ABOUT THE ACLU OF NORTH CAROLINA

The ACLU of North Carolina (ACLU-NC) is an affiliate of the National ACLU. For 60 years, the ACLU-NC has worked in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s achieving full equality for LGBTQ+ people, working to transform our broken and racist criminal legal system, defending freedom of speech, religion, and the right to protest, 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 from government abuse and overreach.

Two critical components of our work are uplifting the voices and leadership of impacted people and applying an anti-racist lens to all aspects of our internal and external functions including but not limited to our issue campaigns, recruitment and human resources, strategic planning, donor and volunteer relations, Board and committee processes, and deciding what cases to litigate. We are looking for candidates who share our commitment to our values.

The ACLU-NC brings together litigation, legislative advocacy, communications, and organizing strategies to empower communities and achieve our objectives in major issue areas including criminal law reform, voting rights, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive freedom, and the rights of immigrants. With more than 40,000 members and supporters across the state, the ACLU-NC has a staff of more than 25 people with an office in Durham.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The ACLU of North Carolina (ACLU-NC) seeks a full-time Programs Associate to join our team in our Durham office. Reporting to the Chief Programs Officer (CPO), the Programs Associate supports the coordination and administrative needs of ACLU-NC's integrated advocacy work across Program Departments, including Legal, Policy, Communications, and Organizing.

The ACLU of North Carolina has adopted a campaign-based approach, focusing on integrated advocacy efforts designed to achieve measurable goals while building the long-term political and community power of the ACLU to defend, protect, and advance civil liberties and civil rights across the state. The Programs Associate position plays a key role in supporting the planning and execution of this work by helping keep cross-team campaigns organized, aligned, and moving forward.

The Programs Associate will provide project management support and day-to-day coordination. Responsibilities include scheduling and coordinating meetings, supporting agenda development and facilitation, capturing and sharing notes and action items, and using project management tools such as Asana to track timelines, assign tasks, and maintain visibility across teams. The Programs Associate will also support logistics for programmatic activities and events, including planning, execution, and follow-up, and will assist with compiling updates and contributing to reporting processes to ensure program work is well-documented and progressing toward goals.

By helping to strengthen systems for coordination, communication, and accountability, the Programs Associate role contributes to a strong, collaborative team culture and ensures that our integrated advocacy work is executed effectively.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Under the direction of the Chief Program Officer, support coordination of cross-team integrated advocacy efforts across Legal, Policy, Communications, and Organizing departments.
• Track timelines, deliverables, and team progress via project management tools (e.g. Asana) to ensure visibility and accountability across teams
• Manage calendars for programmatic work, including scheduling priorities, coordinating availability, and resolving scheduling conflicts
• Provide logistical support for programmatic activities and events, including planning, coordination, and follow-up
• Support meeting facilitation, including drafting agendas and guiding conversations as needed
• Take and distribute clear notes, action items, and follow-ups to keep work moving forward
• Assist with internal communication and coordination across departments to ensure alignment
• Compile updates and support reporting processes to track progress toward program and campaign goals
• Support team efficiency, organization, capacity, and overall impact by developing and implementing effective systems and processes
• Perform other duties as assigned

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS ROLE, THE CANDIDATE WILL HAVE

• Demonstrated experience in program coordination, project management, administration, or similar experience as described above
• Excellent attention to detail, ability to rigorously edit and check one’s own work, and superior organizational and planning skills
• High proficiency with MS products (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint) and project management software, Asana preferred
• Ability to take initiative, problem solve, work well under pressure, and manage multiple priorities and projects under tight deadlines
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including an ability to navigate and resolve conflict in a manner that values and respects difference and the ability to work with a broad range of colleagues at various levels in an organization
• Event planning and logistics coordination skills
• Alignment with the values of the ACLU-NC and a professional commitment to advancing them
• Ability to work in an environment committed to diversity with a personal approach that values the individual and respects differences of race/ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, socio-economic circumstance, immigration status, age, and lived experience as people impacted by the carceral system

TO STAND OUT FROM OTHERS, YOU WILL HAVE

• Demonstrated commitment to and an understanding of civil rights, civil liberties, social justice, and the ACLU-NC mission, goals, and programs
• Experience with one or more of the ACLU-NC's strategic priority areas: immigrants’ rights, criminal law reform, reproductive freedom, voting rights, LGBTQ+ equality
• Project management certification

WHAT ELSE SHOULD YOU KNOW?

You are welcome here! The ACLU-NC is committed to an inclusive work environment that reflects the population that we serve. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and are committed to building an organization where all employees and North Carolinians can be proud. We eagerly anticipate 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, parental status, veteran status, or record of arrest or conviction. Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S.

COMPENSATION

The annual salary range for this position is $71,000 – 81,000, based on experience. Excellent benefits include but are not limited to:

• 3 weeks paid vacation at time of hire (increasing after two years of employment)
• 10 paid office holidays, 1 floating holiday, summer recess (last week of August) and winter recess (December 25 - January 1)
• 10 paid sick days
• Hybrid work environment
• Generous medical, dental and vision insurance options for staff members, their dependents and spouse/domestic partner
• Employer-funded health reimbursement account
• Flexible spending and dependent care accounts
• Up to 12 weeks of paid medical leave
• Life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance
• Short-term disability and long-term disability insurance
• 401(k) defined contribution retirement plan with employer match
• Annual professional development allotment
• Free on-site parking

The Programs Associate position is exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The ACLU-NC/LF is a unionized employer, and the Programs Associate position is part of the union bargaining unit. Salary and benefits are subject to a collective bargaining agreement.

The Department of Education previously determined that employment in this position does not qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

To Apply

Applications should include a cover letter that explains your specific interest in joining the ACLU-NC and addresses why, based on your experience, you will be an effective advocate for social justice in this setting. Your application should also include your resume along with your responses to the application questions.

Applications may be submitted via this link (ACLU-NC Programs Associate - American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina - Career Page) and should include all materials outlined above. Please note that we will only be able to follow up with those candidates under consideration. Applications will be accepted and reviewed until June 8th, 2026.

The ACLU-NC is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. Recognizing that strict minimum requirements tend to disproportionately discourage women and people of color from applying for jobs for which they would otherwise be competitive, we encourage all qualified individuals to apply -- especially people of color; women; people from low-income backgrounds; people with disabilities; people who identify as LGBTQ+; and people who are formerly incarcerated or otherwise directly impacted by the criminal legal system.