Deputy Director, Support Transition (Term-Limited)

ABOUT THE JOB

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Deputy Director, Support Transition in the Development 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. This is an 18-month term-limited position.

The ACLU’s passionate community of donors and activists is stronger than ever. The mission of the ACLU’s Development Department is to unlock the full potential of donors and the ACLU as partners in the creation of a more perfect union.  We pursue our mission by building long-term donor relationships and organizational partnerships, by demonstrating impact in response to threats, by engaging donors how they wish to engage, by taking interest in our donors and facilitating personal action, by being accountable stewards of their funds, and by asking donors to consider giving the ACLU their full support. 

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Reporting to the Director of Development Data & Systems, the Deputy Director, Support Transition will play a pivotal leadership role in one of the Development Department’s most significant technology and operational transformation initiatives. This leader will help design and lead the transition to a future-state support model that enables long-term operational excellence across user support, knowledge management, training, business intelligence, reporting and business analysis.

Working closely with Development leadership and cross-functional partners, the Deputy Director will assess current operations, develop recommendations for the future-state support model, and guide the Support, Knowledge and Training (SKT) and Business Intelligence (BIA) teams through organizational transition and system stabilization. This role offers a unique opportunity to shape how the organization supports and leverages one of its most critical enterprise systems in support of the ACLU’s mission.

This is an 18-month term limited role ideally suited for a strategic, collaborative, and forward-thinking leader who thrives in transformation environments, enjoys building sustainable operating models, and is energized by developing teams, improving organizational effectiveness, and leaving lasting impact.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct a comprehensive discovery of cross-functional support teams to assess current-state operations, identify strengths, pain points, and future needs. Interview teams, partners, and stakeholders to understand their perspectives, review service level agreements and prior BBCRM design sessions, and develop recommendations for an optimized future-state support model.
• Work with Development leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to update the service level agreement as needed. Perform a gap analysis on current operations, and build improvement projects into the transition plan or post-migration roadmap.
• Support team leadership in developing clearly defined team scopes, roles and necessary skillsets, responsibilities, and cross-functional decision-making frameworks that will result in meeting or exceeding SLAs with the new system as efficiently as possible.
• Partner with Director on developing a plan for transitioning team to new structure, ensuring timely steps are planned in alignment with budget timelines and procurement processes so that resources are in place when needed in alignment with the Launch Plan, the Change Management Plan, and any related continencies.
• Participate in ongoing design sessions for new system, advising where needed on optimal configuration based on discovery.
• Lead organizational readiness for transition by preparing the SKT and BIA teams through training, capability development, resource planning, success metrics, risk mitigation, and change management activities. Guide the teams and partner groups through migration and stabilization while monitoring progress, resolving issues, coaching leaders, and ensuring operational continuity.
• Prepare the SKT and BIA teams for transition including ensuring adequate training and skill development has been completed, ensuring resources are procured and prepared, and setting success metrics, identifying risks, and developing contingency plans. Lead the teams and support partner teams through the migration, monitoring progress, escalating issues, coaching and managing performance.
• Oversee the SKT and BIA teams, fostering collaboration within teams and partnership with other DDSRO teams. Develop both current-state and migration goals, manage capacity and performance, mentor leadership, and ensure efficiency.
• Assist in the development and management of the DDSRO roadmap, resourcing, and capacity planning for the SKT and BIA teams, ensuring teams manage their projects according to the DDSRO roadmap standard.
• Support strategic planning for support, reporting and BIA current state and future stage projects. Partner with Director in resource planning, capacity management, and roadmapping initiatives.
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity within the office; use a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability and socio-economic circumstance
• Commit to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts
• Other duties and special projects as assigned

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

• Experience managing a BBCRM support team in a federated non-profit or organization of similar complexity to the ACLU
• Superior understanding of fundraising systems support needs
• Demonstrated experience leading organizational change, enterprise system implementations, post-implementation operational transitions, or other complex cross-functional initiatives involving multiple stakeholders.
• Solid organizational skills, the ability to work productively and proactively in a high volume, fast paced and detail-oriented environment
• Demonstrated analytical, negotiation and facilitation skills to interpret business needs of department
• Ability to think through details while understanding big picture and long-range goals and effects
• Inherent decision maker, who is adept in troubleshooting incoming issues as they arise, must have problem solving skills and resourcefulness
• Ability to manage a multi-faceted workload independently, while successfully setting priorities and meeting deadlines
• 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 regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance
• Commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts

PREFERREED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience leading or advising nonprofit organizations through enterprise CRM implementations, systems modernization, or operational transformation initiatives, including experience in nonprofit technology or fundraising systems consulting.

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 diff