has adopted a salary scale for measuring how to best compensate its employees.

The salary for this position is $154,000.00 – $189,000.00. A range indicates the intention to accommodate those with varying years of relevant experience, as determined by the salary scale.

BENEFITS:

Generous benefits include three weeks of vacation, twenty-three sick days given in 2026, twelve paid holidays and two weeks of paid office closure. Employer-paid professional development, fully paid employee medical, dental, vision, and disability insurance, a retirement plan with employer contributions, student loan reimbursement, family care and adoption assistance, life insurance, and an ORCA card, the regional transportation pass.

ACLU-WA provides laptops, home office supplies, certain equipment, and technology support. You will need an effective Wi‑Fi connection and a way to communicate by phone. This position is eligible for a $150 stipend each month to help cover any additional costs while working from home.

REFERENCES:

Please submit with your application three professional references who can provide feedback about and have direct knowledge of your work experience. Note that there may be outreach to other references that fall outside of your designated list. We will extend a conditional offer of employment before conducting reference checks.

HIRING TIMELINE:

This position is open until filled with the first review of candidates scheduled for August 31, 2026. We will schedule interviews with qualified candidates after the first review of candidates.

OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) are core values of the ACLU-WA and are foundational to our work to advance liberty, equality and justice for all. When we secure liberty, freedom and justice for those most marginalized, we ensure everyone experiences dignity and equity, enjoying freedoms unimpeded by racial, economic injustice and other systems of oppression. This work requires our collective commitment.

With this in mind, we value a diverse workforce and an inclusive work culture. The ACLU-WA is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, socio-economic circumstance, record of arrest or conviction and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We do not conduct criminal background checks on our candidates.

People With Disabilities

ACLU-WA is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email [e-mail] to receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the application process. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding accommodations during the interview process.