Communications Director

About the ACLU of Louisiana

At the ACLU of Louisiana, we envision an equitable Louisiana that upholds the rights, dignity, and safety of all people and courageously acknowledges and endeavors to repair historical injustice that continues to harm marginalized communities. Our team seeks to protect the civil rights and civil liberties of all Louisianians by working to dismantle systems of oppression that harm the most vulnerable members of the community, specifically Black, Brown, Immigrant, and LGBTQ+ communities.

Our work reflects the ideals of peace, justice, and love.

We fight for change through a vigorous legal, policy, and community-centered strategy dedicated to ending white supremacist policy and law. We are engineers for real social change. We steep ourselves in a thorough understanding of Louisiana and American history to free ourselves of bias and ignorance.

It has been said that the fight for civil liberties never stays won; as cynical as that may sound, the ACLU of Louisiana remains confident that we-and justice-will prevail.

Currently, our team includes 15 individuals that are deeply passionate about doing the work and embodying the values of our organization each day. We invite individuals who have experience in and share our passion for social justice to join our team.

The Opportunity

The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana is seeking a Communications Director to increase the ACLU of Louisiana's visibility strategically and proactively across Louisiana. A successful candidate will advocate for positive changes in the civil rights and civil liberties landscape and grow the ACLU of Louisiana's political power to energize the fight for civil liberties and protect our hard-won victories. The position is based in New Orleans but may require periodic travel throughout the state. As a member of the senior staff, you'll report directly to the Executive Director and work closely with the leadership team. The Communications Director also manages the communications department team including the Communications Strategist, and contracted professionals.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategy
  • Develop and implement a communications strategy that furthers the ACLU of Louisiana's goals.
  • Create long- and short-term plans to execute the vision and measure progress.
  • Identify ideal communication channels and tactics for distributing news, promoting campaigns, publicizing events, and broadening audiences.
• Integrated Advocacy
  • Collaborate with legal, advocacy, and national communications staff to align communications strategies with programmatic goals.
  • Co-produce external communications, including legislative action alerts, fact sheets, talking points, letters to the editor, press statements, and op-eds.
  • Partner with staff and coalition partners to coordinate speakers bureau requests and community education events.
• Community Engagement
  • Represent the organization by attending community events, court hearings, and legislative committee meetings as needed.
• Brand Management and Marketing
  • Ensure a consistent organizational voice and style through adherence to brand guidelines.
  • Raise the profile of the ACLU by preparing presentations and distributing ACLU-branded merchandise strategically.
• Media Relations
  • Manage all aspects of media relations, including drafting press releases, pitching stories, and handling media requests.
  • Maintain a media database, monitor media opportunities, and evaluate media outreach success.
  • Draft talking points, message grids, and occasionally make media statements.
• Digital Communications
  • Lead the ACLU of Louisiana's online presence by creating and managing digital content across platforms (e. g. , website, email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
  • Innovate digital strategies to drive engagement and measurable action.
• Print Materials
  • Develop and maintain high-quality print materials, including editorial and design oversight, quality control, and distribution planning.
  • Collaborate with internal teams and external vendors to produce and distribute materials.
• Additional Responsibilities
  • Participate in special events, donor meetings, board sessions, budget planning, and other organizational activities as needed.
  • Perform additional duties as assigned.

• Passionate about civil liberties and social justice, with a strong understanding of the ACLU's mission.
• Bachelor's degree in Communications or Public Relations preferred.
• 5-7 years of progressive communications experience, ideally in non-profit advocacy.
• Established positive relationships with Louisiana media and proven success in directing media campaigns and coaching spokespeople.
• Skilled at building relationships with national, regional, and local media and adapting to fast-changing media platforms.
• Experienced in developing and implementing strategic communication plans with clear goals and innovative tactics.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including editing, simplifying complex issues, and tailoring messages to target audiences.
• Excels in team environments, comfortable in both leadership and support roles.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, social media management, email marketing, and digital content systems; experience with design and web tools is a plus.
• Effective collaborator with diverse coalitions, valuing differences across race, gender, ability, and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Strong problem-solver with excellent follow-through and a "get it done" attitude.
• Skilled at goal-setting, time management, and thriving in fast-paced environments.
• Flexible, strategic, and adaptable to change.
• Strong team-building, collaboration, and diplomatic skills.