Director of Policy and International Programs

**The Organization and Role**

**About Access Now**

Access Now is a growing international human rights organization dedicated to defending and extending the digital rights of users at risk around the world, including issues of privacy, security, freedom of expression, and transparency. Our policy, advocacy, technology, and operations teams have staff presences in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East/North Africa (MENA), North America, and South/Southeast Asia, to provide global support to our mission.

**About this role**

The Director - Policy & International Programs manages the Policy & International Programs Team, within the broader Advocacy Arm, and collaborates across all Access Now teams. The Director - Policy & International Programs delivers management expertise across three primary areas: leading a team of regional managers, facilitating coordination on international programs across regions; overseeing and driving global policy positioning in coordination with experts across the Advocacy Arm; and serving as a member of a joint leadership team for the Advocacy Arm.

The Director - Policy & International Programs leads a highly talented and dynamic team of regional managers, lawyers, policy analysts, campaigners, communicators, and issue-based specialists who are spread across five continents. Through direct and indirect supervision of regional leads and thematic experts, the Director strengthens policy coherence and advocacy impact, facilitating prioritization from grassroots-to-global. Strategizing, planning, program oversight, coaching, performance management, and budget management are crucial aspects of this role.

The Director - Policy & International Programs works closely with the Campaigns & Rapid Response, Communications & Engagement, and Legal Programmatic Teams within the Advocacy Arm, and interfaces with the Organization’s other arms - Development, Finance, Grants, Helpline, HR/People, RightsCon, and SecOps. A member of the senior management team, the Director reports through Access Now’s Executive Director, and directly supervises a global team of regional managers.

**What you will do**
- Program Leadership_
- Identify, lead, and guide the development of key strategic regional and global policy positions and regional advocacy initiatives that will further Access Now’s mission to defend and extend the digital rights of people and communities at risk
- Establish and implement project management systems and strategic tools to ensure that Access Now’s policy positioning and advocacy is grounded in sustainable processes, is outcome oriented, is aligned to organizational policies and priorities, and reflects our values
- Work with the Policy & International Programs Team to develop and lead campaign topics and strategy, alongside the Communications, Legal, and Campaigns Teams under the Advocacy arm; the RightsCon and Helpline Teams to further tech policy and cross regional advocacy initiatives in support of our mission; and the Grants Team in support of our global small grants program
- Develop, support, and represent Access Now in global partnerships and coalitions, at public events and conferences, and before relevant corporate, governmental, and other policymaking bodies as necessary
- Support proper responses to queries from the media, the public, and colleagues in the digital rights community, and take initiative in promoting Access Now’s views in public discussion
- Organizational Management_
- Manage Access Now's team of regional directors and managers, coordinating the development of organizational positions, providing strategic guidance and support, and facilitating cross-team collaboration
- Serve on joint leadership team collectively responsible for the program directorship in the Advocacy Arm, and more broadly on the organization's senior management team, including collaborating with other directors
- Ensure strong professional development, coaching, and performance management practices across the team
- Serve as senior advisor to the Executive Director on issues including policy positioning and direction, team management and growth, organizational capacity building and structure, fundraising, and diversity
- Develop and implement annual Policy & International Programs Budget for strong coordination, planning, and decision-making
- Support fundraising staff to identify, grow, and maintain sources of financial support, including working on funding proposals and tracking deliverables and outcomes with the Development team
- Facilitate team participation in other major events, including the Internet Governance Forum
- Assist in global implementation of the annual RightsCon summit series
- Perform other duties as assigned

**Skills, education, and mindset you will bring**
- Extensive - 8+ years - management experience (including management of managers) with an ability to help lead, coordinate and motivate a multi-disciplinary and remote team to meet and prioritize multip