BACKGROUND

The Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC), a national non-profit, non-partisan organization working to restore the rule of law and our constitutional rights and liberties, seeks a dynamic and versatile new Executive Director. BORDC works to support an ideologically, politically, ethnically, geographically, and generationally diverse grassroots movement to restore constitutional rights in the face of pervasive mass surveillance; arbitrary profiling according to race, religion, and ideology; and torture with impunity.

BORDC was founded in 2002 by a grassroots network of peace and justice activists responding to the introduction and swift passage of the USA PATRIOT Act. Alarmed at the erosion of civil liberties, they established transpartisan coalitions in local areas across the country and took action, securing over 400 local resolutions from cities as large — and different from each other — as New York City and Dallas, as well as eight states as diverse as California and Montana.

Today, BORDC’s four-person staff works remotely and from our home office in Northampton, MA, to support a base of 40,000 Americans from all walks of life across the country. We work to engage and support their efforts to educate their neighbors in the struggle to restore civil liberties in the US. BORDC’s unique contribution lies in successfully bringing together local groups, sometimes at odds with each other on many other issues, and uniting them under the banner of restoring constitutional rights.

BORDC’s board is composed of individuals serving in technology, finance, medicine, law, and journalism. With an annual budget of $400,000, BORDC’s activities are supported by a diverse portfolio of institutional grants, as well as charitable gifts from over 500 individuals.

BORDC has had notable success in connecting grassroots organizers with new allies in their respective regions with whom to learn and share best practices, as well as in apprising those grassroots coalitions of action opportunities to link their activism to federal, state, and local laws and policies that threaten First and Fourth Amendment protections. The new Executive Director will continue that work and build upon that success by connecting local coalitions with their counterparts around the country.

The successful candidate will wield experience including grassroots organizing, public policy, and media engagement to guide and support a growing network in the years ahead. This position calls for a creative, nimble, and strategic leader with excellent management and communications skills.

CURRENT SITUATION

Since 2002, BORDC has been instrumental in mobilizing grassroots coalitions in hundreds of cities and towns across the US to challenge mass surveillance and coercive policing. With the Obama administration embracing the Bush-Cheney assault on civil liberties, discrete abuses have proliferated while the movement to restore constitutional rights continues to struggle for basic protections like the right to trial as an unequivocal constraint on arbitrary detention, and the judicial warrant requirement that once constrained mass surveillance.

Amidst these opportunities and challenges, the BORDC Board seeks an Executive Director who will maximize our organization’s public profile and impact, manage and coach the staff and grassroots network they support; and continue to strengthen the organization financially.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Organizational leadership and management. The Executive Director will be responsible for managing and supervising staff and contractors; preparing budgets, grant reports, and other materials to enable oversight by the Board and institutional funders; overseeing all legal, financial, and general administrative matters; implementing strategic projects; and maintaining high-quality program work across the organization.

Development, fundraising, and financial management. The Executive Director will work with our Board and staff to cultivate new funding sources; maintain support from our growing base of grassroots supporters; and be responsible for developing and managing the budget and cash flow of the organization. In addition, the Executive Director will be responsible for developing public relations and fundraising strategies that leverage BORDC’s niche mobilizing transpartisan and multiethnic grassroots support for constitutional rights at the local and state level.

Visionary, strategic, and tactical planning. The Executive Director will work with our Board, staff, coalition partners, and outside stakeholders to focus BORDC’s organizing and communications programs strategically, maximizing their effectiveness in creating greater accountability for police departments and intelligence agencies.

Board development and support. The Executive Director is the primary staff person responsible for the operation of BORDC and is accountable to the Board of Directors for the organization’s effective operation, its well-being, and the successful implementation of its goals. The Executive Director will help support the Board of Directors as it exercises its oversight responsibilities and engage the Board in actively expanding the organization’s networks.

Grassroots organizing. The Executive Director will work with the organizing staff and interns to cultivate and coach grassroots partners around the country; engage them directly and with each other to share best practices and action opportunities; coordinate public events and advocacy campaigns while helping expand their coalitions; and ensure that their work across the country is strategic, effective, and well-coordinated with allied groups and coalitions.

Communications. The Executive Director will work with the communications staff and interns to maintain and improve BORDC’s website, social media and newsletter communications, press releases, and publications, as well as public communications such as annual reports and promotional brochures.

Media Appearances and Public Relations. The Executive Director will work with the communications team to ensure strong representation of the organization and our underlying concerns to the general public, media, funders, Congress, agencies, and other organizations; speak at hearings, conferences, and other forums; and develop and maintain an extensive professional network. The Executive Director will be the primary face and voice of the organization on national, regional, and sometimes local media including television and radio.

Policy/Legal Assessments. The Executive Director will work with the staff, board, and allied organizations to assess proposed federal, state, and local policy reforms regarding policing and surveillance. In addition to examining their potential compatibility or tension with our organization’s commitment to constitutional rights, the Executive Director will help coach the organizing team on presenting such reforms, alongside our organization’s analysis, to the transpartisan grassroots base that we support and cultivate.

QUALIFICATIONS

A strong executive and collaborative leadership style with diverse skills, demonstrated record of successful nonprofit management experience and building diverse coalitions, high energy, efficiency, excellent communication skills, entrepreneurial drive, and a dynamic commitment to constitutional rights are required. Abilities to raise and manage a budget; think and act strategically, tactically, and creatively within budgetary limits; to communicate effectively with diverse audiences of varying education levels and cultural backgrounds; and the availability to travel on regular basis to support a nationwide base of supporters are desirable. BORDC seeks a seasoned individual who is comfortable supervising and managing colleagues remotely, juggling multiple tasks and deadlines in a fast-paced work environment, and who wields the strategic and political skills to strengthen and advance the organization.

A law degree and/or experience in a field related to BORDC’s program interests is desirable, although preference may be given to a record of executive management, fundraising, and grass roots organizing success over legal specialization. A bachelor’s degree and some graduate experience are required.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Competitive public interest salary depending on experience and qualifications. Benefits include generous vacation, leave, and a health insurance stipend. BORDC is an equal opportunity employer.

To apply, please send a letter of interest and resume before by April 6 to jobs@bordc.org or to:

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BORDC
8 Bridge St.
Suite A
Northampton, MA 01060