Executive Assistant, Litigation

Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization.  We take on the biggest, most precedent-setting cases across the country.  We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health; to preserve magnificent places and wildlife; to advance clean energy; and to combat climate change.   We partner with thousands of groups, individuals, and communities to engage the critical environmental issues of our time and bring about positive change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.

Founded in 1971, Earthjustice has a distinguished track record of achieving significant, lasting environmental protections. We achieve this by hiring people who share a passion for justice and a healthy environment. Our headquarters are in San Francisco with offices in Anchorage, Juneau, Los Angeles, Chicago, Tallahassee, Honolulu, Houston, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Denver, Seattle, Bozeman, Miami and Washington, D.C.

The position provides a broad range of administrative support to two Vice Presidents of Litigation – the Vice President of Healthy Communities and the Vice President of Litigation Practice – through communications, facilitation of workflow, schedule and travel management, budget tracking, and meeting planning.  The primary responsibilities of this role are to act as a seamless extension of the VPs by providing effective executive support to each individually and by working collectively to provide program support to their teams. 

The VPs operate in a matrix management structure, wherein they have responsibilities across respective offices and programs.  This position will support coordinated information flow with and between all the VPs and between the VPs and the regional offices, programs and departments.  This position will need to anticipate information and logistical needs and be proactive at coordinating information flow and contributing to the creation of effective systems.

This position is located in Washington DC, with some program support requiring office presence.

Responsibilities:
Executive Administration (70%):

• Provide administrative and logistical support to the VP of Healthy Communities, and the VP of Litigation Practice, including:
  • General scheduling and time management
  • Travel arrangements and expense report preparation
  • Meeting preparation and scheduling, including AV and virtual platform setup and testing
  • Meeting minutes, distributing background materials, and tracking follow-up tasks
  • Timecard approval
• Responsible for planning, logistics, and preparing materials for presentations, meetings, and video and conference calls
• Support management of contracts and service agreements
• Manage hard copy and electronic files in accordance with Earthjustice document retention policies
• Partner with key administrative staff and departments to ensure seamless coordination of responsibilities
• Help manage and track email and other correspondence
• Assist VPs with hiring and programmatic onboarding for new hiring of Direct Reports
• Other administrative duties as assigned

 Program Support (15%)

• Lead culture building efforts such as planning team retreats as requested, including budget and vendor management, event timelines, and team cultural experiences; serves as the point person for event coordination with other departments
• Provide support for practice group meetings, quarterly calls, or other meetings as requested, including scheduling, agendas, minutes, and tracking of follow-up assignments
• Manage the Litigation Practice space on our intranet, Atlas by updating and organizing resources and by creating visually appealing announcements
• Assist with the Attorney Mentor Program by tracking mentor pairings, communicating with mentors and mentees at scheduled phases during the mentoring period, and gathering and reviewing program data
• Support litigation training programs, which includes assisting with the CLE accreditation process, serving as a back-up producer for webinars, and handling back-end tasks in the organizations’ learning management system

 Financial Management (15%):

• Maintain and execute financial responsibilities in accordance with Earthjustice policy and in coordination with the VP of Finance and finance staff
• Provide tracking support for department budgets and funds, such as legal training funds and professional services budgets
• Review and approve accounts payable and client billing, and coordinate payments with Finance
• Prepare VPs expense reimbursements/vouchers
• Manage and reconcile company credit cards
• Track and submit donated time and discounted services for Earthjustice and client audit requests
• Prepare Litigation Practice budget spreadsheets and track related expenses
• Prepare and maintain budgets as assigned and oversee spending consistent with approved budgets

Qualifications

• College degree preferred, or equivalent years experience. Professional certifications a plus.
• 5+ years relevant work experience.
• Demonstrated experience providing administrative support for multiple senior staff.
• Experience collaborating in a team or group culture that produces collective rather than individual products is highly preferred.
• In-depth proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint), Adobe Reader / Acrobat, Concur, Ironclad (or other contract management software).
• Focus and attention to detail, including the management of complex information.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and good judgment about people and situations.
• Highly dependable and able to meet deadlines consistently.
• Excellent written and in-person communications skills.
• Proven ability to:
• develop, implement and track budgets.
• organize, prioritize and manage multiple tasks, sometimes under time pressure and facing unexpected challenges, with grace and results.
• work with supervisors remotely.
• maintain confidences and confidential information.
• take change in stride, overcome obstacles and adapt to unforeseen conditions.
• represent Earthjustice with tact, diplomacy, discretion and professionalism in interactions. with important donors, board members, vendors, staff and program partners.
• Interest in contributing to the creation of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work culture that encourages and celebrates differences.
• Awareness of and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds and orientations.
• Contributes to the creation of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work culture that encourages and celebrates differences.
• Interest in and commitment to environmental justice. Knowledge of environmental issues a plus.

We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits that are comprehensive and competitive. We also offer an extremely congenial work environment and a casual dress code. As a 501(c)(3) organization, Earthjustice is a qualifying employer for purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.

Salary is dependent on experience and location. Salary reflects FY 23 salary ranges.

Salary Range in Washington, DC: $86,300 - $95,900

To Apply:

Interested applicants should submit via Jobvite by October 23:

• Resume
• Cover letter

Applications, including those submitted after October 23, may be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Please reach out to jobs@earthjustice.org if you are having technical difficulties submitting your application. No phone calls, drop-ins, or hard copies.

Earthjustice is driven by a passion for justice, partnership and excellence. Our core values lead us to seek a broad range of perspectives and backgrounds to achieve our mission and to maintain an inclusive environment where all staff are valued and respected. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to employment practices that ensure that employees and applicants for employment are given equal opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information or any other factor that is not related to the position.

For positions located within the City and County of San Francisco: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

For positions located within the City of Los Angeles: We will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.