Assistant Director of Activism

The Institute for Justice seeks an experienced and passionate professional to join our Activism team as Assistant Director at our headquarters in Arlington, VA. IJ's multi-faceted Activism team challenges and reforms local and state policies and laws in the areas of economic liberty, 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 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 achieve change through strategic advocacy in city halls, state legislatures, and communities. Our tools include public education, lobbying and testifying, coalition building, community outreach, publishing research and recommendations, public speaking, media engagement, and hosting events and demonstrations.

The ideal candidate will have at least seven years of both policy and management experience, and a desire to grow into a versatile generalist across the team's full range of activities.

This role will supervise junior team members, and the ideal candidate will be passionate about mentorship that happens through meaningful collaboration on projects—developing staff by modeling sound judgment, servant leadership, and professionalism; teaching skills in real time; and providing thoughtful feedback through the work itself. This role will also manage projects and initiatives, and the ideal candidate will have project management experience.

This position offers significant opportunities for travel, professional development, and long-term advancement. The Assistant Director will join a collaborative, close-knit team and should thrive in a fast-paced, mission-driven, collegial environment.

The team's projects include :

• 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.
• Reducing state occupational licensing laws that disproportionately impact people of modest means; for example, through our "The Barber Project" and "Beauty, Not Barriers" initiatives.
• Advocating for the end of qualified immunity through our "Americans Against Qualified Immunity" 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.
• Closing the civil legal needs gap by increasing the ability of non-attorneys to offer legal help and advice.

Specific responsibilities for this role may include :

Qualifications :

Benefits :

To Apply :

To apply, please submit a resume, cover letter detailing why you're interested in working for the Institute for Justice, and a writing sample.