LOCATION
Remote
DEPARTMENT
Communications
DEADLINE DATE
6/28/2024
The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania (ACLU-PA) is seeking a Web Development Consultant to assist the organization in updating a data-visualization-heavy website, BrokenRulesPA.org, with current data.
A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending and expanding individual rights and personal freedom, the ACLU is the nation's foremost guardian of liberty. The ACLU-PA promotes, defends, and advances constitutional principles founded in the Bill of Rights through litigation, legislative advocacy, and community education.
The ACLU-PA addresses headline-making issues with powerful personal stories and dynamic, precedent-setting solutions. The ACLU-PA has three offices, ten volunteer chapters, over 30,000 members and donors, 40 employees, and a $5.3 million operating budget.
The Web Development Consultant will work with ACLU-PA legal, advocacy, and communications staff to update the Broken Rules website with more recent data and analysis from our legal team. The consultant will report to the Senior Communications Strategist and will be contracted for approximately 30 hours of work – five hours to review the current code and 25 hours to update the code with the updated data and beta test the updates.
ACLU-PA’s criminal legal reform work priorities include reducing incarceration in Pennsylvania by 50% and challenging the racism that plagues the criminal legal system. Part of this effort includes ending the illegal use of cash bail throughout the commonwealth. The Pennsylvania Constitution and the state’s Rules of Criminal Procedure forbid assigning cash bail to people who are unable to pay. Yet, every year, magistrate judges in each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties regularly assign cash bail in violation of these laws.
The Broken Rules website exposes the rampant and illegal use of cash bail in Pennsylvania. It is a companion to a written report of the same name. With updated bail data available since the publication of the report and website, the goal of this project is to provide an updated website for criminal legal reform advocates, journalists, legislators, and magistrate judges themselves to learn the scope of the issue and to find alternative solutions to the illegal use of cash bail.
ACLU-PA staff work in a hybrid model, spending at least two days per week in one of the organization’s offices. However, as a non-staff contractor, the Web Development Consultant is not expected to work in ACLU-PA’s offices and can work remotely.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
The Web Development Consultant will be expected to perform the following duties:
- Work with the Toll Public Interest Fellowship Attorney, the Senior Policy Counsel for Criminal Legal Reform, and the Senior Communications Strategist to evaluate the updated data and map out the necessary updates to the website.
- Review website code and propose a plan and timeline for completed visualization updates.
- Preserve existing data and visualizations for comparison with new data.
- Beta test updated website to ensure full functionality prior to publication.
- Compensation for this contract is $5000.
QUALIFICATIONS:
A successful candidate will bring many of the following qualifications and skills:
- At least three years of related experience in web development
- A demonstrated ability to write, revise, and troubleshoot complex web code
- Experience with data sets and coding corresponding visualizations
- Experience working with WebFlow (the platform the website is built on) is a plus, but not required
- Excellent organization and administrative skills: a strong, consistent attention to detail, an organized work style, and the ability to follow through on work assignments with a minimum of direct supervision
- Demonstrated interest in, enthusiasm for, and commitment to the mission and principles of the ACLU
TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL:
All proposals will be treated confidentially. Send a resume, cover letter, and a brief work sample to commssearch@aclupa.org. Please include your last name and “Web Development Consultant” in the subject line. No calls, please. Proposals will be accepted until Friday, June 28.
The ACLU-PA is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU-PA encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or record of arrest or conviction.
The ACLU-PA is committed to pursuing and achieving Authentic Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (ABIDE) at all levels of the organization — including how we build our boards and teams, cultivate leaders, and engage with partners. This commitment to our ABIDE principles is woven into every internal and external action in which our organization is involved. As part of the recent strategic planning process, the ACLU-PA redoubled its commitment to creating a workplace and environment that fosters authentic equity, inclusion, and belonging, valuing diversity in all its forms, in order to end, or at least mitigate, the systematic oppression our constituents and marginalized communities face every day. A demonstrated commitment to these principles will be a critical component in the selection of the search firm to be identified through this RFP.
Please include a statement on your or your organization's internal commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging (EDIB).
ACLU-PA’s hiring process will comply with Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Records Screening Standards (“Ban the Box”) ordinance.
The ACLU-PA comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union (the “Union”) of Pennsylvania and the ACLU Foundation (the “Foundation”) of Pennsylvania. The Union is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation, and ACLU membership dues fund its lobbying work. Donations to the Union are not tax-deductible. The ACLU Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Foundation funds support litigation and public education efforts. Donations to the Foundation are tax-deductible.
Both the ACLU of Pennsylvania and the ACLU Foundation of Pennsylvania have the same overall mission, and share office space, employees, and the same board of directors. The two entities are jointly known by the term “ACLU-Pennsylvania.”