ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks a full-time position of Director of Engineering, Web in the Technology Department of the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month.

The ACLU’s Technology team partners with departments across the ACLU in order to build and maintain innovative, robust and secure digital products and technical systems that accelerate the ACLU’s mission as our nationwide guardian of rights and liberties. We are a team of engineers, designers, product managers and administrators who take pride in creating technical solutions that help raise money, get our message out in the world, mobilize our supporters and manage our data with integrity.

WHAT YOU’LL DO 

Reporting to the Head of Engineering, the Director of Engineering, Web will be responsible for leading a team of software engineers focused on building and supporting a portfolio of web-based products and platforms that support our diverse organizational goals. This includes broad technical oversight of our national branded website (www.aclu.org) as well as the delivery and rollout of a new nationwide web platform supporting our local and state ACLU affiliates. This role will work closely with peer leaders in engineering, product, and analytics as well as stakeholders across the ACLU to set and drive a long-term web technology strategy that meets current and anticipates future organizational needs.

The ideal candidate is a strong technical leader who is passionate about finding best-fit solutions to real nonprofit technology challenges and has the proven ability to build and guide an effective engineering team through mentorship, coaching, and technical and strategic leadership.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

• Provide hands-on management and individualized support to software engineers on one or more cross-functional web-focused product teams
• Set web technology strategy and provide guidance at the architecture and product levels to help teams make sound decisions that align with broader organizational goals and priorities
• Develop technical roadmaps and direct large-scale initiatives, prioritizing projects and investments that balance product vision with requirements for privacy, security, and system quality across our web technologies
• Act as a key advisor to stakeholders in Communications & Marketing, Analytics, Privacy & Data Governance, as well as ACLU affiliates, providing technical expertise and ensuring alignment with our web technology strategy
• Partner with peer leaders within Product, Analytics, and Engineering to improve team health, operational workflows, and collaboration across the organization
• Advise on resource planning and personnel decisions, ensuring team structures meet current needs and anticipate future growth
• Lead recruitment and onboarding for new engineers, establishing policies, goals, and a culture that fosters a high-performing, diverse web engineering team
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with external agencies, vendors, and contractors to augment internal capabilities and manage specialized projects, ensuring delivery of high-quality work that meets the organization’s engineering standards and requirements

FUTURE ACLU’ERS 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 YOU’LL BRING

• Demonstrated success in leading high-performing application or product engineering teams with multiple direct reports, strategic planning, goal setting, and other leadership responsibilities
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute long-term technology strategies and large-scale web transformation initiatives
• Adept at working with evolving scopes and clarifying ambiguous ideas into actionable technical plans
• Experience with and deep understanding of web development technologies and architecture, CMS platforms, and related frameworks
• Experience overseeing vendors, contractors, and external partners in technology implementation, with a track record of building strong partnerships and managing third-party solutions
• Experience hiring and developing high-functioning engineering teams, monitoring and managing team performance, and supporting individual career growth through mentorship, coaching, and feedback
• Demonstrated ability to foster a culture of learning and psychological safety
• Excellent leadership skills, including strategic thinking, analytical reasoning, alignment building, initiative, collaboration, communication, and empathy
• Experience in one or more of the following areas preferred: Nonprofit, legal or political campaign advocacy, digital marketing strategies, web analytics platforms, A/B and multivariate testing tools, frontend design systems, build vs buy software decision making

COMPENSATION

WHY 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 it’s 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 well-being. 

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-time off policy
• Focus on your well-being 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 check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term 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 anti-oppression, anti-ableism, and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re 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 [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

The Department of Education has determined that employment in this position at the ACLU does not qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.