Deputy Project Director for Immigration Detention

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks a fulltime position of Deputy Project Director for Immigration Detention in the National Prison Project (NPP) of the ACLUs National office in Washington D.C.

The National Prison Project works to ensure that conditions in prisons jails juvenile detention centers and immigration detention facilities comply with the Constitution domestic law and international human rights principles. NPP has successfully litigated on behalf of incarcerated and detained people in more than 25 states and is the only organization litigating conditions of confinement cases nationwide. Our priorities include reducing overcrowding improving health care eliminating violence and maltreatment and increasing oversight and accountability in prisons jails and other places of detention. We also work to reverse the policies that have given the United States the highest incarceration rate in the world and led to extreme overrepresentation of people of color in our countrys prisons jails and immigration detention facilities.

WHAT YOULL DO

Reporting to the NPP Project Director the Deputy Project Director for Immigration Detention will assist the Project Director in all aspects of management of the Project including strategic planning fundraising and supervision of Project staff. This position will have a particular emphasis on challenging immigration detention conditions and the use and abuse of immigration detention in the federal governments mass deportation system and will coordinate closely with counterparts in the ACLU Immigrants Rights Project. The Deputy Project Director will lead complex civil rights litigation in state and federal court and develop and lead integrated advocacy campaigns.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

Staffing and Supervision

• Directly supervise specified staff attorneys legal fellows and/or administrative staff including regular checkins approval of expense reports and time off requests.
• Assist Project Director CoDeputy Project Director and management team in making staffing decisions
• Ensure balance of work across Project staff including opportunities for writing arguments discovery witness examinations case development and other professional growth
• Ensure that Project staff maintain and foster relationships with media coalition partners and other targets and allies
• With an eye on developing and maintaining an excellent and diverse staff collaborate with other members of management team to:
• Improve process for hiring onboarding and managing new staff fellows and interns which includes recruiting excellent candidates and furthering our boardmandated goal to increase the percentage of staff with disabilities and significant disabilities and to work in furtherance of our other announced diversity hiring initiatives
• Oversee sustained efforts to create and nurture pools of diverse candidates from which to recruit

Administration

• Align with management including collaborating with and sharing ownership of decisions made by the NPP Project Director Trone Center for Justice Director and Senior Staff
• Assume responsibility for specified administrative functions such gathering particular data for legal or development departments; and ensuring accuracy of case database among other work as directed
• Assist the NPP Project Director and Deputy Project Director with expense tracking and budgeting as directed

Legal & Advocacy

• Engage in litigation in federal and state court including drafting pleadings briefs and affidavits
• Serve as lead counsel or colead counsel on a substantial caseload of major class actions in federal court working closely with other staff attorneys local counsel immigrant rights organizations and clients
• Conduct discovery and motion practice handle hearings and trials argue appeals in both federal and state courts
• Manage case development and conduct client and witness interviews
• Conduct legal research and write legal memoranda
• Provide technical assistance and expert legal advice to local ACLU affiliates cooperating attorneys and others who seek assistance from the Project
• Lead and manage advocacy campaigns including developing and executing strategic goals and managing campaign advocacy research and public education efforts
• Conduct policy advocacy on prisoners and detainees rights criminal justice and immigration detention issues
• Develop new cases and nonlitigation advocacy projects
• Travel as required for litigation conferences and case and strategy development

Strategy CrossProject/CrossDepartmental Collaboration and Integrated Advocacy

• Assist NPP Project Director and CoDeputy Project Director with annual strategic planning and memoranda to senior staff
• Manage special projects
• Assist NPP Project Director and CoDeputy Project Director in managing relationships and coordinating with other departments and external partners for example:
• Work as part of a crossproject team with staff in National Project Project and Immigrants Rights Project on litigation and other advocacy to challenge draconian and unlawful immigration enforcement policies and practices
• Represent in meetings with the National Political Advocacy Department Communications Digital Development and other departments
• Develop and maintain relationships with state affiliates and other partners
• Assume responsibility for specific collaborative initiatives issues and/or relationships as directed
• Represent project / ACLU in publicfacing meetings / speaking events / media opportunities as relevant

FUTURE ACLUERS WILL

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• 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

WHAT YOULL BRING

• J.D. degree and active State Bar membership
• Minimum of ten years of complex civil litigation experience in federal court
• Demonstrated experience working in immigrant detention and immigrant community settings
• Excellent legal research writing and verbal communication skills
• Ability to engage in complex legal analysis and fact finding
• Demonstrated ability to write and to speak clearly and persuasively
• Experience working with reporters and the media on criminal justice and immigration issues
• Ability to work with a wide range of people and foster a team environment
• Commitment to the mission of the ACLU
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regard to race ethnicity age gender identity and expression sexual orientation religion disability and socioeconomic circumstance
• Commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Fluency in Spanish strongly preferred; fluency in other languages commonly spoken by immigrant detainees preferred
• Selfmotivated diligent and able to meet strict deadlines while under pressure
• Extensive experience in class action litigation
• Extensive experience in campaign management and execution
• Extensive experience in criminal justice immigration issues and reform efforts

COMPENSATION

The ACLU is committed to equity transparency and clarity in pay. Consistent with our compensation philosophy there is a set salary for each role based on geographic work location. The annual salary for this position is $220285 (Level DPD) reflecting the salary of a position based in Washington D.C. Salaries are subject to a regional pay adjustment if authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting.

For details on our pay structure please visit: 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. Whether its ending mass incarceration achieving full equality for the LGBTQ community establishing new privacy protections for our digital age or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people.

We know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and know that what we offer is essential not just their work but to their overall wellbeing.

At the ACLU we offer a broad range of benefits which include:

• Time away to focus on the things that matter with a generous paid timeoff policy
• Focus on your wellbeing with comprehensive healthcare benefits (including medical dental and vision coverage parental leave gender affirming care & fertility treatment)
• Plan for your retirement with 401k plan and employer match
• We support employee growth and development through annual professional development funds internal professional development programs and workshops

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY EQUITY DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Accessibility equity diversity and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty equality and justice for all. For us diversity equity accessibility and inclusion are not just checkthebox activities but a chance for us to make longterm meaningful change. We are a community committed to learning and growth humility and grace transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to antioppression antiableism and antiracism internally as we are externally. Because whether were in the courts or in the office we believe We the People means all of us.

With this commitment in mind we strongly encourage 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 or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

The ACLU 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 email. If you are selected for an interview you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.