Employment Opportunities

Lead Organizer—Campaign Specialist, Department of Organizing and Services

Legal Internships and Externships

Lead Organizer—Campaign Specialist, Department of Organizing and Services, Washington, DC, Office

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is seeking well-qualified candidates for a Lead Organizer—Campaign Specialist position in the Department of Organizing and Services. This is an exciting opportunity at a critical time in the AAUP, in higher education, and in the labor movement. The ideal candidate combines knowledge of labor organizing with knowledge of higher education. The candidate will work under the leadership of the Director of Organizing and Services and will play an essential role in shaping AAUP’s organizing strategy at the national and statewide levels.
 
Duties and Responsibilities
  • Develop and implement comprehensive internal and external organizing plans for collective bargaining and non-collective bargaining environments. 
  • Develop and staff external organizing campaigns.
  • Develop and implement workshops and trainings on internal and external organizing and on leadership development for fellow organizing staff and well as member-activists.
  • Assist existing collective bargaining chapters with development of campus internal organizing campaigns, especially in states facing right-to-work.
  • Coordinate and maintain national organizing resources, including a national organizing database. 
  • Serve as the primary point person for the collection and analysis of campaign data.
  • Work collaboratively with AAUP’s union partners in the field on the planning and implementation of joint campaigns.
  • Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications 
  • Significant experience working for a labor organization required. Experience with white-collar unions preferred.
  • Demonstrated ability with successfully developing and implementing comprehensive internal and/or external organizing plans, including organizing timelines, benchmarks, and milestones.
  • Demonstrated experience with working with leaders and members from national, state-level, or local affiliates to build strong organizing structures.
  • Demonstrated expertise with organizing databases.
  • Knowledge of higher education preferred. 
  • Experience and demonstrated ability to work with professional groups and individuals. 
  • Superior written and oral communication skills and computer proficiency skills—including working familiarity with MS Office suite. 
  • Ability to work independently within the context of a national strategic plan.
  • Valid driver’s license and a willingness to travel regionally and nationally, sometimes on long-term assignment.
  • Willingness to work evening and weekend hours, as required. 
  • Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
Compensation 
Salary range: Starting salary of $70,000 for required qualifications; higher salary for preferred qualifications and experience. Generous benefits package, including health insurance and 401(K). 
 
Position Classification 
The Lead Organizer—Campaign Specialist position is designated as a senior program officer in the Department of Organizing and Services and is part of the staff union bargaining unit. This is an exempt position and not eligible for overtime pay. 
 
To Apply 
To apply, email a resume with cover letter to podos@aaup.org.  Please include “Campaign Specialist-YOUR NAME” in the subject line of the email. You may also mail your resume and cover letter to: AAUP, ATTN: Campaign Specialist—DOS Search, 1133 Nineteenth Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036. In addition to a cover letter and a resume, please include a copy of an organizing plan that you have developed and implemented. Sensitive information may be redacted.
 
No phone calls, please. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until position is filled. 
 
The AAUP is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability, race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, personal appearance, family responsibilities, genetic information, matriculation, political affiliation, or other characteristics unrelated to professional performance. 
 
Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Legal Internships and Externships

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is seeking qualified interns or externs for summer or the academic year.  

The intern and extern positions will be in a legal department currently staffed with two lawyers and one paralegal and involves significant in-house legal and other support work for the Association. The legal office files amicus briefs in higher education cases of national significance, provides legal information on a wide range of issues to staff and members all over the country, and acts as a resource on higher education issues.  Staff and volunteer lawyers are experts in such areas as academic freedom, discrimination, affirmative action, intellectual property, and employment.  Interns and externs can expect to be asked to research and write on a variety of legal issues including First Amendment, higher education, collective bargaining, election, tax, labor, personnel, financial, and contract issues.

Past legal interns have helped research and write amicus briefs in the federal court system, updated a multi-state survey on faculty handbooks as employment contracts, and researched and written legal outlines and fact sheets on topics such as “Faculty and Defamation Suits,” “Faculty and Family Leave Issues,” and “Academic Freedom and the First Amendment.” Externs should be in their second or third year of law school and be available to work approximately fifteen hours per week.  Summer internships are available to students who have completed their second year of law school.  AAUP legal staff will work with interested applicants to arrange for public interest stipends, academic credit or pro bono credit from their law school.

Qualified applicants will possess excellent analytical skills

  • strong writing and research skills
  • interest in higher education issues
  • enthusiasm and initiative

To apply for an externship or internship position, please send a cover letter, resume, official transcript and writing sample to:

AAUP – Legal Department
ATTN:  DC Internship Program
1133 19th St. NW, Suite 200
Washington, D.C.  20036
legal.dept@aaup.org (If applying by email, please address the Subject line as: “DC Internship + Your Name”)

For more information, please see AAUP’s Legal Program.