Legislative Operations Associate

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois seeks a full-time Legislative Operations Associate to support the legislative work and initiatives of the Advocacy Department. This position requires administrative experience, the ability to exercise sound independent judgment, multi-task, take initiative, meet deadlines, and maintain confidentiality.

The successful candidate will have excellent verbal and written communication skills and strong organizational abilities. Applicants would benefit from an understanding of the legislative process in Illinois. A commitment to civil liberties and civil rights principles is essential.

The Legislative Operations Associate will report to the Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs Director. This role is based in Chicago and will be expected to work in-person from the Chicago office 3-5 days per week. This is a full-time non-exempt union position that is part of a bargaining unit represented by the National Organization of Legal Services Workers/United Auto Workers Local 2320.

Responsibilities:

·        Lead the ongoing development, implementation, and maintenance of the legislative tracking process, including maintaining the database of bills of interest in the Illinois legislature

·        Initiate and maintain the internal ACLU-IL Bill Analysis Process, including receiving bills for review, sharing bills for analysis, updating bill analysis spreadsheet and analysis document, sharing reminders when analysis is needed, scheduling bill check-in meetings, and as needed serving as the point person to troubleshoot the analysis process with colleagues across departments

·        Support committee related needs, including the creation and maintenance of legislator outreach documents, and committee assignment, scheduling and action alerts

·        Provide legislative administrative support, including updating contact information, maintaining up-to-date roll calls for both chambers, and file management throughout the year

·        Work cross-departmentally to maintain and update the legislative portion of the ACLU-IL website, including updating bill pages throughout session, creating a mid and end of session recap, and creation of legislative social media content

·        Create and regularly update internal and external facing document detailing active affirmative legislative efforts of the ACLU of Illinois

·        Collect and catalog internal talking points and collateral materials on ACLU legislative initiatives

·        Support initiative campaign and implementation work as needed

·        Assist with candidate forums, questionnaires, town halls, and other administrative advocacy tasks as needed

·        Support Advocacy 101 Training and other community and partner education efforts

·        Organize and support organization participation in rallies, leafletting, tabling, and other public or community events that reflect advocacy department priorities

·        The Legislative Operations Associate will be required to work proactively and responsively, often including evenings and weekends, while the Illinois General Assembly is in Session. This includes most weeks from January through May, for two weeks in the Fall Veto Session, and in January of election years for Lame Duck Session   

Qualifications and Skills:

·        4-5 years of relevant administrative, paralegal, campaign, or personal assistant experience required

·        Strong organizational skills, including attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively

·        Ability to follow directions, exercise sound independent judgment, work independently and on a team, meet deadlines, and maintain confidentiality

·        Ability to problem solve and collaboratively develop innovative systems and processes to meet evolving team needs

·        Proficiency with Windows Operating System, especially with Microsoft Suite including 365 and Teams, Outlook, Adobe Acrobat, Word, PowerPoint, and other Office programs, including facility with email merge, spreadsheets, tables, and charts, and the ability to learn company-specific software if required

·        Excellent oral and written communication skills

·        Experience working with video-based meeting systems (e.g., Zoom), or the ability to learn

·        Experience working with individuals and communities with diverse identities

·        Working knowledge of the Illinois General Assembly and the legislative process specific to Illinois is a plus

Salary and benefits:

Benefits include 20 days of paid vacation (pro-rated the first year); 100% employer-paid medical, vision, and dental insurance for staff and eligible dependents; a 403(b)-retirement benefits plan with employer match; life insurance; and long-term disability insurance. In accordance with the ACLU salary scale and commensurate with experience, the salary range for this position is $57,500 to $65,000.

Job Application Statement:

The ACLU of Illinois is an equal-opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and 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, or veteran status.

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you need assistance applying online, please email jobs@aclu-il.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request accommodation for the interview process.

How to apply:

Applicants should email a resume and cover letter, which details prior experience with the Illinois legislative process, to advocacyjobs@aclu-il.org and use the subject line “Legislative Operations Associate”. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, with priority being given to applicants who meet the qualifications above and apply by November 15, 2022. No calls, please.