Executive Assistant, US Policy

We’re hiring an Executive Assistant to provide dedicated, personalized support to our Managing Director of US Law & Policy. This role requires someone who can make decisions, not just manage a diary — deciding what’s urgent, acting on the Director’s behalf where it makes sense, and catching things before they become problems. Capacity is the real constraint right now, and the goal is to take enough off the Director’s plate so that his focus remains on the policy work itself.

A note from Mackenzie Arnold, Managing Director of US Law & Policy:

We’ve built a really great team over the past few years, and we’re bringing in more exciting projects than ever. That also means we have a lot more to coordinate these days. I’m looking for someone to help me do that. In return, you’d get a close look at all of our work—policy advising, research, hiring, talent development. And you’d help me make the day-to-day judgment calls needed to make some really cool projects happen. You’d also be joining a team that’s a rare combination of friendly and driven, working on the questions of our time. If that sounds like a fit, I’d be excited to work with you.

Your main responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

Calendar and scheduling

• Proactively managing the Director’s calendar — judging what’s a priority, who actually needs face time versus who can be redirected to someone else, and protecting focus time even when it means pushing back on requests from senior people
• Researching and preparing meeting briefs, agendas (including nudging team members to populate them), and background materials ahead of key meetings —  e.g., pulling together a one-page briefing on an unfamiliar stakeholder.

Inbox management

• Drafting substantive correspondence on the Director’s behalf, not just routine replies — the Director cares about writing quality, so this means producing clear, well-argued drafts that could go out largely as-is, in a voice that reads as theirs
• Learning the cast of characters well enough to triage independently
• Tracking responses to invitations for talks and seminars

Project management support 

• Owning deadlines end-to-end — tracking internal and external commitments, blocking time on the calendar so a project actually gets finished before it’s due, and flagging risk early rather than reminding the Director once something is overdue

IT and events

• Handling day-to-day IT matters, e.g., Slack administration, subscription renewals
• Acting as the day-to-day coordination point between the Director and the Ops team

Horizon scanning

• Helping identify programs, initiatives, or opportunities that could genuinely benefit the team

Travel and logistics

• Arranging domestic and international travel, including flights, hotels, coworking spaces, and visas — anticipating likely complications (tight connections, visa lead times, time zone changes) 
• Processing reimbursement and expense requests promptly and accurately

Wider team support

• Staying genuinely plugged into what’s happening across the organization, not just your own workload, so you can keep the Director informed
• Supporting the wider team during crunch-time events throughout the year. During crunch periods, things may move too quickly for detailed instructions; you’ll need to work closely with Ops and Programs to pick up ad hoc coordination tasks (logistics, materials, last-minute changes) with limited notice and context.
• Organizing team retreats throughout the year 
• Nudging staff on performance reviews and other HR-related admin so deadlines don’t quietly slip
• Helping maintain organisational CRM systems so that important relationships and preserved and strengthened
• Completing occasional personal tasks for the Director — appointments, personal travel, and similar admin — treated with the same discretion as sensitive work matters

Compensation 

The salary range for this role is $70,000 – $100,000 depending on experience and location. For exceptional candidates whose experience exceeds our expectations in terms of relevance and seniority, we may consider higher compensation.

Start date

We are ideally looking for someone able to start immediately but are open to waiting for longer if the ideal candidate is not available immediately.

Time zones and location 

This is a full-time position. We’re looking for someone who can maintain meaningful overlap with US Eastern working hours with a preference for someone to be based in Washington, DC. We have staff working from many different countries and will support remote working and flexibility where reasonably possible, but availability during US hours is a genuine requirement for this role.

Visas: We may be able to support visa applications in some instances for this role, though individual eligibility is not within our control.

Benefits

Our benefits include:

• 5 weeks of PTO recommended per year, plus public holidays
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave that can be taken prior to birth or adoption and during the first year, with the option to take additional unpaid leave
• Employer pension or matching 401(k) contribution up to 4% of your salary
• Health insurance for employees residing in countries without nationalized healthcare
• An annual reimbursement fund of $5,000 for productivity and professional development
• An annual reimbursement fund of $5,000 for mental health support
• An annual reimbursement fund of $2,500 for equipment and office supplies
• A friendly, open work culture that encourages feedback and close collaboration, and a team that appreciates the contributions of all team members

Diversity

We aim to employ people with many different experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who share our mission. We are committed to creating an environment where all employees have the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their race, religion, disability, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation.

Requests for accommodation

If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability or incompatible assistive technology, please contact hiring@law-ai.org to request reasonable accommodations.