Program Associate

About the role

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Program Associate in the Affiliate Support and Nationwide Initiatives Department (ASNI) of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY. This is a hybrid role requiring two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month in-office.

ASNI builds state capacity and strengthens connections between the ACLU and its network of 54 state affiliates and their 1,500 staff members nationwide. The Program and Strategy Team within ASNI works with ACLU affiliates to cultivate excellence, best practices, and alignment in communications, legal, digital, legislative, advocacy, and organizing programs. The team also coordinates regional, multi-state, and nationwide efforts to advance civil rights and liberties, collaborating with national and affiliate staff to grow capacity and support resilient organizations centered on equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

This position is part of a collective bargaining unit represented by ACLU Staff United (ASU).

Responsibilities

• Manage scheduling, preparation, planning, communications, execution, and follow-up for meetings, working groups, workshops, convenings, and affiliate visits.
• Support and advance internal communications and coordination strategies within the Team, Department, and wider ACLU network.
• Assist with planning logistics and on-site support for meetings, events, trainings, or convenings in the NYC office or off-site, including room setup, presentations, materials, agendas, facilitation, and note-taking.
• Research, contribute to, and maintain a bank of resources supporting program development.
• Generate and execute ideas to maximize team efficiency, organization, and impact.
• Support the Senior Director and Project Manager in managing and tracking team budgets, invoices, and procurement processes.
• Collect, input, and maintain data to support measurement objectives for program-related efforts.
• Support the development of evaluative tools and fair measures of capacity and success for affiliate and Team programs.
• Operationalize a learning culture of ‘plan, execute, debrief’ and support disciplined planning, tracking, and debriefing processes.
• Serve as an ambassador for the Department, building understanding of its role and the importance of affiliate work.
• Support innovative practices to build a talent pipeline within the ACLU.
• Assist the National Director and PST Senior Director with coordination around grants to affiliates and new programmatic initiatives, including summary and analysis of grant reports.
• Manage the scheduling and calendar of the Senior Director.
• Process expense reports and reimbursements for the Senior Director using SAP Concur.
• Identify areas for personal growth and strategies to accomplish them.
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with affiliate staff and national colleagues to advance organizational effectiveness.
• Facilitate and coordinate team connectivity within ASNI and with other national departments; help problem-solve if affiliate needs are not prioritized.
• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in program coordination, administration, or related fields.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail.
• High proficiency with Excel, PowerPoint, and Asana.
• Ability to take initiative, think creatively, problem-solve, and work well under pressure while managing multiple priorities and tight deadlines.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (EDIB) within the workplace, respecting and valuing multiple perspectives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in an organization dedicated to advancing civil rights and liberties.
• Demonstrated project management skills in fast-paced, high-intensity environments.
• Experience supporting, managing, or executing digital and in-person events or convenings, including vendor coordination, travel arrangements, and on-site logistics.
• Experience working with or managing budgets, including tracking expenditures, reconciling financial reports, and identifying budget risks.
• Familiarity with design tools like Canva to produce visually compelling reports or presentations.

Pay

The annual salary for this position is $89,020 (Level J), based on the geographic work location of New York, NY. Salaries are subject to a regional pay adjustment if authorization is granted to work outside the listed location. For details, visit the ACLU Geographic Pay Structure.

Benefits

• Generous paid time-off policy.
• Comprehensive healthcare benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Parental leave, gender-affirming care, and fertility treatment coverage.
• 401k plan with employer match.
• Annual professional development funds and access to internal professional development programs and workshops.

About the ACLU

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. The organization tackles civil liberties issues such as ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing digital privacy protections, and preserving the right to vote and reproductive rights.

The ACLU values its people and offers benefits essential to overall well-being, fostering a culture of accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion. The organization is committed to anti-oppression, anti-ableism, and anti-racism, both internally and externally, believing that ‘We the People’ means all of us.