Executive Assistant 

This position will be based in Washington, D.C.

About FIRE

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s mission is to defend and sustain the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought — the most essential qualities of liberty. FIRE educates Americans about the importance of these inalienable rights, promotes a culture of respect for these rights, and provides the means to preserve them.

Position Description

FIRE is seeking an energetic and entrepreneurial Executive Assistant who will provide administrative assistance to both the General Counsel and Chief Counsel. The Executive Assistant will be in charge of a wide range of responsibilities: most importantly, thinking creatively about ways to help the General Counsel and Chief Counsel maximize efficiency and execute their duties and responsibilities.

Responsibilities for the Executive Assistant may include, but are not limited to:

• Assisting duties.
• Reading emails (as directed) and maintaining a constant priority list for responses.
• Mapping out each day’s most important tasks in daily morning meetings or memos.
• Making and preparing all travel arrangements for the General Counsel and Chief Counsel.
• Scheduling meetings with internal staff and external contacts, managing media requests, and scheduling speaking engagements, as needed.
• Maintaining calendars and posting all out-of-office engagements to the organizational calendar.
• Acting as the liaison between organization staff and the GC.
• Prioritizing schedules and ensuring task completion.
• Filing expense reports on behalf of the General Counsel and Chief Counsel.
• Preparing meeting materials and maintaining complete and confidential records of meetings.
• Compiling and organizing relevant case documents for hearings and record-keeping.
• Research and writing duties (as assigned by the General Counsel and Chief Counsel).
• Conducting research for letters, speeches, briefs and articles.
• Drafting and editing letters, presentations, speeches, and articles as needed.
• Laying the groundwork for information gathering and synthesis.
• Drafting emails as needed.
• Performing initial legal research for briefs.
• Researching the feasibility and implementation strategies for potential projects.
• Taking the lead on potential projects if appropriate.
• Performing additional duties as needed.

The expected start date for this position is as soon as possible.

Qualifications

A successful candidate will be organized, have a self-starting mentality, and will be able to manage a workload with a variety of objectives. Most importantly, the candidate must exercise superb judgment and demonstrate a knowledge of, and passion for, FIRE’s mission and an ability to articulate that passion in a way that will make others enthusiastic about our cause. Previous administrative experience is required. Previous legal secretarial experience is preferred.

A candidate must also be able to demonstrate:

• Strong organization, time management, and project management skills.
• Strong research, writing, and communication skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Strong phone skills and etiquette.
• A strong sense of accountability.
• The ability to multitask and handle constantly changing responsibilities and projects.
• A commitment to professional ethics and discretion with confidential personal and financial information.
• The ability to effectively manage up without timidity, informing and instructing a superior on what they should work on or prioritize.

Salary and Compensation

Starting salary is negotiable and depends upon experience and education level. FIRE conducts periodic evaluations where employees may receive raises or bonuses for outstanding and excellent work. FIRE also offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes employer-paid comprehensive health, dental, and life insurance; a Section 125 Flexible Spending Account option; matching retirement contributions; and a generous paid time-off plan.

Applications

Applicants should provide a resume, cover letter, salary requirements, and contact information for at least two professional references. All applications are confidential. Please address applications to Cait Scanlan, Chief People Officer.

FIRE is an equal opportunity employer.