R Street is seeking a think tank office manager
The organization
The R Street Institute is fast-growing a non-profit 501(c)(3) think tank in Washington, D.C. with a full-time staff of 11. R Street supports free markets; limited, effective government; and responsible environmental stewardship. With branch offices in Tallahassee, Fla.; Austin, Texas; and Columbus, Ohio, R Street publishes research, participates in issue-based coalitions, sponsors events, supports scholarly work and helps educate both lawmakers and the general public about effective, market-based policy solutions.
Insofar as R Street looks to thinkers like John Stuart Mill, Friedrich Hayek, and Milton Friedman as guides to good public policy, it might fairly be described as part of the political right. At the same time, R Street is concerned—passionately—with making sure government does its work in an efficient, effective manner. Above all, R Street is much more interested in solving problems and working with others than in winning political fights.
The position
R Street’s office manager is an integral member of a smart, creative, quirky and resourceful team. The office manager must be highly responsible, capable of exercising independent judgment, especially when handling sensitive information, and flexible enough to wear many hats: executive assistant, researcher, editor, events assistant and, yes, office manager. This position is extremely demanding and requires top-notch time management skills as well as an attention to detail. Working directly with R Street’s president, you are responsible for making sure everything of an administrative and “back-end” nature runs smoothly so that your colleagues can focus on producing high-quality policy work. You will manage R Street’s president’s calendar by scheduling meetings and arranging travel; do the same for other members of the team; perform Internet research using general search engines, government databases and occasionally library resources; do occasional editing; work with our operations director on some financial issues; coordinate catering and other logistics for events on the Hill and elsewhere; and order office supplies, maintain printers/copiers, and oversee all other routine administrative matters. This is an important job, in short.
Our open plan office in Shaw is located near the convention center and within easy walking distance of the increasingly inaccurately named “Chinatown” area. We support freedom as much in our work environment as we do in our policy work, and we maintain a low-key office environment with no dress code and few rules in general. (This position, however, does require regular in-office hours unlike most of our other positions.) Since your job does not involve policy unless you want it to, you only need to be able to get along with your conservative and libertarian colleagues, not share their views. In fact, whatever your politics, you should have a critical mindset and be comfortable telling your boss that he is, in his own words, “full of sh*t” at those times when he waxes overly poetic about such free-market pipe-dreams as privatizing the sidewalks.
Qualifications
The best person for this job is highly educated, a quick learner and good at creating order out of chaos. Experience in the liberty movement is a plus but not required. You should have strong references from previous employers and a demonstrated ability to do the type of work we’re asking of you. A bachelor’s degree is probably necessary although not absolutely required. More education is a plus. Proven work experience is the most important criteria. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, sex, creed, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, taste in music, or anything else that’s illegal, immoral or stupid to use as a basis for hiring.
Compensation
Salary is higher than most other comparable work in the non-profit sector and competitive with the private sector and comes with opportunities for performance-based raises and bonuses. If the organization does well, you will do well. Very well actually. The benefits package include entirely employer-paid health insurance (even for families), bike sharing, health club reimbursement, snacks for you and your colleagues and a number of other pretty cool perks. We also have a super-generous leave policy that includes extensive vacation and paid maternity/paternity leave.
To Apply
To apply send us a resume and a cover letter to [email protected]. The cover letter doesn’t need to be elaborate. Include a writing sample if you’d like. Any topic is fine. We hate it when job searches drag on forever so here’s the process going forward:
We will collect resumes for this job until Nov. 28, 2013. If you’re applying after then, we’ll try to read your resume but we can’t promise you’ll be considered. We plan to conduct in-person interviews here in Washington on Dec. 1 and 2 and to extend an offer to the top candidate by Dec. 3. If you haven’t heard from us within a week of when you send in your resume and think you’re really, honestly, super-qualified for the job, drop us a note and we’ll get back to you. An accepted candidate will need to start full-time no later than Jan, 5, 2014 and should be available for at least two days of training prior to a start date.
