Activism Operations and Events Manager

The Institute for Justice seeks a passionate individual to join our Activism team as an Operations and Events Manager at our headquarters in Arlington, VA. The successful candidate will play a key internal role in ensuring the Activism team operates at a high level—keeping us organized and efficient so we can be highly effective. This person will serve as a key partner to the Senior Director of Activism, taking ownership of important internal systems, solving problems as needed, executing high‑impact projects that support the team’s success, and stepping in wherever needed to help the team succeed. IJ’s multi‑faceted Activism team challenges and reforms local and state policies and laws in the areas of economic liberty, access to justice, property rights, and government accountability. We change state and local laws, like occupational licensing and local regulations, to make it easier to work and earn an honest living, especially for people of modest means. We advocate for the reform of legal regulations that make it a crime for anyone without a law degree to provide basic legal help. We fight policies and projects that threaten the rights of property owners to keep what they have worked so hard to own, like eminent domain abuse and civil forfeiture. And we work to hold government officials accountable, by advocating for the end of qualified immunity. We do this through strategic advocacy in city halls, state legislatures, state supreme courts, and communities. We engage decision makers and impacted individuals through outreach, organizing, training, coalition building, public demonstrations, the media, research, policy recommendations, and lobbying. This role is ideal for a candidate who actively seeks out challenges, develops creative solutions, and implements them—someone who spots inefficiencies, improves systems, and takes pride in making a team run better, all while bringing strong attention to detail and a sense of fun to the work. Responsibilities Managing the internal organization of the team that is critical to our functions, including: Tracking all activities and achievements and maintaining thorough records Managing the internal editing, production, and distribution processes for Activism’s products and publications Asset and file management Maintaining an inventory of Activism’s storage space Organizing team meetings and trainings Maintaining and creating best practices and how‑to guides Maximizing the team’s travel nationwide Seeking out tools to improve our efficiency and effectiveness Serving as liaison with our IJ’s Development and Finance teams Planning events Handle all logistics, including venues, invitations and RSVPs, attendee lead cultivation, programming, food, decorations, and ordering of materials such as giveaways and handouts Ensure events are cost‑effective and impactful Audit events and refine our best practices so we are continuing to improve our cost‑effectiveness and programming to ensure we reach our goals Develop partnerships with community venues where appropriate Serving as a key partner to the Senior Director of Activism by executing as‑needed tasks and projects in support of evolving team priorities. Scope of the role Collaborating with city officials to enact regulatory reforms to make it cheaper, faster, and simpler to start a small business, through our Cities Work initiative. Reforming state occupational licensing laws through our initiatives Beauty, Not Barriers and The Barber Project. Advocating for the end of qualified immunity through our Americans Against Qualified Immunity initiative. Closing the civil legal needs gap by increasing the ability of non‑attorneys to offer legal help and advice through our Counsel Unbound initiative. Stopping the abuse of eminent domain. Expanding the ability of home cooks and vendors to sell food and support their families. Creating new opportunities for educational entrepreneurs. Qualifications The ideal candidate will be exceptionally attentive to detail and timely, while always prioritizing progress over process. A successful candidate will have a deep commitment to IJ’s mission; be self‑motivated, proactive, and eager to collaborate in a dynamic, fast‑paced environment; care about helping people of modest means and from all walks of life; and be a critical thinker. Benefits Hybrid work schedule Flexible work hours with our core business hours of 10 am and 4 pm Health, Dental, and Vision insurance (IJ covers 100 % of individual premiums) Free Short‑Term Disability, Long‑Term Disability, and Life insurance plans HSA employer contributions 401(k) with employer matches Smart casual dress code with casual Fridays Generous PTO package of accruing sick and vacation hours in addition to a paid personal day and floating and traditional holidays IJ is an equal‑opportunity employer. Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At IJ we value a diverse workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. #J-18808-Ljbffr Institute for Justice